January 23, 2022 - Clear Skies over Patagonia

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Argentina, Chile, Tierra del Fuego
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On January 20, 2022, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer
(MODIS) on board NASA’s Terra satellite acquired a dramatic true-color
image of Patagonia surrounded by a swirl of cloud. On this clear summer
day, almost all of Patagonia can be seen, from Chile’s verdant Pacific
coast, to the snow-and-glacier-topped Andes Mountains, then to the dry
scrublands and coastal lowlands of Argentina. Only a small part of the
western-most coastlines are hidden under fingers of low cloud (fog).

Spanning more than 1 million square kilometers, Patagonia is surrounded
by the Pacific Ocean in the west and the Atlantic Ocean in the east.
The southern tip, Tierra del Fuego, is crossed by the Strait of
Magellan, the Beagle Channel, and the Drake Passage to the south.
Several glacial lakes sit on the eastern edge of the Andes, shining
brightly in various shades of blue.

Such a widespread clear view of southern South America is rather rare,
thanks to the year-round and frequent passage of storms. Tierra del
Fuego sits in a belt of prevailing westerly winds where blustery and
cloud-filled days are the norm as high- and low-pressure systems drift
eastward. The Andes Mountains, sitting along the border between Chile
(west) and Argentina (east) adds to inland cloudiness. When
eastward-blowing wind passing over the Pacific Ocean encounter the tall
Andes, it is forced upward. As moist air rises and cools, it condenses
into cloud.

Image Facts
Satellite: Terra
Date Acquired: 1/20/2022
Resolutions: 1km (1.8 MB), 500m (5 MB), 250m ( B)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit: MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC



https://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/individual.php?db_date=2022-01-23

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