Update on the Gulf of Mexico oil slick
MODIS true color and false color RGB images
A comparison of the 18:50 UTC 250-meter resolution Aqua MODIS true color Red/Green/Blue (RGB) image — created using MODIS bands 1/4/3 as the R/G/B channels — and the corresponding false color RGB image — created using MODIS bands 7/2/1 as the R/G/B channels — acquired on 04 May 2010 from the SSEC MODIS Today site (above) showed the oil slick from the Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion and collapse in the northern Gulf of Mexico 14 days earlier. Due to prolonged wind and wave action, the shape and size of the oil slick signature appeared to have changed and spread out in terms of areal coverage (compared to that seen for several days following the accident).