China Satellite Imagery

  China Image Art Gallery

Satellite Images - 2004

AVHRR and Landsat Images

• January 28, 2004 - AVHRR - Midwinter conditions.  Light snow in the northern North China Plain and Northwest, almost no snow south of the Yellow River in Henan or south of Shandong.  Some vegetative growth in the southern plains where temperatures had been generally mild this winter. 
  • Close-up.  Focused on Hebei and Shandong provinces. Winter wheat is dormant.
• February 14, 2004 and March 3, 2004 - AVHRR - Comparison images of China's winter wheat production area (North China Plain) taken less than 3 weeks apart.
  • Close up. - Winter wheat emergence in Henan province.  Favorable soil moisture and very warm temperatures led to rapid winter wheat emergence and development in late February.  Conditions were more favorable than last year on the same date.
• March 29, 2004 - AVHRR.  Dust storm on the North China Plain.  Press reports described a heavy dust storm over northern China on March 28-30, 2004.  Imagery shows airborne dust over northern Shanxi and Hebei provinces (marked by the "x")  Dust is also visible in central area of the North China Plain.  the linear band of clouds in the southern part of the image is indicative of strong upper level winds.  
• May 3, 2004 - AVHRR.  Winter wheat.  Most of the crop was at the grain-fill stage by May 10.  Crop progress was reported ahead of schedule due to very warm temperatures in April.  Showers at end-April and beginning of May improved soil moisture levels.  Rainfall had been near normal in the north (Hebei/Shandong) but below normal in Henan.  The crop will be harvested in 20 to 30 days.  
  • Comparison - May 3, 2004 with April 27, 2003.  Vegetation in Henan appears brighter in 2003, reflecting wetter spring weather than in 2004.  Crop progress in 2004 was farther advanced - deciduous forests were greening in 2004.  Vegetation values in Hebei and northern Henan were slightly higher in 2004. 
  • Infrared images, Henan province, focused on the Yellow river.  The infrared band highlights water features.  There is clearly more water in the Yellow river in 2004 than in 2003.  Rainfall was higher in spring 2003, but very heavy rainfall in fall/winter 2003/04 increased stream flow and subsurface moisture.  
• May 12, 2004 - AVHRR - North China Plain - Winter wheat is filling in the north, maturing in the south.  
  • Comparison - May 12, 2004 vs April 16, 2004.  In April, winter wheat was flowering, but forests were still dormant.  By mid-May, winter wheat was in the filling stage (vegetation values are dropping) for forests have emerged.  
• May 5, 2004 - Landsat TM - Huai River, Anhui and Jiangsu provinces.  Wheat is the predominant crop north of the river, rice is grown in the south.  Rainfall has been near to below normal since February, but rivers and reservoirs are full.  This area suffered from serious flooding last summer.
  • Close-up - Huai river tributary - Levees are clearly visible.  Fields are tiny.  many different spring and summer crops are grown here.  
  • Close-up - Anhui province - Winter wheat (red) is filling, spring-sown crops (orange) have emerged.  Crops appear to be in good condition.  
• May 5, 2004 - Landsat TM - Southern Shandong.  Mountains in the north, winter wheat filling, spring-sown crops starting to emerge.  Many reservoirs and extensive canal system to provide irrigation water.  
  • Close-up - Complex land use pattern - urbanization, many different crops.
• May 5, 2004 - Landsat TM - Central Shandong.  Image was enhanced to highlight landforms.  Mountainous area.  Vegetation is limited to isolated valleys and some forests.  Water is captured in mountain reservoirs.   

