Algal bloom along the coast of China

On June 28, 2008, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA's Aqua satellite captured these images of Qingdao and the bay of Jiaozhou Wan. It shows the officials and residents of Qingdao (also known as Tsingtao) struggling with a stubborn adversary: algae. The top image is a natural-color image similar to what a digital camera would photograph. The bottom image is a false-color image made from a combination of light visible to human eyes and infrared light our eyes cannot see. In this image, vegetation appears vibrant green, including the strips of algae floating in the bay and in the nearby coastal waters. Original Article on NASA's Earth Observatory Page:Chinese Algal Bloom