Cordoba, Argentina

Credit: MODIS team; NASA, Posted on: Monday, 3 January 2005, 08:08 CST Download full size image

Central Argentina boasts three of the country’s four major climatic regions: arid mountains to the west, subtropical forests to the north, and fertile plains and marshlands to the west and south. These three regions cradle the city of Cordoba, Argentina’s second largest city and agricultural cradle. The Rio Primero feeds the city and surrounding lands, helping irrigate orchards, grain fields, and vineyards. Lumber, minerals, and cattle help round out the city’s economic presence in South America, while tourism and trade make use of Cordoba’s transportation links between Buenos Aires and Chile. The city itself is a large grayish-white spot between the Salinas Grandes to the northwest and the Laguna Mar Chiquita to the northeast. The Salinas Grandes are semi-permanent salt lakes, which is what gives them their white color. The light, almost silvery color of the Laguna Mar Chiquita is the result of glare, called sunglint, on the water that is reflecting back into MODIS’ “eye.” Just northeast of the city, two red dots mark locations where the MODIS instrument detected thermal anomalies (likely early summer agricultural fires). Other small fires are scattered throughout the scene.

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