MSGID: 1:317/3 62c1d957   
   PID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
   TID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
   July 3, 2022 - Fresh Snow in the Andes   
      
      Snow in the Andes   
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      On June 25-27, 2022, an early winter storm brought a layer of fresh   
      snow to the central Andes Mountains.   
      
      On June 30, three days after the skies cleared, the Moderate Resolution   
      Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board NASA’s Terra satellite   
      acquired a true-color image showing a bright white blanket of snow atop   
      the high elevations straddling both Chile (west) and Argentina (east).   
      A gorgeous bank of marine stratocumulus cloud covered the Pacific Ocean   
      while low cloud (fog) crept over part of Chile’s coastal plain.   
      According to a report published on June 30 by Ski Portillo, a ski   
      resort located near the bottom of the image, 150 cm (59 in) of snow had   
      fallen this season. Ski Portillo opened on June 16.   
      
      The Andes—the longest series of mountain ranges the world—span about   
      7,242 kilometers (4,500 miles) and runs through seven countries. The   
      area captured in the image extends about 870 km (540 mi) from north to   
      south.   
      
      The snowpack that accumulates atop this extraordinary mountain chain   
      each winter is extremely important for many reasons, including the fact   
      that it provides the primary source of water for communities at lower   
      altitudes. In both Chile and Argentina, springtime and summertime   
      meltwater fill the streams that cascade off the mountains, filling   
      reservoirs used for drinking water, power generation, and agriculture.   
      
      In the central Andes, the winter snowfall is so generous that a light   
      blanket of snow lingers most of the summer. This summer snowcover plays   
      another important role: protecting glaciers. Fresh snow is highly   
      reflective, preventing underlying glacial ice from absorbing the Sun’s   
      energy, warming up, and melting.   
      
      During this past summer, the snow across most of the mountaintops   
      melted early, the result of a dry winter and a January 2022 heatwave   
      that sent temperatures soaring to 40°C (104°F) in some locations,   
      creating conditions ripe for rapid glacial melting.   
      
      On June 14, 2022, NASA’s Earth Observatory published an Image of the   
      Day that discussed the January 2022 heatwave and the impact on the   
      glaciers of the Andes. Entitled “Losing a Layer of Protection”, that   
      story can be found by clicking  here.   
      
      Image Facts   
      Satellite:  Terra   
      Date Acquired: 6/30/2022   
      Resolutions:  1km (1.1 MB),  500m (3 MB),  250m (2.3 MB)   
      Bands Used: 1,4,3   
      Image Credit: MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC   
      
      
      
   https://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/individual.php?db_date=2022-07-03   
       
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