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Ash Plume from Karymsky
Title Ash Plume from Karymsky
Description The Karymsky Volcano in far northeastern Russia had been erupting several times a day for about a week prior to emitting this ash plume on June 19, 2006. The Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured this false-color image. In this picture, red indicates vegetation, which is lush around the volcano but very sparse on its slopes. The water of Karymskoye Lake appears in blue. The volcano's barren sides are dark gray, and the volcanic plume and nearby haze appear in white or gray. Karymsky Volcano is the most active volcano in the eastern volcanic zone of the Kamchatka Peninsula. The volcano is composed of alternating layers of hardened lava, ash, and rocks. Historical eruptions have involved explosive eruptions of lava fragments and the release of volcanic gases. At the time of the June 19 eruption, Karymsky had an alert status of orange, indicating that a small ash eruption was expected or confirmed, but not likely to exceed an altitude greater than 7,620 meters (25,000 feet) above sea level. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using expedited ASTER data provided the NASA/GSFC/MITI/ERSDAC/JAROS and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team. [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ]
Brins Fire Near Sedona, AZ
Title Brins Fire Near Sedona, AZ
Description Northeast of Sedona, Arizona, the Brins Fire continued to threaten parts of Oak Creek Canyon on June 23, 2006. This image from the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov ] satellite shows the Brins Fire and the town of Sedona. The image doesn't appear exactly like a digital photo because it uses ASTER's observations of shortwave and near-infrared light to make the burned area stand out from the unburned vegetation. Vegetation appears red, the burn scar appears charcoal, and bare ground or thinly vegetated ground appears tan or yellow. Route 89, sections of which have been closed by the fire, runs in a gray ribbon through Sedona and Oak Creek Canyon. The haze in the scene may be a mixture of smoke and thin clouds. According to reports from the National Interagency Fire Center [ http://www.nifc.gov/nicc ] on June 26, the Brins Fire was threatening residences, commercial structures, endangered species habitat, and the Oak Creek watershed and Scenic Highway. On that date, the agency estimated the fire was 4,222 acres and about 50 percent contained. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data provided courtesy of NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team. [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ]
Floods in the Midwestern Uni …
Title Floods in the Midwestern United States
Description August 2007 was the wettest month ever recorded for many places in Minnesota, Iowa, and Wisconsin, with rainfall totals ranging from 23.86 inches in Hokah, Minnesota, to 12.79 inches in Winona Dam, Minnesota, said the National Weather Service. [ http://www.crh.noaa.gov/crnews/display_story.php?wfo=arx&storyid=9990&source=0 ] While the entire month was rainy, much of the rain fell on August 18-20, when several thunderstorms rolled across the region. The thunderstorms triggered disastrous flooding in several Midwest communities, including La Crosse, Wisconsin. A little over 10 inches of rain fell in La Crosse in the 24-hour period that spanned August 18 and August 19, and flash floods resulted. Combined with rains from the rest of August, this rainfall let La Crosse set a new monthly precipitation record of 17 inches. By August 27, when the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ]) captured the top image, the floods had largely retreated, though visible signs of flooding remained. Compared to the lower image, acquired on September 7, 2006, the landscape to the west of the Mississippi River is pocked with pools of water. The city of La Crosse, the bright white and gray grid on the east side of the river, appears to have dried out. The city appears much as it did nearly a year earlier with no visible sign of flooding. You can download a 15-meter-resolution KMZ file of the 2007 image of La Crosse [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/Archive/Sep2007/lacrosse_ast_2007239.kmz ] suitable for use with Google Earth. [ http://earth.google.com/ ] NASA image created by Jesse Allen, using data provided courtesy of NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team. [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ]
Floods in the Midwestern Uni …
Title Floods in the Midwestern United States
Description August 2007 was the wettest month ever recorded for many places in Minnesota, Iowa, and Wisconsin, with rainfall totals ranging from 23.86 inches in Hokah, Minnesota, to 12.79 inches in Winona Dam, Minnesota, said the National Weather Service. [ http://www.crh.noaa.gov/crnews/display_story.php?wfo=arx&storyid=9990&source=0 ] While the entire month was rainy, much of the rain fell on August 18-20, when several thunderstorms rolled across the region. The thunderstorms triggered disastrous flooding in several Midwest communities, including La Crosse, Wisconsin. A little over 10 inches of rain fell in La Crosse in the 24-hour period that spanned August 18 and August 19, and flash floods resulted. Combined with rains from the rest of August, this rainfall let La Crosse set a new monthly precipitation record of 17 inches. By August 27, when the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ]) captured the top image, the floods had largely retreated, though visible signs of flooding remained. Compared to the lower image, acquired on September 7, 2006, the landscape to the west of the Mississippi River is pocked with pools of water. The city of La Crosse, the bright white and gray grid on the east side of the river, appears to have dried out. The city appears much as it did nearly a year earlier with no visible sign of flooding. You can download a 15-meter-resolution KMZ file of the 2007 image of La Crosse [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/Archive/Sep2007/lacrosse_ast_2007239.kmz ] suitable for use with Google Earth. [ http://earth.google.com/ ] NASA image created by Jesse Allen, using data provided courtesy of NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team. [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ]
