The most detailed true-color images of the Earth to date depict the global interactions between the atmosphere, oceans, land surfaces, and snow/ice surfaces, which together comprise the global water and energy cycles of the Earth system.

A collection of satellite-based observations, combined with data from months of observations of the land surface, was blended together into a seamless, true-color mosaic of every square kilometer of the planet. Most of the information contained in these images came from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) flying at about 700 km above the Earth on-board the NASA's Terra satellite. The land and coastal ocean portions are based on surface observations collected from June through September 2001 and combined or composited every eight days to compensate for clouds that might block the sensor's view of the surface on any single day. Two different types of ocean data were used in these images: shallow water true color data, and global ocean color (or chlorophyll) data. Topographic shading is based on the GTOPO 30 elevation data set compiled by the USGS's EROS Data Center. MODIS observations of polar sea ice were combined with observations of Antarctica made by the NOAA Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) sensor. The cloud image is a composite of two days of imagery collected in visible light wavelengths and a third day of thermal infrared imagery over the poles.

Credits: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. Image by Reto Stöckli (land surface, shallow water, clouds). Enhancements by Robert Simmon (ocean color, compositing, 3D globes, animation). Data and technical support: MODIS Land Group; MODIS Science Data Support Team; MODIS Atmosphere Group; MODIS Ocean Group Additional data: USGS EROS Data Center (topography); USGS Terrestrial Remote Sensing Flagstaff Field Center (Antarctica).