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North Dakota Floods

April 19, 2009
The Spring, 2009 floods along the Red River between North Dakota and Minnesota affected cities in the two states, especially Fargo and Whitehead. NASA's Terra spacecraft acquired this image on April 9, 2009.

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

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