Grassfire in Iceland
Title Grassfire in Iceland
Description At the end of March 2006, a grassfire broke out in western Iceland, perhaps as a result of a smoldering cigarette butt. Although this area near the coast to the northwest of the country's capital, Reykjavik, is typically very wet, a period of persistent north winds dried out the grass and made it flammable. The fire burned for several days, threatening farms and livestock and resulting in Iceland's largest fire in its recorded history. This image from the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov ] satellite was captured on April 6, 2006. The burned area appears as a large brownish-charcoal splotch in the center of the image. The fire started inland and burned all the way to the coast. This is a false-color image, and unburned vegetation appears red, clouds appear white, and the Atlantic Ocean (image left) appears nearly black. Several partially ice-covered lakes are scattered across the burned landscape, these lakes appear light blue. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data provided courtesy of NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov ]
Diverse Terrain of Iran's Da …
Title Diverse Terrain of Iran's Dasht-e Lut
Description Roughly 480 by 320 kilometers (300 by 200 miles), Dasht-e Lut is a large salt desert in southeastern Iran. The desert fills a low basin that stretches southward from the Khorasan province into the Kerman province. Although the entire salt desert has just one name, it has more than one appearance. These natural-color images, captured by the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov ] satellite show landscapes so different, one can scarcely imagine they come from the same part of the world, let alone the same desert basin. The picture on the left shows part of the central portion of Dasht-e Lut. The strong diagonal lines result from wind erosion that has carved deep troughs and sharp ridges into the landscape. These wind-sculpted ridges are known as yardangs, and geologic research [ http://disc.gsfc.nasa.gov/geomorphology/GEO_8/GEO_PLATE_E-19.HTML ] has determined that Iran contains some of the world's largest yardangs. ASTER acquired this image on May 13, 2006. The picture on the right shows part of the southeastern portion of Dasht-e Lut. This area consists of sand, and it contains some of the world's tallest dunes, some reaching a height of 300 meters (1,000 feet). In this image, the white areas are saltpans—the aftermath of water that drained into the basins among the dunes and later evaporated. Golden dunes make swirling pattenrs across the image, becoming less tightly packed in the bottom of the scene. ASTER acquired this image on July 17, 2003. Dasht-e Lut's dramatic landscapes are a popular remote-sensing target. Astronauts on the International Space Station photographed [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=17226 ] salt lakes from Dasht-e Lut and nearby faulted rocks on February 28, 2006. NASA images created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data provided courtesy of the NASA/GSFC/MITI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team. [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ]
Diverse Terrain of Iran's Da …
Title Diverse Terrain of Iran's Dasht-e Lut
Description Roughly 480 by 320 kilometers (300 by 200 miles), Dasht-e Lut is a large salt desert in southeastern Iran. The desert fills a low basin that stretches southward from the Khorasan province into the Kerman province. Although the entire salt desert has just one name, it has more than one appearance. These natural-color images, captured by the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov ] satellite show landscapes so different, one can scarcely imagine they come from the same part of the world, let alone the same desert basin. The picture on the left shows part of the central portion of Dasht-e Lut. The strong diagonal lines result from wind erosion that has carved deep troughs and sharp ridges into the landscape. These wind-sculpted ridges are known as yardangs, and geologic research [ http://disc.gsfc.nasa.gov/geomorphology/GEO_8/GEO_PLATE_E-19.HTML ] has determined that Iran contains some of the world's largest yardangs. ASTER acquired this image on May 13, 2006. The picture on the right shows part of the southeastern portion of Dasht-e Lut. This area consists of sand, and it contains some of the world's tallest dunes, some reaching a height of 300 meters (1,000 feet). In this image, the white areas are saltpans—the aftermath of water that drained into the basins among the dunes and later evaporated. Golden dunes make swirling pattenrs across the image, becoming less tightly packed in the bottom of the scene. ASTER acquired this image on July 17, 2003. Dasht-e Lut's dramatic landscapes are a popular remote-sensing target. Astronauts on the International Space Station photographed [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=17226 ] salt lakes from Dasht-e Lut and nearby faulted rocks on February 28, 2006. NASA images created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data provided courtesy of the NASA/GSFC/MITI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team. [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ]
