The Chesapeake Bay, North America’s largest estuary, provides a vital habitat for local marine life which supports the ecology and economy of Maryland, Virginia, Delaware and the District of Columbia. NOAA plays a significant role in the Bay -- not only do "smart buoys" collect and transmit real-time weather, water conditions, and water quality data, but NOAA and its partners help to restore conditions in the watersheds of the Bay by monitoring nutrients, and working with communities to ensure the long-term ecological function of the Bay. Captured November 13, 2016, this Suomi NPP VIIRS image using three of the sensor’s high resolution imagery channels to differentiate the land types in the areas, based on their visual and thermal differences. Bright pink areas are more barren, due to rock or urbanization, while green areas are vegetated.