Sediment colored the English Channel in swirling tans and green on a hazy winter day in the closing days of 2019. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board NASA’s Terra satellite acquired a true-color image of the scene on December 30 as it passed overhead.

The English Channel separates England (west) from France (east). Most of the sediment pours from the River Thames and flows northeast into the North Sea. Along the banks of the Thames, gray pixels, partially hidden by cloud, mark the city of London, the capital and largest city of England and of the United Kingdom. On the southeastern tip of the peninsula that juts into the channel south of the Thames sits the city of Dover, famous for its white chalk cliffs. Across the water from Dover is the French city of Calais. The English Channel pinches to its narrowest point between Dover and Calais, measuring only 21 miles between the two cities.

Image Facts

Satellite: Terra

Date Acquired: 12/30/2019

Resolutions: , ,

Bands Used: 1,4,3

Image Credit: MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC