Late summer rains pounded Northern Argentina in early 2007, triggering the floods shown in this image. The rains started in mid-January, and by March 21, when the top image was taken, the rainfall had caused floods along the Parana and Dulce Rivers and around Laguna Mar Chiquita. The rains were the heaviest seen in Northern Argentina in 45 years, said the Dartmouth Flood Observatory, and the resulting floods killed 5 and forced 5,000 from their homes. In these images, the floods stretch out over tens of kilometers east of the Parana River. The Dulce River fans across its mouth, where it empties into the Laguna Mar Chiquita.
The lower image was taken on January 18, 2007, about the time that the rains started. Like the top image, this image was made with both visible and infrared light so that water is black or dark blue and clouds are pale blue and white. Plant-covered land is green, while bare earth is tan. Agricultural areas are a brighter shade of green than natural vegetation, and the fields give the land a speckled appearance. Similar images are available from the MODIS Rapid Response System on a daily basis.
NASA images courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC.
