Cyclone Nargis and Myanmar floods seen from space   Envisat captures Cyclone Nargis making its way across the Bay of Bengal just south of Myanmar on 1 May 2008, with its Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS) instrument working in Reduced Resolution mode to deliver a spatial resolution of 1200 metres.   These Envisat radar images highlight the extent of flooding in the Irrawaddy delta caused by the cyclone Nargis that hit Myanmar on 3 May 2008, devastating the country. The left image, acquired on 5 February 2007, shows the situation approximately one year ago. The black and dark areas in the image on the right, acquired on 5 May 2008, indicate areas potentially still flooded two days after the event. Envisat’s Advanced Synthetic Aperture Radar (ASAR) data are especially well suited for delivering information on floods, which are usually accompanied by rain and therefore cloudy conditions. Radar sensors can peer through clouds, rain or local darkness and are especially sensitive to moisture on the ground. Release date: 7 May 2008