- August 15, 2004 - Heilongjiang Province

• May 11, 2004 - Landsat TM - Henan. Winter wheat is maturing in southern Henan (red to gray/green), harvesing will start soon.  Spring-sown crops appear yellow.
  • Comparison - June 11, 2004.  Winter wheat harvest is complete, spring crops and vegetation surrounding villages appears in red.
• June 8, 2004 - AVHRR - North China Plain - Winter wheat is mature and harvesting is underway.  Some spring-sown crops have emerged:  summer crop planting has started.  
  • Close-up 1. - Landsat TM,  May 19, 2004 - Baiyandian Lake, Hebei province.  Very shallow, it fills up during wet years and nearly disappears during droughts.
  • Close-up 2. - Landsat TM, June 11, 2004 - Mature winter wheat appears in shades of green, harvested fields are white.  Red and yellow tones represent vegetative spring crops.  
• July 12, 2004 - Landsat TM - Heilongjiang province.  Summer crops are vegetative/filling. Corn (red) and soybeans (yellow) are the dominant crops.
• July 12, 2004 - Landsat TM - Jilin province.  See above.
• July 22, 2004 - AVHRR - North China Plain - Summer crops are reproducing and filling.  Rainfall was above normal, crop growth is very good.  
  • Close-up - Center of North China Plain.  Bright red tone represents vigorous summer crop growth.  Regularly-spaced white spots are urban areas - roads are visible as straight white lines.
• July 22, 2004 - AVHRR - Shandong province - Crops appear in good condition, lakes and reservoirs are full.  Shandong had above-normal rainfall in July.
  • Comparison - September 13, 2004.  Same province.  Vegetation has diminished; summer crops are maturing, some harvesting has begun.  Haze in Shandong (at the 'x') may be smoke from burning corn stubble.
• August 15, 2004 - Landsat TM - The border between Heilongjiang, China and Russia.  Field patterns are very different - Agricultural land is used much more intensively in China.  
• August 15, 2004 -Landsat TM - Heilongjiang province.  Very complex field patterns.  Corn and soybeans are dominant, but rice, spring wheat, sugar beets, and other grains are also grown.
• August 20, 2004 -  Landsat TM - Heilongjiang province.  Summer crops are filling and maturing.  Harbin is located in the center of the image.  
  • August 20, 2004 - Landsat TM - Heilongjiang province.  Close-up of agricultural patterns in southern Heilongjiang shows uniformly long and narrow fields, evenly-spaced villages.  Maturing crops in shades of gray/green.
• September 15, 2004.  Landsat TM - Henan province.  Summer crops in southern Henan are maturing or harvested.  Dense population is clearly visible (small spots are villages).  Winter wheat will be planted soon.  
• September 17, 2004 - AVHRR - Huai River valley.  Summer grains have been harvested (bare areas) but natural vegetation, late rice and cotton crops are still vegetative (in shades of red).
• September 21, 2004 - AVHRR - North China Plain, with focus on Yellow River.  Above-normal rainfall during summer 2004 maintained high water levels in the Yellow River.  
• October 14, 2004 - AVHRR - Northern China, North Korea.  Summer crops are harvested, winter planting is underway on the North China plain.  Frost has occurred in the Northeast.  Snow is visible in the North Korea mountains.  

Satellite Images - 2003

AVHRR and Landsat Images

• January 1, 2003.  AVHRR - Snow on the North China Plain.  Major cities and towns appear as black splotches. 
• March 30, 2003.  AVHRR - Winter wheat emergence in the Wei River valley, Shaanxi Province.  The crop is represented by shades of red.  The growth of natural vegetation (forests) has not yet resumed.
• May 2, 2003.  LANDSAT-TM - Winter wheat at peak growth stage.  Shandong Province and Yellow River.  The image clearly shows the extreme population density and intensive agriculture on the North China Plain.
  • May 2, 2003 - Closeup  Sandbars are visible in the Yellow River - water levels are normally low before the start of the rainy season in June.
• June 11, 2003.  AVHRR - North China Plain - Winter wheat harvest, summer crop planting.  Bare soils or crop residue appears in shades of gray or tan.
• July 16, 2003.  AVHRR - Yangtze River, Dongting Lake - Hubei/Hunan province. 
• July 26, 2003.  AVHRR - Flooding along the Huai River, Anhui/Hubei provinces after heavy rain in June and July (rainfall graph, Anhui and Jiangsu provinces) Local authorities were forced to intentionally break some dikes on the upper part of the river in order to protect major population and industrial sites downstream. 
  • July 26, 2003.  AVHRR, IR band.  Flooding is highlighted on the IR image - water appears black.

