NASA Terra Images: Flooding from Tsunami near Sendai, Japan Top
image acquired March 12, 2011, bottom image acquired February
26, 2011 acquired March 12, 2011 acquired February 26, 2011
NASA's Terra satellite's first view of northeastern Japan in the
wake of a devastating earthquake and tsunami reveal extensive
flooding along the coast. The Moderate Resolution Imaging
Spectroradiometer (MODIS) acquired the top image of the Sendai
region on March 12, 2011, at 10:30 a.m. The lower image, taken
by Terra MODIS on February 26, 2011, is provided as a point of
reference. Water is black or dark blue in these images. It is
difficult to see the coastline in the March 12 image, but a thin
green line outlines the shore. This green line is higher-
elevation land that is above water, presumably preventing the
flood of water from returning to the sea. The flood indicator on
the lower image illustrates how far inland the flood extends.
Both images were made with infrared and visible light, a
combination that increases the con