Diverse Terrain of Iran's Da …
Title Diverse Terrain of Iran's Dasht-e Lut
Description Roughly 480 by 320 kilometers (300 by 200 miles), Dasht-e Lut is a large salt desert in southeastern Iran. The desert fills a low basin that stretches southward from the Khorasan province into the Kerman province. Although the entire salt desert has just one name, it has more than one appearance. These natural-color images, captured by the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov ] satellite show landscapes so different, one can scarcely imagine they come from the same part of the world, let alone the same desert basin. The picture on the left shows part of the central portion of Dasht-e Lut. The strong diagonal lines result from wind erosion that has carved deep troughs and sharp ridges into the landscape. These wind-sculpted ridges are known as yardangs, and geologic research [ http://disc.gsfc.nasa.gov/geomorphology/GEO_8/GEO_PLATE_E-19.HTML ] has determined that Iran contains some of the world's largest yardangs. ASTER acquired this image on May 13, 2006. The picture on the right shows part of the southeastern portion of Dasht-e Lut. This area consists of sand, and it contains some of the world's tallest dunes, some reaching a height of 300 meters (1,000 feet). In this image, the white areas are saltpans—the aftermath of water that drained into the basins among the dunes and later evaporated. Golden dunes make swirling pattenrs across the image, becoming less tightly packed in the bottom of the scene. ASTER acquired this image on July 17, 2003. Dasht-e Lut's dramatic landscapes are a popular remote-sensing target. Astronauts on the International Space Station photographed [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=17226 ] salt lakes from Dasht-e Lut and nearby faulted rocks on February 28, 2006. NASA images created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data provided courtesy of the NASA/GSFC/MITI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team. [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ]
Heard Island Volcano
Title Heard Island Volcano
Description Closer to Antarctica than any other major landmass, Heard Island sits in the far southern Indian Ocean two-thirds of the way from Madagascar to Antarctica. At the center of the remote, ice-covered island are the Big Ben massif, a large section of the Earth's crust that has been pushed up into a dense, rocky mountain by tectonic action, and an active volcano, Mawson Peak. The geologic activity that formed these features continues in the form of frequent eruptions from Mawson Peak. The volcano's current phase of activity began in May 2006, and it continued through December 2006, when the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured this image. Made with both infrared and visible light, the image shows signs of volcanic activity on December 8, 2006. A glowing dot of red on Mawson Peak is thought to be a small lava lake in the summit crater. A fresh lava flow extends 700 meters east of the crater, creating a dark blue smudge on the otherwise even field of snow, which is blue-green in this false-color image. The rocky Big Ben Massif south of Mawson Peak similarly wrinkles the surface of the snow, though some of the apparent roughness may actually be icy clouds. Previous volcanic episodes, including those in 2000-2001 and 2003-2004, have lasted about a year. Due to its isolated location, Heard Island is rarely visited, and satellite imagery provides the only regular information on eruptive activity. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data provided courtesy of the NASA/GSFC/MITI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ]. Image interpretation provided by Matt Patrick and Anna Colvin, Michigan Technological University. [ http://www.mtu.edu/ ]
Hokkaido, Japan
Title Hokkaido, Japan
Description Cities mingle with rugged hills and a dormant volcano in this image of Hokkaido, Japan. This three-dimensional image comes from observations made by the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov ] satellite on July 23, 2006. The view is toward the north and slightly east. Green indicates vegetation, beige and gray indicate bare ground, paved surfaces, or buildings, and dark blue indicates water. The water body at the top of the image is the Pacific Ocean. Now dormant, Mount Yotei is a stratovolcano—a symmetrical cone composed of alternating layers of hardened lava, solidified ash, and volcanic rocks ejected in previous eruptions. It reaches a height of 1,898 meters (6,227 feet), and its summit sports a 700-meter- (2,297-foot-) wide crater. Snow often caps this volcano, but in this summertime shot, the volcano's summit is snow-free. The volcano is also known as Ezo-Fuji for its resemblance to Mount Fuji. As angular patches of gray and beige indicate, urban areas surround the volcano, most notably the city of Kutchan to the northwest. Even when volcanoes remain active, people often settle close to them, drawn by benefits [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Study/NatHazards/ ] of good soil and mild climates that appear to outweigh the risks. NASA image by Jesse Allen, using data provided courtesy of the NASA/GSFC/MITI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team.
