On 24 May, 2010, the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer on Nasa’s Terra satellite captured this false-colour, high-resolution view of the very tip of the Mississippi river delta. Ribbons and patches of oil that have leaked from the Deepwater Horizon well offshore are silver against the light blue colour of the adjacent water. Vegetation is red. In the sunglint region of a satellite image - where the mirror-like reflection of the Sun gets blurred into a wide, bright strip - any differences in the texture of the water surface are enhanced. Oil smooths the water, making it a better 'mirror'. Oil-covered waters are very bright in this image, but, depending on the viewing conditions (time of day, satellite viewing angle, slick location), oil-covered water may look darker rather than brighter
Photograph: Aster/NASA
The Guardian
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