Flooding along the Souris River and Missouri River in North Dakota
MODIS 0.65 µm visible channel and 2.1 µm near-IR "snow/ice channel" images
AWIPS images of 1-km resolution MODIS 0.65 µm visible channel and MODIS 2.1 µm near-IR “snow/ice channel” data on 23 June 2011 (above) demonstrated the utility of the snow/ice channel to help highlight areas of potential flooding — because water is a strong absorber at the 2.1 µm wavelength, it appears very dark in the snow.ice images. The Souris River located in north-central North Dakota stands out in the images, along with the Missouri River to the southwest.
A comparison of 250-meter resolution MODIS true color and false color images (below) showed greater detail of the flooded areas on the false color image, as well as the fact that a great deal of sediment was flowing into the Missouri River and even into the western portion of Lake Sakakawea.
MODIS true color and false color Red/Green/Blue (RGB) images
A comparison between MODIS false color images on 29 June 2010 and 23 June 2011 (below) showed the dramatic change in the Souris River, as well as in the Missouri River southwest of Williston, North Dakota. In June 2011 historic flooding was occurring in the city of Minot along the Souris River.
MODIS false color RGB image comparison: 29 June 2010 vs 23 June 2011