Earthquake Raises Reefs in t …
Title Earthquake Raises Reefs in the Solomon Islands
Description The massive magnitude 8.1 earthquake [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=17603 ] that jolted the Solomon Islands on April 1, 2007, permanently changed the shoreline on Ranongga Island, west of the epicenter. New beach was added to the western shore of the island when the earthquake lifted the island as much as three meters, exposing near-shore coral reefs, reported the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. [ http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200704/s1892185.htm ] The freshly exposed reefs are visible beneath a veil of clouds in the top image, acquired by the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite on April 11, 2007. The lower image, taken on March 31, 2006, shows the island's former shoreline. Lush tropical vegetation is red in these images, while the exposed reef is dark grey. Water is black and clouds range from light blue lavender to white. The exposed reef adds tens of meters to most of the shoreline, and more than 150 meters at the tip of the spit of land shown in this image. The earthquake occurred along the plate boundary, where the Australia/Woodlark/Solomon Sea plates slide beneath the denser Pacific plate. Friction between the sinking (subducting) plates and the overriding Pacific plate led to the large earthquake on April 1, said the United States Geological Survey (USGS) summary of the earthquake. [ http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/eqinthenews/2007/us2007aqbk/#summary ] Large earthquakes are common in the region, though the section of the plate that produced the April 1 earthquake had not caused any quakes of magnitude 7 or larger since the early 20th century, said the USGS. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, using data provided courtesy of the NASA/GSFC/MITI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team. [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ]
Earthquake Raises Reefs in t …
Title Earthquake Raises Reefs in the Solomon Islands
Description The massive magnitude 8.1 earthquake [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=17603 ] that jolted the Solomon Islands on April 1, 2007, permanently changed the shoreline on Ranongga Island, west of the epicenter. New beach was added to the western shore of the island when the earthquake lifted the island as much as three meters, exposing near-shore coral reefs, reported the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. [ http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200704/s1892185.htm ] The freshly exposed reefs are visible beneath a veil of clouds in the top image, acquired by the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite on April 11, 2007. The lower image, taken on March 31, 2006, shows the island's former shoreline. Lush tropical vegetation is red in these images, while the exposed reef is dark grey. Water is black and clouds range from light blue lavender to white. The exposed reef adds tens of meters to most of the shoreline, and more than 150 meters at the tip of the spit of land shown in this image. The earthquake occurred along the plate boundary, where the Australia/Woodlark/Solomon Sea plates slide beneath the denser Pacific plate. Friction between the sinking (subducting) plates and the overriding Pacific plate led to the large earthquake on April 1, said the United States Geological Survey (USGS) summary of the earthquake. [ http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/eqinthenews/2007/us2007aqbk/#summary ] Large earthquakes are common in the region, though the section of the plate that produced the April 1 earthquake had not caused any quakes of magnitude 7 or larger since the early 20th century, said the USGS. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, using data provided courtesy of the NASA/GSFC/MITI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team. [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ]
Earthquake Raises Reefs in t …
Title Earthquake Raises Reefs in the Solomon Islands
Description When people talk about change happening on a geologic time scale, most of the time, they mean that the change happens over the course of millions of years: the Colorado River gradually cuts through the soft rock of the Colorado Plateau until it has made a 4,000-foot-deep chasm, the Grand Canyon, continents drift centimeters at a time, slowly changing the shape and position of landmasses on the Earth. Most of the time, change is slow, but sometimes, geologic change happens all at once. This was the case on Ranongga Island in the Solomon Islands. In the early morning hours of April 2, 2007, a magnitude 8.1 earthquake shook the Solomon Islands, its epicenter southwest of Ranongga Island. The huge quake pushed much of the island up, raising the coral reefs that ringed the island above the water. In the course of a few minutes, Ranongga Island acquired several meters of new beach. The newly exposed reef forms a gray rim along the eastern shore of the island in the left image, acquired by the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) on April 12, 2007. In the right image, taken on March 31, 2006, the shallowly submerged reefs color the water a lighter shade of blue. The uplift may be more dramatic than the images show. When ASTER took the 2007 image, the tide was 29.4 centimeters higher than it was when the 2006 image was taken, and yet the uplift is still visible. The lush vegetation that covers the tropical island is bright red in this image, which is made from both visible and infrared light. Out of its aquatic environment, the reef died, becoming the foundation of new land. Such evolution is common in earthquake zones in the Pacific and Indian Oceans. During the December 26, 2004, earthquake that generated the massive Indian Ocean tsunami, Simeulue Island was lifted as much as 150 centimeters (4.9 feet), exposing the reef that surrounded it. A similar set of exposed fossilized reefs on the shores of Papua New Guinea, near the Solomon Islands, provided proof that wobbles in the Earth's orbit trigger ice ages. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, using data provided courtesy of the NASA/GSFC/MITI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team. [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ]Thanks to Aron Meltzner, California Institute of Technology, for help with image interpretation.
