MSGID: 1:317/3 643c37d3
PID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08
TID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08
April 16, 2023 - Clear skies over Patagonia

   Clear Skies
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   On April 12, 2023, clouds parted over Patagonia, allowing the Moderate
   Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board NASA’s Aqua
   satellite to acquire a stunning true-color image of a sunny autumn day
   across the region.

   Patagonia, which spans more than 1 million square kilometers of the
   southern tip of South America, is usually covered in clouds in
   satellite imagery, thanks to frequent stormy weather. The region sits
   in a belt of prevailing westerly winds, which carry systems across
   southern Chile and Argentina. In addition, when moist air blowing in
   from the Pacific Ocean strikes the tall Andes Mountains, it rises
   upwards, where it cools and condenses into broad cloud cover.

   The most iconic feature seen in the rare cloud-free glimpse shows both
   the northern and southern Patagonian icefields, which are the remnants
   of an ancient ice sheet that reached its maximum size about 18,000
   years ago. Stretching eastward from the icefields are a series of
   glacial lakes, colored in a variety of shades created by several
   factors, including depth and sediment content. Like glaciers
   everywhere, Andean glaciers have slowly pulverized the rocks below into
   fine-grained sediments. This sediment, known as glacial flour, flows
   into the glacial lakes, creating the bright turquoise colors that
   brighten this image.

   Image Facts
   Satellite:  Aqua
   Date Acquired: 4/12/2023
   Resolutions:  1km (925.8 KB),  500m (2.3 MB),  250m (4.6 MB)
   Bands Used:
   Image Credit: MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC



https://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/individual.php?db_date=2023-04-16
 
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