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U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OPEN FILE REPORT 98-484

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Satellite Imagery of the North-Central Gulf of Mexico Bonnet Carre Spillway Event

These images of Lake Pontchartrain, Louisiana, were derived from data collected by the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) onboard NOAA polar-orbiting weather satellites. Water reflectance measured in the visible and near-IR wavelengths are determined with corrections for atmospheric effects, and converted to provisional estimates of suspended sediment concentration (seston) and diffuse attenution coefficient (K). These values have not been validated and are provided for context only. Clouds are masked in gray; land in brown.

Due to the recent Midwest flooding, the Bonnet Carre Spillway was opened at approximately 80% maximum on March 17, 1997. The Bonnet Carre Spillway connects the Mississippi River to Lake Pontchartrain and enters the lake in the southwest corner, half-way between Lake Maurepas and New Orleans. These images illustrate the increase in suspended material in the lake as a result of the diversion of flood waters. 

March 3, 1997

March 6, 1997

March 7, 1997

March 8, 1997

March 9, 1997

March 10, 1997

March 11, 1997

March 18, 1997

March 23, 1997

March 24, 1997

March 26, 1997

March 27, 1997

March 29, 1997

April 2, 1997

April 6, 1997

April 7,1997

April 9, 1997