Cool Geo-Pic: Snow and Fog in Pacific Northwest

This Cool Geo-Pic comes again from NASA's Earth Observatory. Great example of what you see (in this case white in the top image) isn't always what you expect (false color results).

Snow and Fog in Pacific Northwest - Posted January 28, 2009

download large image (6 MB, JPEG) acquired January 18, 2009
download large image (8 MB, JPEG)

Quick "Cut & Paste" Highlights:

" ...The top image is a natural-color view that covers parts of British Columbia, Alberta, Washington, Idaho, and Montana. This photo-like view is made from MODIS’ observations of visible light. In this image, the landscape appears in shades of dark green, brown, and white. From an initial glance, you might decide that snow not only draped the mountain peaks and blanketed the prairie of Alberta, but also lined the deep valleys of the Rocky Mountains and the Columbia Plateau in central Washington.

The false-color version of the scene (bottom image) reveals that not all the white is snow, however. This picture is made from a combination of red light and shortwave infrared light, which our eyes cannot see. Snow and ice are red, while clouds and fog are white or pale peach. Liquid water on the ground is dark red, nearly black, and vegetation is green....."

Full Article - Click Here

References / Credits:

What do the different band combinations mean? from the MODIS Rapid Response Project FAQs.
NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. Caption by Michon Scott and Rebecca Lindsey.
Instrument:
Terra - MODIS