Color infrared photography, often called false color photography because it renders the scene in other than the normal colors seen by the human eye, is widely used for interpretation of natural resources. Atmospheric haze does not interfere with the acquisition of the image, therefore is well suited to aerial photography.

Water will appear as shades of blue, varying from nearly black to very pale blue. Clear, clean water will appear nearly black. As the amount of sediment increases, the color becomes increasingly lighter blue. Very shallow water will often appear as the material present in the bottom of the stream. For example, a very shallow stream with a sandy bottom will appear white due to the high level of reflection of the sand.

If you would like to learn more about where this picture came from visit the USGS EROS Data Center.