In the wake of the magnitude 9.0 earthquake and resulting tsunami that struck northeastern Japan in March 2011, ocean waters flooded croplands and settlements lining the Kitakami River. The Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) on NASA's Terra satellite captured false-color images before and after the tsunami.

In this image, captured on March 14, 2011, you can see water (blue) has spilled over the banks both north and south of the river. Although agricultural fields appear to have escaped the flooding farther inland (image left), some fields closer to the ocean have seemingly disappeared into the sea. North of the Kitakami, floodwaters extend far enough inland to create what looks like a parallel river. Near the coast, only the rugged peaks rising above the floodplains have escaped inundation. (Fallow fields appear in shades of beige and brown. Vegetation is red, and the brighter the red, the more robust the vegetation.)

In Pictures: Japan Earthquake & Tsunami