Irkutsk Region, Russia

  • Credit

    Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA/GSFC

At the southern end of the Central Siberian Plateau, rugged mountains separate Russia from Mongolia. A dramatic change in land cover is apparent, with Siberia appearing lush green, and Mongolia’s arid terrain fringing the bottom of the image. At lower right, the southern tip of Lake Baikal is visible, and the Angara Rivers drains from it, flowing northward along a circuitous path. Just north of where the river leaves the lake is the city of Irkutsk. The river has several wide spots due to multiple small and large dams. A few fires (red dots) are scattered across the image. Haze at lower right is likely smoke from fires just out of the scene.

Metadata

  • Sensor

    Terra/MODIS
  • Visualization Date

    2002-10-07