MSGID: 1:317/3 6398bdc6   
   PID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
   TID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
   December 13, 2022 - Ice on the Aral Sea   
      
      Ice on the Aral Sea   
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      Seasonal transitions can come quickly in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan,   
      where temperatures can suddenly plummet at the start of winter. High   
      temperatures in Tastak, a town near the North Aral Sea in Kazakhstan,   
      registered at 23˚F with a 13˚F low on November 30. Just a few days   
      later, on December 8, the high was only -1˚F and the day’s low dropped   
      to a shivering -11˚F. The frigid shift was clearly written on the   
      landscape as ice quickly encased the North Aral Sea.   
      
      On December 12, 2022, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer   
      (MODIS) on board NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired a true-color image of   
      the Aral Sea. The North Aral Sea was covered in ice and snow blanketed   
      the ground around the North Aral Sea in Kazakhstan and areas west of   
      the South Aral Sea in Uzbekistan. The western basin remained mostly ice   
      free, with the jade green water contrasting sharply with the stark tan   
      landscape. In most winters, the western basin of the Aral Sea remains   
      open, although it has frozen over in a few especially cold years.   
      
      The heavy swath of white fanning out along the southwestern shore of   
      the western basin of the Aral Sea is an example of “lake-effect” snow   
      similar to the famous lake-effect snow that creates heavy snowstorms   
      around the Great Lakes of North America. Lake-effect snow occurs when   
      cold, dry air blows across relatively warmer open water. The warmth and   
      moisture from the lake surface rises into the cold, dry atmosphere   
      where clouds form and grow, then release snow as they pass once again   
      over dry land. The prevailing winds in this region blow from east to   
      west, so the lake-effect snow falls on the western side of the Aral Sea   
      in winter.   
      
      While this single image clearly shows a wintery scene at the Aral Sea,   
      to truly appreciate change over time it is helpful to compare images of   
      the same location on two different days. The NASA Worldview app makes   
      such comparisons simple and easy. To compare two true-color Aqua MODIS   
      images of the Aral Sea, one acquired on December 12, 2022, and one   
      acquired on November 30, 2022, before temperatures dropped, simply   
      click  here   
      
      Image Facts   
      Satellite:  Aqua   
      Date Acquired: 12/12.2022   
      Resolutions:  1km (229 KB),  500m (660 KB),  250m (380.8 KB)   
      Bands Used: 1,4,3   
      Image Credit: MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC   
      
      
      
   https://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/individual.php?db_date=2022-12-13   
       
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