Appearing at first glance to be more like the dotted-outlines of islands than actual islands, the island nation of the Maldives lie in the Indian Ocean, southwest of India. It is worth examining the higher resolution images, for a better look at the ghostly, luminous forms of the coral atolls that are the Maldives. There are 26 atolls made up of nearly 1200 individual islets, over 200 of which are inhabited.
The Maldives are the lowest country in the world, with the maximum natural ground level only being 2.3 meters (7.5 feet). Because of being so low-lying, the Maldives were greatly affected by the 2004 tsunami. There is also concern about how rising ocean levels might affect the islands.
This image was captured by the MODIS on the Terra satellite on February 12, 2009.
Credit: Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC Click to enlarge. (1 mb)
Welcome to JetStream, the National Weather Service Online Weather School. This site is designed to help educators, emergency managers, or anyone interested in learning about weather and weather safety.
The information contained in JetStream is arranged by subject; beginning with global and large scale weather patterns followed by lessons on air masses, wind patterns, cloud formations, thunderstorms, lightning, hail, damaging winds, tornados, tropical storms, cyclones and flooding. Interspersed in JetStream are "Learning Lessons" which can be used to enhance the educational experience.
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