• August 4, 2003.  AVHRR - Northern North China Plain - Summer crops at peak growth stage.  Crops appear in good condition following favorable rainfall in June and July (rainfall graph - Shandong province). 
• September 15, 2003 - AVHRR - Flooding is visible along the Wei River (a major tributary of the Yellow River) in Shaanxi Province, centered on Xian.  Rainfall in August and early September was much higher than normal (rainfall graph, Xian).
  • September 15, 2003 comparison - Color image compared to. IR (infrared) image.  Flooding is highlighted on the IR image.  Additional heavy rain in October caused additional flooding in Shaanxi and downstream along the Yellow River (Henan and Shandong provinces).
  • September 15, 2003 vs September 22, 2002.  Water levels in the Wei River are much higher than last year, when the region had normal rainfall in August and September.  There is also significantly more vegetation than last year, the result of higher moisture and delayed crop development.  In September 2002, summer crop maturing and harvesting was farther advanced. 
• October 14, 2003.  AVHRR - North China Plain - Summer crop harvesting/winter wheat planting.  Reservoirs, rivers and lakes are full of water following heavy rainfall since mid-June (rainfall graph, Henan province).  Natural vegetation, late-maturing crops (rice, cotton), and emerging winter wheat (in Hebei and Tianjin) appear in shades of red.  Gray and tan areas indicate harvested summer crops or pre-emerging winter wheat.  
  • October 14, 2003.  AVHRR - North China Plain - Flooding along the Yellow River.in Henan and Shandong provinces.  Wet soils are black, floodwater is bright blue.  Deep red cropland near the Yellow River and in Shandong is most likely maturing single-crop rice. 
  • October 14, 2003.  AVHRR - North China Plain - Highest lake and reservoir levels in several years.  There will be very good irrigation supplies for next year's winter wheat and summer crops. 
  • October 14, 2003.  AVHRR - Huai River valley - Summer crop harvesting is concluded, rapeseed planting has begun.  Water levels in lakes and rivers are still very high following above-normal rainfall during the summer/fall of 2003. 

Satellite Images - 2002

AVHRR and Landsat images of the Yellow River, July 2002

• July 12, 2002 - AVHRR image Normal summer crop growth
  • Close-up - Yellow River - flooding is visible
• July 9, 2002 - Landsat TM - High water levels in Yellow River floodplain
  • Close-up  - Closeup - Water covers the floodplain
• Comparison - July 9, 2002 vs June 6, 2002 - Landsat TM - Heavy rainfall in the upper Yellow River basin during June raised water levels above flood stage.  Flooding stayed withing the immediate floodplain, damage was minimal.
• July 9, 2002 - Landsat TM - Shandong Province.  High water levels in Yellow River floodplain
  •  Closeup - Flooding.

Satellite Images - 2001

• September 1 - 15, 2001  Xinjiang Province.  AVHRR 15-day composite image, annotated with city names.   
• July 12, 2001  Henan Province.  Dry season, bare soils appear gray.  Sharp contrast between rain-fed and irrigated cropland.  Hot and dry weather in May/June and mid-July caused planting delays and crop stress.
• July 19, 1999  Henan Province.  Favorable rainfall, better crop growth
  • Inset - Yellow River  July 12, 2001 vs July 19, 1999  Vigorous crop growth in 1999, drier conditions and lower biomass in 2001)
•  June 14, 2001 - Upper section of Yangtze River Basin, annotated with province names and boundaries
  • Close-up, Site of Three Gorges Dam

Landsat TM Images

- July 15, 2001 - Shandong Province

• August 23, 2001 - Henan Province, Kaifeng, near the Yellow River.
• July 15, 2001 - Shandong Province. (Dry spring/early summer.  Intensive irrigation near the lake.  Summer crops in shades of red and orange. Water level is very low). 
  • Close-up - Bright yellow tones are natural vegetation
• September 1, 2001 - Shandong Province - same as above.  Summer crops are maturing
  • Close-up
• May 5, 2001 - Henan Province, southern region, near Zumadian (Low water level, very dry spring)
• June 4, 2001 vs August 23, 2001 -  Henan Province, near Yellow River - Landsat TM.   Very dry conditions in June  Winter wheat is harvested, summer planting is underway.  Black/blue areas are irrigated fields.  August image shows summer crops in good condition.  Red indicates rice, orange indicates corn, yellow indicates grass/natural vegetation.
  •  August 23, 2001 - Close-up 
• June 4, 2001 - Henan Province, near Yellow River  - Landsat TM 
  • June 17, 2000 - Comparison.  Same as above
• May 5, 2001 - Henan Province, North China Plain - Landsat TM (near Anhui Province) Winter wheat (indicated by shades of red) at filling stage. Bare ground (shades of gray) on right side of image is spring-sown cropland, planted in April. Many streams and canals provide water for supplemental irrigation.
  • May 5, 2001 vs June 4, 2001 Comparison - Winter wheat harvesting is underway or completed (stubble is gray/white). Spring-sown crops are vegetative (shades of red). Soil moisture is very low, drought conditions prevail.
• May 19, 2001 - near Tianjin, North China Plain - Landsat TM. Winter crops in shades of red, starting to mature. Bare fields will be planted to summer crops. Dark fields are covered in water (irrigated). River levels are low, some streams are empty. Dry spring weather.
  May 16, 2000 - Comparison - More water in rivers, irrigated area is higher than 2001.

