The Spring, 2009 floods along the Red River between North Dakota and
Minnesota continue to affect cities in the two states, especially Fargo
and Whitehead. This satellite image, acquired April 9, 2009, shows the
flood waters north of the towns spilling over into farmlands. Residents
were on constant flood alert, filling sandbags, and hoping that the water
level would finally recede. Standing water appears in shades of dark green
and brown, wet ground is dark grey, and snow is white.
With its 14 spectral bands from the visible to the thermal infrared
wavelength region and its high spatial resolution of 15 to 90 meters
(about 50 to 300 feet), ASTER images Earth to map and monitor the changing
surface of our planet. ASTER is one of five Earth-observing instruments
launched December 18, 1999, on NASA's Terra satellite. The instrument was
built by Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. A joint
U.S./Japan science team is responsible for validation and calibration of
the instrument and the data products.
The broad spectral coverage and high spectral resolution of ASTER provides
scientists in numerous disciplines with critical information for surface
mapping and monitoring of dynamic conditions and temporal change. Example
applications are: monitoring glacial advances and retreats; monitoring
potentially active volcanoes; identifying crop stress; determining cloud
morphology and physical properties; wetlands evaluation; thermal pollution
monitoring; coral reef degradation; surface temperature mapping of soils
and geology; and measuring surface heat balance.
The U.S. science team is located at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory,
Pasadena, Calif. The Terra mission is part of NASA's Science Mission
Directorate.
More information about ASTER is available at http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/.
Size: 38 by 82 kilometers (23 by 51 miles)
Location: 46.8 degrees North latitude, 96.8 degrees West longitude
Orientation: North up
Image Data: ASTER Bands 1,2, and 3
Original Data Resolution: 15 meters (49.2 feet)
Date Acquired: April 9, 2009