The Colors of New Jersey
Seasonal Variations
The Colors of New Jersey
Seasonal Variations
New Jersey experiences four distinct seasons during the year. Fall is a spectacular rainbow of brilliant colors - yellows, reds, and oranges - as the deciduous trees shed their leaves. Winter is typically cold and bare, with snow occasionally blanketing the ground. The lack of leaves on trees and vegetation on the ground in winter gives the landscape an overall brown to gray color. Spring is marked by the budding of trees, plants, and crops, resulting in a variety of colors. Runoff from rivers is high in spring as a result of winter melt and spring rains. Summer is marked by lush green vegetation over most of the state, yielding a relatively homogenous landscape. However, during extremely dry years (like 2002) isolated areas of grass and crops may perish due to low rainfall. Overall, seasonal variations create an annual cycle of color in New Jersey. |
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Early Fall, 1973 Color-infrared photograph showing forested Highland area (red) (View to N) |
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Late Fall, 1993 In the cooler Highlands, orange marks the first turning of the leaves (View to NW) |
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Late Fall, 1993 The linear Appalacian Mtns show up nicely across the US northeast (View to E) |
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Late Fall, 1993 Subtle bands of color cross the state from north to south (View to N) |
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Winter, 1974 Snow covers the higher elevations while clouds blow through (View to NE) |
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Late Winter, 1994 Blanket of snow from a regional storm over northeastern Jersey (View to NW) |
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Early Spring, 1992 Snow in the high Appalacian Mtns from a late season storm (View to E) |
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Spring, 1985 Raritan and Hudson River runoff entering Atlantic in a distinct plume (View to NW) |
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Spring, 1994 The budding and greening of spring proceeds from south to north (View to NE) |
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Spring, 2001 Reservoirs and lakes in the Highlands reach high levels in spring (View to NW) |
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Spring, 1985 Bands of color mark the different physiographic provinces of NJ (View to E) |
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Late Spring, 1991 Heating over land results in convection clouds over the northeast (View to NE) |
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Summer, 2001 Healthy vegetation contrasts sharply with urban areas (gray) (View to NE) |
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Summer, 1989 Puffy cumulous clouds typical of summer storms (View to SE) |
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Late Summer, 1997 Healthy vegetation over large areas near the Pinelands (View to NE) |
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All imagery courtesy of Earth Sciences and Image Analysis Laboratory, NASA Johnson Space Center.
For additional information on NASA Shuttle Photography, goto Shuttle Photography Basics. Please read our Disclaimer before using any of these photographs. |
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Grant
F. Walton Center for Remote Sensing and Spatial Analysis (CRSSA) |
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Site last updated 8 September 2003 |