Satellite Images - 2000

• July 23, 2000 vs July 7, 2000 - Liaoning Province - Northeast China - Landsat TM (Near the capital of Shenyang. Dry conditions in early July caused poor emergence and establishment of summer crops. Timely rainfall (1 to 2 inches) in mid-July provided needed moisture - crops show marked improvement).
• June 12, 2000 vs July 30, 2000 - Anhui Province, North China Plain - Landsat TM (Intensive irrigation, single crop rice with corn, double-cropped with winter wheat. June image shows landscape after winter wheat harvest, planting is underway. July image shows crops at peak vegetative growth).
• May 11, 2000 - Shandong Province, North China Plain - Landsat TM (Winter wheat in grain-fill to maturing stage, deep red color indicates irrigated crop in good condition. Summer crops, mainly corn and peanuts, are planted in the fields shown in gray and blue tones).
  • Close-Up
• April 28, 2000 - Korean Peninsula - AVHRR - (Planting season will start soon. Image clearly shows the difference between forest (in deep or bright red) and cropland (lighter tones).
• March 19, 2000 - Western North China Plain - AVHRR - (Winter wheat has emerged from dormancy. Bright red color indicates vigorous growth, especially in southern Henan, where the crop is farthest advanced.) Eastern North China Plain (Jiangsu province. Wheat crop is located north of the Yangtze and Huai rivers. Wheat appears to be in good condition. Seasonal rainfall has been near to above normal and moisture levels are adequate.)
• February 3, 2000 - Manchurian Plain, Northeast China.- AVHRR - (Heilongjiang, Jilin, and Liaoning provinces. Heavy snow blankets crop areas, cities appear as black spots across the landscape).
• January 29, 2000 - Xinjiang Province, Northwest China. - AVHRR - (Snow on Tian Shan mountains in the north, Taklimakan Desert in the south).

Historical Images

AVHRR

- March 10, 1996 - North China Plain

• September 26, 1999 - Hubei/Yangtze River - Site of Three Gorges Dam
  • Close-up
• September 28, 1998 - Sichuan Province
• September 27, 1998 - Shaanxi Province and vicinity
• September 5, 1998 - North China Plain
• June 21, 1998 - Eastern China - Shanxi (Winter crops harvested, summer crops emerging)
• August 14, 1996 - China/North Korea Border

• Yangtze River Overview (Shows flooding along Yangtze River, Dongting Lake, and vicinity)
• Wuhan - Hubei Province
• Dongting Lake - Hunan Province (Less flooding than 1996)

• August 20, 1998 - Northeast China/Korea Overview (Flooding in area indicated by box)
  • Closeup (Nenjiang River, Heilongjiang Province and Inner Mongolia)
  • September 1, 1998 (Peak flood stage)
  • September 8, 1998 (Water beginning to recede)

• May 3, 1997 - Eastern China (Winter wheat at peak growth)
• May 31, 1997 - Eastern China (Winter wheat near harvest, summer planting beginning)

• July 24, 1997 - Eastern China (Summer crops on North China Plain look stressed, hurt by drought)
  • Close-up Northern Anhui/southern Shandong

• August 4, 1997 - Shandong Peninsula (Drought - slight improvement following recent rainfall but still showing stress)
  • August 14, 1996 (Comparison - wet crop season, flooding on the North China Plain - lush vegetative growth)
• June 20, 1996 - North China Plain (Summer season startin
• March 10, 1996 - North China Plain (Early spring)
• April 21, 1996 - North China Plain (Winter wheat)

Yangtze River Flood, July 1996

• June 20, 1996 - Yangtze River Valley (Overview pre-flooding)
• July 25, 1996 - Dongting Lake (flood stage)

• August 13, 1996 - North China Plain (Flooding in Hebei, Henan, and Shandong)
• Close-up of flooding in Hebei (Hutuo and Ziya rivers, east of Shijiazhuang)
• August 18, 1996 (Annotated image)

SPOT

- June 19, 1995 - Henan Province

• August 29, 1996 - Yellow River, Henan (Sampled image - flooding)
  • August 29, 1996 (Full resolution image)
• September 12, 1994 - Yellow River, Henan (Sampled image for comparison)
• August 29, 1996 - Henan (Flooding on the North China Plain)
• June 19, 1995 - Henan (Winter wheat harvested, summer crops emerging)

Other imagery links

Kochi University (Japan) Weather Index

Korea Meteorological Administration - GOES, NOAA and Aqua/Terra satellite images

Weather Channel

Joint Typhoon Warning Center

Last modified: Tuesday, December 16, 2003