This March 3, 2000 image of the San Francisco Bay region shows a 60 by 75 kilometer Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) image in band 1 (near infrared, 0.52-0.60 microns). The color coded suspended sediment image was created from band 1 by blacking out the land, and assigning colors to the relative brightnesses in the water. High values were colored white, then red, yellow, green, and blue. Brighter values in band 1 indicate higher sediment load in the water. The highest values are in Suisun and San Pablo Bays, into which the Sacramento River empties, and along the coast of the San Francisco Peninsula. The Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay water are relatively clear.
Image courtesy ASTER Science Team