Earthquake Raises Reefs in t …
Title Earthquake Raises Reefs in the Solomon Islands
Description When people talk about change happening on a geologic time scale, most of the time, they mean that the change happens over the course of millions of years: the Colorado River gradually cuts through the soft rock of the Colorado Plateau until it has made a 4,000-foot-deep chasm, the Grand Canyon, continents drift centimeters at a time, slowly changing the shape and position of landmasses on the Earth. Most of the time, change is slow, but sometimes, geologic change happens all at once. This was the case on Ranongga Island in the Solomon Islands. In the early morning hours of April 2, 2007, a magnitude 8.1 earthquake shook the Solomon Islands, its epicenter southwest of Ranongga Island. The huge quake pushed much of the island up, raising the coral reefs that ringed the island above the water. In the course of a few minutes, Ranongga Island acquired several meters of new beach. The newly exposed reef forms a gray rim along the eastern shore of the island in the left image, acquired by the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) on April 12, 2007. In the right image, taken on March 31, 2006, the shallowly submerged reefs color the water a lighter shade of blue. The uplift may be more dramatic than the images show. When ASTER took the 2007 image, the tide was 29.4 centimeters higher than it was when the 2006 image was taken, and yet the uplift is still visible. The lush vegetation that covers the tropical island is bright red in this image, which is made from both visible and infrared light. Out of its aquatic environment, the reef died, becoming the foundation of new land. Such evolution is common in earthquake zones in the Pacific and Indian Oceans. During the December 26, 2004, earthquake that generated the massive Indian Ocean tsunami, Simeulue Island was lifted as much as 150 centimeters (4.9 feet), exposing the reef that surrounded it. A similar set of exposed fossilized reefs on the shores of Papua New Guinea, near the Solomon Islands, provided proof that wobbles in the Earth's orbit trigger ice ages. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, using data provided courtesy of the NASA/GSFC/MITI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team. [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ]Thanks to Aron Meltzner, California Institute of Technology, for help with image interpretation.
Earthquake Raises Reefs in t …
Title Earthquake Raises Reefs in the Solomon Islands
Description When people talk about change happening on a geologic time scale, most of the time, they mean that the change happens over the course of millions of years: the Colorado River gradually cuts through the soft rock of the Colorado Plateau until it has made a 4,000-foot-deep chasm, the Grand Canyon, continents drift centimeters at a time, slowly changing the shape and position of landmasses on the Earth. Most of the time, change is slow, but sometimes, geologic change happens all at once. This was the case on Ranongga Island in the Solomon Islands. In the early morning hours of April 2, 2007, a magnitude 8.1 earthquake shook the Solomon Islands, its epicenter southwest of Ranongga Island. The huge quake pushed much of the island up, raising the coral reefs that ringed the island above the water. In the course of a few minutes, Ranongga Island acquired several meters of new beach. The newly exposed reef forms a gray rim along the eastern shore of the island in the left image, acquired by the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) on April 12, 2007. In the right image, taken on March 31, 2006, the shallowly submerged reefs color the water a lighter shade of blue. The uplift may be more dramatic than the images show. When ASTER took the 2007 image, the tide was 29.4 centimeters higher than it was when the 2006 image was taken, and yet the uplift is still visible. The lush vegetation that covers the tropical island is bright red in this image, which is made from both visible and infrared light. Out of its aquatic environment, the reef died, becoming the foundation of new land. Such evolution is common in earthquake zones in the Pacific and Indian Oceans. During the December 26, 2004, earthquake that generated the massive Indian Ocean tsunami, Simeulue Island was lifted as much as 150 centimeters (4.9 feet), exposing the reef that surrounded it. A similar set of exposed fossilized reefs on the shores of Papua New Guinea, near the Solomon Islands, provided proof that wobbles in the Earth's orbit trigger ice ages. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, using data provided courtesy of the NASA/GSFC/MITI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team. [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ]Thanks to Aron Meltzner, California Institute of Technology, for help with image interpretation.
