Sediments in the Gulf of Mexico Near Houston, Texas – November 17th, 2009
29.7N 95.3W
November 17th, 2009
Category: Image of the day, Lakes, Rivers
USA - November 10th, 2009
Louisiana Lakes and Bays
Houston, Texas
The waters in the Gulf of Mexico off the coasts of Texas (to the west) and Louisiana (to the east), USA, are laden with sediments. Those in bays and released from rivers by the Louisiana shores are a thick, muddy brown, while those flanking the Texas shoreline are diluted to a greener hue.
The first close-up focuses on the city of Houston, the largest city within the state of Texas. The city, most of which is situated on the gulf coastal plain, is connected to a large bay to the southeast. This bay is divided into three sections: Trinity Bay (north), East Bay (east) and Galveston Bay (south). Here, the bay is mostly colored light brown from sediments, which can then be sen spilling out into the Gulf.
The second close-up depicts a series of lakes and bays filled with dark brown sediments along the Louisiana coastline. These are, from left to right, Sabine Lake, Calcasieu Lake, Grand Lake, White Lake, Vermilion Bay and West Cote Blanche Bay.
Tags: Calcasieu Lake East Bay Galveston Bay Grand Lake Gulf of Mexico Houston Louisiana Sabine Lake Sediments Texas Trinity Bay USA Vermilion Bay West Cote Blanche Bay White Lake |
Print This Post
| 
Email This Post
| 
| Leave a response, or trackback
November 19th, 2009 at 12:46 am
[...] This FAPAR image of the coast of Texas along the Gulf of Mexico shows the area’s vegetation index, which corresponds to the Fraction of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (from which its name is derived). Measuring the radiation over land surfaces in this way provides data on the planet’s climate system. To compare this FAPAR image to the original satellite view of this area, please click here. [...]