Earth

Swollen rivers in Queensland carry sediments to Australian coast

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January 6, 2011

Rivers in Queensland – which began flooding in late 2010, with the floods getting worse in recent weeks – are also carrying heavy sediment loads to the coast.

queensland_flood_great_barrier_reef_NASA_615 — Image Credit: NASA

This natural-color image was captured yesterday by instrumentation aboard NASA’s Aqua satellite. Here you see the Burdekin River – the waters around Cape Bowling Green – turned muddy brown, as a thick plume of sediment approached the famous Great Barrier Reef. The devastating floodwaters across the Australian state of Queensland – which now cover an area the size of France and Germany combined – might not recede for weeks, according to the state’s Premier Anna Bligh.

Via NASA Earth Observatory

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January 6, 2011

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Deborah Byrd

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Deborah Byrd (asteroid 3505 Byrd) helps edit EarthSky.org and is a frequent host of EarthSky videos. Deborah created the EarthSky radio series in 1991 and founded EarthSky.org in 1994. Prior to that, she had worked for the University of Texas McDonald Observatory since 1976, and created and produced their Star Date radio series. She has won a galaxy of awards from the broadcasting and science communities, including having an asteroid named in her honor in 1990, a Public Service Award from the National Science Board in 2003, and the Education Prize from the American Astronomical Society in 2020. A science communicator and educator since 1976, Byrd believes in science as a force for good in the world and a vital tool for the 21st century. "Being an EarthSky editor is like hosting a big global party for cool nature-lovers," she says.