Java Mud Volcano Continues t …
Title Java Mud Volcano Continues to Grow
Description On the island of Java, a "mud volcano" has been spewing thousands of cubic meters of mud every day since late May 2006. According to BBC news, British geologists believe that oil and gas drilling ruptured pressurized limestone rock and enabled water and mud to reach the surface. The oil company and others have suggested that the event could be related to the May 27 earthquake near Yogyakarta. [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=13629 ] Regardless of the cause, the volcano has become a major hazard, creating a huge mud lake that buried villages and agricultural land. These images from the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov ] satellite show the progression of the mud flow from September 3, 2006, [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=17389 ] (middle) to February 10, 2006 (top). The bottom image, acquired on March 11, 2005, shows how the area looked before the mud flow began. In these infrared-enhanced, "false-color" images, bare ground appears gray, water appears dark blue, and vegetation appears red. Robust vegetation appears bright red. Although clouds partially obscure the February 10 image, the mud flow's advance can still be detected. In this image, the mud flow has spread beyond the toll road toward the east. Areas of robust vegetation in this image are smaller, although that could be partially due to a difference in season. A scientific survey published in the Geological Society of America's February issue of GSA Today stated that the mud volcano could release between 7,000 and 150,000 cubic meters of mud every day for years. According to Reuters, there was concern that mud might pollute the water, damaging the area's shrimp industry. In an attempt to slow the mud flow, the Indonesian government has approved a plan to drop concrete balls linked by heavy chains into the mouth of the volcano, according to news reports. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, using data provided courtesy of the NASA/GSFC/MITI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team. [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ]
Karymsky Volcano
Title Karymsky Volcano
Description One of Kamchatka's most active volcanoes, Karymsky lived up to its reputation in late 2006, with intermittent activity throughout the fall. On December 19, 2006, the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured this image of the Karymsky Volcano and the surrounding region. To create this image, ASTER looked at light waves outside the human range of vision, including thermal infrared energy that humans would sense as heat. The red area near the summit indicates a hotspot of volcanic activity, and the tiny white streak over the hotspot may be a plume of steam. The dark triangle east of the summit shows the path of volcanic ash from previous eruptions. Ridges and valleys carve the landscape throughout.Karymsky Volcano [ http://www.volcano.si.edu/world/volcano.cfm?vnum=1000-13= ] is a stratovolcano composed of alternating layers of hardened lava, ash, and rock. Historical activity has included moderate explosive eruptions and lava flows. South of the volcano is Karymsky Lake. This lake occupies the caldera of what vulcanologists once believed to be an extinct volcano. A catastrophic eruption [ http://www.pbs.org/edens/kamchatka/ring.html ] on New Year's Eve 1996 proved them wrong, wiping out the surrounding forest with tsunami waves. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data provided courtesy of the NASA/GSFC/MITI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team. [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ]
Karymsky Volcano on Kamchatk …
Title Karymsky Volcano on Kamchatka
Description One of Kamchatka's most active volcanoes, Karymsky lived up to its reputation in late 2006, with intermittent activity throughout the fall. On December 19, 2006, the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured this image of the Karymsky Volcano and the surrounding region. To create this image, ASTER looked at light waves outside the human range of vision, including thermal infrared energy that humans would sense as heat. The red area near the summit indicates a hotspot of volcanic activity, and the tiny white streak over the hotspot may be a plume of steam. The dark triangle east of the summit shows the path of volcanic ash from previous eruptions. Ridges and valleys carve the landscape throughout.Karymsky Volcano [ http://www.volcano.si.edu/world/volcano.cfm?vnum=1000-13= ] is a stratovolcano composed of alternating layers of hardened lava, ash, and rock. Historical activity has included moderate explosive eruptions and lava flows. South of the volcano is Karymsky Lake. This lake occupies the caldera of what vulcanologists once believed to be an extinct volcano. A catastrophic eruption [ http://www.pbs.org/edens/kamchatka/ring.html ] on New Year's Eve 1996 proved them wrong, wiping out the surrounding forest with tsunami waves. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data provided courtesy of the NASA/GSFC/MITI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team. [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ]
Landslide in the Philippines
Title Landslide in the Philippines
Description By March 1, 2006, the clouds over southern Leyte Island in the Philippines had largely cleared, providing the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite with this view of the landslide that buried a town. Nearly 1,000 people died in the town of Guinsaugon when heavy rains triggered the landslide on February 17. In this false-color image, the landslide is pallid gray against the vibrant red of the surrounding vegetation. Pools of pale aquamarine water on top of the mud reveal ongoing flooding. According to a Reuters news report, rescue efforts had to be suspended a few days before this image was taken because ongoing rain threatened further floods. This image also shows a dark blue lake above the landslide. This feature may have been present before the slide, or it may be a temporary lake created when the slide dammed a south-flowing waterway. This slide and floods in nearby Mindanao Island occurred as rain pounded the southern Philippines islands throughout most of February. The unseasonable rains may have been connected to a developing La Niña [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=17180 ]. La Niña happens when the trade winds—winds that blow from east to west over the equator—are stronger than normal. The strong winds bring warmer water to the region around the Philippines and cooler water to the eastern Pacific off the shore of South America. These conditions often result in unusually wet weather in the Philippines. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using ASTER data provided courtesy of NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team.
