Images
August 16, 2020 - Shark Bay
Follow @NASA_MODIS
Tweet
Sitting at the most westerly projection of Australia and protected from the rough waters of the Indian Ocean, Shark Bay claims roughly 1,500 km (932 miles) of coastline that outline turquoise-colored lagoons and thin, finger-like peninsulas. Stretching over about 2.2 million hectares, in the Gascoyne region of Western Australia, the unique features and rich biodiversity led to the inclusion on the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1991.
With vast seagrass banks, hypersaline pools, steep cliffs, shell beaches, arid peninsulas, and rich stromatolite formations (rocky structures created by cyanobacteria), unique habitats abound. The Australian Wildlife Service’s website on Shark Bay states that the area “contains habitats for, and species of conservation significance”. These include at least 28 endemic vascular plant species; and the only populations (or only major populations) of animals such as the burrowing bettong, rufous hare-wallaby, banded hare-wallaby, Shark Bay mouse, and western barred bandicoot About one-eight of the Earth’s dugong population lives here, and the habitat helps support the green and loggerhead turtle as well as large numbers of humpback whales during their migration. At least nine of the reptile species found here are endemic to Shark Bay.
On August 1, 2020, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board NASA’s Terra satellite acquired a stunning true-color image of Shark Bay, Australia. Streaks of jade and turquoise in the Bay are likely blooms of phytoplankton. These plant-like, microscopic organisms form the base of the marine food web and help support the richness of the marine fauna found here. Some of the color may also be from sediment, which can also appear tan or green when it is floating in sea water.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 8/1/2020
Resolutions:
1km (85.5 KB), 500m (243.9 KB), 250m (371.2 KB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
Sitting at the most westerly projection of Australia and protected from the rough waters of the Indian Ocean, Shark Bay claims roughly 1,500 km (932 miles) of coastline that outline turquoise-colored lagoons and thin, finger-like peninsulas. Stretching over about 2.2 million hectares, in the Gascoyne region of Western Australia, the unique features and rich biodiversity led to the inclusion on the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1991.
With vast seagrass banks, hypersaline pools, steep cliffs, shell beaches, arid peninsulas, and rich stromatolite formations (rocky structures created by cyanobacteria), unique habitats abound. The Australian Wildlife Service’s website on Shark Bay states that the area “contains habitats for, and species of conservation significance”. These include at least 28 endemic vascular plant species; and the only populations (or only major populations) of animals such as the burrowing bettong, rufous hare-wallaby, banded hare-wallaby, Shark Bay mouse, and western barred bandicoot About one-eight of the Earth’s dugong population lives here, and the habitat helps support the green and loggerhead turtle as well as large numbers of humpback whales during their migration. At least nine of the reptile species found here are endemic to Shark Bay.
On August 1, 2020, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board NASA’s Terra satellite acquired a stunning true-color image of Shark Bay, Australia. Streaks of jade and turquoise in the Bay are likely blooms of phytoplankton. These plant-like, microscopic organisms form the base of the marine food web and help support the richness of the marine fauna found here. Some of the color may also be from sediment, which can also appear tan or green when it is floating in sea water.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 8/1/2020
Resolutions:
1km (85.5 KB), 500m (243.9 KB), 250m (371.2 KB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
