File:Greening in India and Pakistan (MODIS 2022-02-13).jpg

English: On February 11, 2022, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired a true-color image of verdant greening in northeastern Pakistan and northwestern India. The deep green colors begin west of the Indus River and stretch over the foothills of the Himalayan Mountains, which are capped with a thick coat of bright white snow. Three major rivers can be easily seen, each filled with muddy-colored sediment. The Indus lies furthest west, the Chenab in the east and the Jhelum runs between the two. The Jhelum flows into the Chenab, which eventually flows into the Indus River.

Circular tan areas within the green swath mark cities or towns. In some areas, long tan lines can be seen traversing the landscape between cities. These are roadways, often with development along the sides. The largest city seen here is Lahore, Pakistan. Amritsar, India sits just to the northeast of Lahore.

The greenest months in this rich agricultural region are typically during or the monsoon season, which runs from June 1 to September 30. After a very dry year, the 2021 monsoon rains came late – but some rains fell after September, extending the season into October. Severe storms brought heavy flooding to Iran, Pakistan, and Afghanistan in late December 2021-January 2022, as well as Oman, United Arab Emirates, and Kuwait. Although the areas that were hit the hardest are west of this image, the storms also brought rain to the borderlands – and, as always, after the rains comes greening.

On June 8, 2021, the MODIS instrument on the Terra satellite acquired a true-color image of the same region, which showed the parched land waiting for monsoon rains. Thanks to the NASA Worldview App, it's easy to view a comparison between that image and this one. To see the change over time, click here .