Landslide in the Philippines
Title Landslide in the Philippines
Description By March 1, 2006, the clouds over southern Leyte Island in the Philippines had largely cleared, providing the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite with this view of the landslide that buried a town. Nearly 1,000 people died in the town of Guinsaugon when heavy rains triggered the landslide on February 17. In this false-color image, the landslide is pallid gray against the vibrant red of the surrounding vegetation. Pools of pale aquamarine water on top of the mud reveal ongoing flooding. According to a Reuters news report, rescue efforts had to be suspended a few days before this image was taken because ongoing rain threatened further floods. This image also shows a dark blue lake above the landslide. This feature may have been present before the slide, or it may be a temporary lake created when the slide dammed a south-flowing waterway. This slide and floods in nearby Mindanao Island occurred as rain pounded the southern Philippines islands throughout most of February. The unseasonable rains may have been connected to a developing La Niña [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=17180 ]. La Niña happens when the trade winds—winds that blow from east to west over the equator—are stronger than normal. The strong winds bring warmer water to the region around the Philippines and cooler water to the eastern Pacific off the shore of South America. These conditions often result in unusually wet weather in the Philippines. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using ASTER data provided courtesy of NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team.
Lava Flow on Mount Etna
Title Lava Flow on Mount Etna
Description 15-meter-resolution KMZ file [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/Images/mtetna_ast_2006334.kmz ] of Mt. Etna is available for use with Google Earth. [ http://earth.google.com/download-earth.html ] NASA image by Jesse Allen, based on data provided by the NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ], Plumes of steam rose from several vents on Mount Etna on November 30, 2006, a testament to the volcano's ongoing activity. The strongest plume appears to be coming from the Northeast Crater, but a second fainter plume is also emanating from the Southeast Crater. Etna has been rattled by frequent eruptive episodes through much of 2006, and in late November, most of the activity was centered around the Southeast Crater, said the Italian Istituto Nazionale de Geofisica e Vulcanologia, [ http://www.ct.ingv.it/Etna2006/Default.htm ] the organization of volcanologists officially charged with monitoring the volcano. The eruption was marked by continuous lava flows from several vents in and near the crater, explosions, rockfalls, steam, and rock debris. Much of Etna's recent activity is evident in this image, taken by the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite on November 30. Snow caps the summit of the volcano, covering all but the freshest lava flows. One such flow sent rivers of lava down the southwest flank of the volcano between October 26 and November 19, 2006. Another pool of new lava sits on the eastern side of the Southeast Crater. By November 30, both pools had cooled into solid rock, which appears black in this image, made from a combination of visible and infrared light. Farther down the eastern side of the volcano, fresh lava pours from a third fissure and snakes down the mountain off the right edge of the image. Steam and possibly volcanic gases rise from the line of hot lava, obscuring the Valle del Bove, a depression in the side of the mountain formed by a collapse during an ancient eruption similar to Mount St. Helens' 1980 eruption. The intense heat coming from the new lava saturates ASTER's near-infrared sensors so that the river of lava glows red. Since plants reflect near-infrared light and ASTER can't tell the different between emitted and reflected light of the same wavelengths, plant-covered land surrounding the volcano is also red. Older lava flows and patches of otherwise bare earth are grey. Sitting on the eastern shore of Sicily, Mount Etna is Italy's highest and most voluminous volcano, says the Smithsonian's Global Volcanism Program. [ http://www.volcano.si.edu/world/volcano.cfm?vnum=0101-06= ]Humans have recorded eruptions at Etna since 1500 BC, making Etna one of the world's best-documented volcanoes. Along with other volcanoes in southern Europe and southwestern Asia, Etna has one of the world's longest records of volcanic activity. Volcanic activity in the region is driven by the collision of the north-moving African Plate—the slab of the Earth's crust on which Africa rests— and the Eurasian Plate. This activity has produced such famous volcanoes as Santorini, in Greece, and Vesuvius in mainland Italy. A
Eruption of Soufriere Hills …
Title Eruption of Soufriere Hills Volcano
Description The Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite caught the Soufriere Hills Volcano in the act of emitting a plume on June 2, 2006. The volcano had intermittently emitted plumes for months by the time this image was collected, and the volcano's lava dome had collapsed. [ http://www.volcano.si.edu/reports/volclist/vla00442.htm ] Resulting mudflows may have reached the sea. [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=13589 ] In this false-color image, vegetation appears red. The vegetation is more vibrant at lower elevations (bright red) and sparse nearer the summit of the volcano (dark red). The volcanic plume appears in grey, and blows westward over the Caribbean. A few bright white clouds hover overhead. The Soufriere Hills Volcano is a stratovolcano on the island of Montserrat in the West Indies. The volcano is comprised of layers of lava, ash, and rocks from previous eruptions, all hardened and cemented. Beginning in 1995, eruptions grew from ash plumes to severe flows of volcanic material that destroyed Montserrat's capital city of Plymouth and forced authorities to evacuate the southern half of the island. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using ASTER data made available by NASA/GSFC/MITI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team. [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ]
