Where on Earth: Mackenzie River Delta
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What forms the green and blue pattern on either side of the river shown in this satellite image?
Produced by the Space Telescope Science Institute’s Office of Public Outreach in collaboration with the NASA Earth Observatory: https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov
- Story based on Image of the Day story: https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=8320
- Terra satellite image of the Mackenzie River Delta: GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and the U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team.
- Satellite image of large region: World Wide Telescope
- Air photo of the Mackenzie River Delta in winter: Simon Fraser University https://www.flickr.com/photos/sfupamr/13586973483
- Air photo of the Mackenzie River Delta in summer: Staffan Widstrand, WWF https://blog.wwf.ca/blog/2014/07/04/checking-health-canadas-great-river/
- Written by Dr. Kate Porter and Margaret W. Carruthers
- Designed by Dani Player
- Music from Music for Non-Profits
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Collage of distinct satellite images of natural phenomena.
Text, where on earth? Satellite Image, a river cuts through a green terrain with blue spots.
Text, What forms the green and blue pattern on either side of the river shown in this satellite image? A, Rice fields in Laos, B, sinkholes in Germany, C, Thawed tundra in Canada, D, Mangrove swamp in Bangladesh.
C is highlighted, Thawed tundra in Canada.
Map of river. Text, Mackenzie River Delta, Northwest Territories, Canada. Canada's Mackenzie River flows northwest from the Great Slave Lake through forest and tundra an then widens into a marshy delta before emptying into the Beaufort sea.
During the winter, the ground and river in this Arctic region are frozen. Image, frozen river.
Text, In the summer, much of the ice and snow melt. The water forms small lakes and pools on the tundra. Image, river and pools surrounded by lush greenery.
First image. Text, in this false color image, tundra appears green and water appears blue.
The shades of blue indicate differences in water depth and clarity. The shallower or muddier the water, the lighter the blue. Here, the main channel of the river appears to be full of sediment and would be brown in a natural color image.
The map recedes until we have the whole Earth before us . Text, Music courtesy of Yesh Music A S C A P .
Where on earth?