Part 1—Download Images and Software

In any step, click the Show me link to reveal extra information. If you prefer a printout of the full set of instructions for this part, choose Print from the File menu.

Step 1-
Download MODIS Images

Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instruments are onboard NASA's Terra and Aqua satellites. Together, the instruments provide views of Earth's entire surface every 1 to 2 days. The growing archive of MODIS imagery allows us to detect and quantify changes on Earth's surface.

  1. Go to the MODIS Rapid Response System Image Gallery . The site will open in a new window.
  2. Enter Aral Sea in the Search field.
  3. Access the images for the 252nd day of 2001 and download the 500 m pixel size image.
  4. Access the images for the 247th day of 2003 and download the 500 m pixel size image.
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  1. At the top of the MODIS Rapid Response page, enter 2001252 in the "Julian date" field. This is the 252nd day of 2001, which corresponds to a date of September 9, 2001.
  2. Click the 500 m link for the image.
    3. Click on 500m link
  3. Place your cursor on the image, then right click (Mac users: hold down the ctrl control key and click) to display a menu of choices. Select the option that allows you to download the image and store it on your computer. This command may be Download Image to Disk or Save Picture As..., depending on which browser application you use.
    4. Examples:
    select download image to disk Select Save Image As...
  4. Select a place to store the image. For instance, you might save it in your Downloads folder, or create a new folder named Aral Sea Images.
  5. Keep the default image name, and click Save.
  6. Repeat the steps above to download the 500 m pixel size image of the Aral Sea that was taken on the 247th day of 2003. This corresponds to a date of September 4, 2003.

Step 2-
Download and Install ImageJ Software

Logo for ImageJ

Access the ImageJ download page . ImageJ is public domain software and is freely available for common operating systems. Download and install the version of ImageJ for your operating system. Note: For Windows platforms, you can choose the version without Java.

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  1. Click the ImageJ download page link to open the ImageJ Download page in a new window.
  2. On the ImageJ download page, click the link that appears directly below the name of your computer's operating system (Mac, Windows, Linux). This will transfer a compressed file of the software to your computer. Your browser should automatically expand the file, creating an ImageJ folder on your computer's hard drive.

NOTE: For further details, or if you have trouble running the application, access the ImageJ Installation Instructions and select your operating system.


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