File:Flooding in Queensland Catchment Lakes (MODIS 2020-03-11).jpg

English: After heavy rains drenched much of northern and eastern Queensland in February 2020, Tropical Cyclone Esther added additional precipitation in early March. According to the Australian Broadcasting Company (ABC News), on March 4 the tail-end of the cyclone was bringing heavy downpours to the Queensland outback, bringing much-needed rain to the area. They reported that Birdsville had received nearly 117 mm (4 in) of rain, and some communities had received their best rain in 10 years.

On March 8 the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board NASA’s Terra satellite acquired a false-color image of flooding in Queensland’s catchment lakes.

This false-color image, using bands 7,2,1, combines infrared and visible light to highlight water and vegetation. In this combination, water appears electric blue and vegetation bright green. Bare land appears tan or brown, depending on the composition of the soil. Not only does this image clearly mark flooding in rivers and lakes, but the flush of green plants which has been spurred to growth from rainfall is also plainly evident. Gray lines have been overlain on the image to mark political boundaries. Northern Territory sits in the northwest corner of the image and South Australia to the south. The town of Birdsville is located in Queensland near the border with South Australia.