SANDS MODIS GeoTIFF Imagery for Gulf Coast Sediment Analysis

Seasonal MODIS satellite imagery captures sediment redistribution after hurricanes on the U.S. Gulf coast. The dataset is produced by the Sediment Analysis Network for Decision Support (SANDS) for the Geological Survey of Alabama. It is hosted by the GHRC DAAC and appears on multiple government data platforms.

Use Cases

• Analyzing pre- and post-storm sediment patterns using GeoTIFF image comparison.
• Quantifying coastal erosion and deposition rates from hurricane impacts.
• Supporting decision-making for coastal zone management and restoration projects.
• Training machine learning models for automated sediment change detection in satellite imagery.

Strengths

• Focuses on a specific, impactful environmental process: post-hurricane sediment redistribution.
• Data is curated for a state geological survey (Geological Survey of Alabama), indicating applied relevance.
• Available on multiple authoritative platforms (NASA Earthdata, Data.gov), suggesting vetting and importance.

Limitations

• Critical technical details are missing: no column descriptions, row counts, or file sizes are provided.
• Conflicting metadata exists: one source lists a last update of 2008-09-09, while others list 2026-03-12.
• The specific license is unclear, only noted as 'other-license-specified'.

Provenance

Source

GHRC DAAC (Global Hydrology Resource Center Distributed Active Archive Center).

Collection Method

Analysis of MODIS GeoTIFF images to determine sediment changes.

Time Range

Seasonal (specific years not stated).

Freshness

2026-03-12 21:59:46.320149

Geography

U.S. Gulf Coast.