Eruption of Soufriere Hills …
Title Eruption of Soufriere Hills Volcano
Description The Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite caught the Soufriere Hills Volcano in the act of emitting a plume on June 2, 2006. The volcano had intermittently emitted plumes for months by the time this image was collected, and the volcano's lava dome had collapsed. [ http://www.volcano.si.edu/reports/volclist/vla00442.htm ] Resulting mudflows may have reached the sea. [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=13589 ] In this false-color image, vegetation appears red. The vegetation is more vibrant at lower elevations (bright red) and sparse nearer the summit of the volcano (dark red). The volcanic plume appears in grey, and blows westward over the Caribbean. A few bright white clouds hover overhead. The Soufriere Hills Volcano is a stratovolcano on the island of Montserrat in the West Indies. The volcano is comprised of layers of lava, ash, and rocks from previous eruptions, all hardened and cemented. Beginning in 1995, eruptions grew from ash plumes to severe flows of volcanic material that destroyed Montserrat's capital city of Plymouth and forced authorities to evacuate the southern half of the island. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using ASTER data made available by NASA/GSFC/MITI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team. [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ]
Eruption on Augustine Island …
Title Eruption on Augustine Island, Alaska
Description Hot pyroclastic flows (avalanches of hot ash, pumice, rock and volcanic gas) poured down the side of the Augustine Volcano in the early hours of February 1, 2006, when the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ] took this image. This nighttime view of the volcano shows the eruption in terms of heat from the thermal infrared part of the electromagnetic spectrum. The hot flows glow white in contrast to the cold, snow-covered land surrounding them. Ash and steam rise from the volcano, the ash tinting the plume grey-blue. Around Augustine Island, the ocean is warmer than the land surface and so appears white, while clouds are a dingy white and grey. Sitting in Cook Inlet of southern Alaska, the Augustine volcano is the most active volcano in the Eastern Aleutian arc. According to the Global Volcanism Program [ http://www.volcano.si.edu ], explosive activity at the volcano began on January 11, 2006. Hourly updates on the eruption are available from the Alaska Volcano Observatory [ http://www.avo.alaska.edu/activity/Augustine.php ]. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data obtained courtesy of the NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team
Eruption on Augustine Island …
Title Eruption on Augustine Island, Alaska
Description Alaska's Augustine Volcano started 2006 with a bang, producing explosive eruptions in mid-January. The volcano had quieted by March 2006, although the Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) [ http://www.avo.alaska.edu/activity/Augustine.php ] warned that explosive eruptions could still occur at any time. The volcano continued a fairly similar behavior pattern in April. The Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov ] on NASA 's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov ] satellite captured this image on April 18, 2006. According to the AVO, Augustine's seismic activity jumped that day. The volcano continued its customary steam plume, and light winds allowed the plume to rise directly above the summit about 300 to 600 meters (1,000 to 2,000 feet). This image shows the steam plume flowing from the summit in the south. The cloudy form to the north could be cloud, or a steam plume from the volcano's pyroclastic flow deposits—hot rock fragments and ash. Augustine Volcano is considered the most active volcano in the eastern Aleutian arc. Its biggest historical eruption occurred in 1883 when the volcano's dome collapsed. The volcano erupted again in 1986, producing an avalanche of ash, rock fragments, and gas. Augustine's activity spans a longer time span than historical records cover, and its oldest dated volcanic rocks are more than 40,000 years old. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data obtained courtesy of the NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team.
February Fire in Arizona
Title February Fire in Arizona
Description North of Payson, Arizona, an early-season fire broke out in the rugged terrain along the Mogollon Rim in the Tonto National Forest on February 6, 2006. The fire spread south and southwest through a landscape of chaparral, pine, and juniper for more than a week. It eventually burned through about 4,243 acres (about 17 square kilometers) before firefighters contained it. This false-color image captured on February 15 by the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov ] satellite shows the charcoal-colored burn scar left by the blaze. In this type of image, vegetation appears red, the burned area is charcoal, and bare or thinly vegetated ground appears tan. These tan areas show the rim's highest elevations. According to reports [ http://www.fs.fed.us/r3/cwz/ ] on the USDA Forest Service's regional Website, the fire appears to have started from an abandoned campfire. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using ASTER data provided courtesy of NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team.
Fire East of Los Angeles
Title Fire East of Los Angeles
Description A charcoal-colored burn scar sprawls across the hills and valleys of the Cleveland National Forest southeast of Los Angeles in this infrared-enhanced satellite image. Captured on February 12, 2006, by the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov ] satellite, the scene shows the area north of Santiago Reservoir (blue lake near bottom of scene) and south of the 91 Freeway (the wavy gray line across the top) where the Sierra Fire scorched 10,854 acres (about 44 square kilometers), according to the USDA Forest Service's Incident Information System Website. [ http://inciweb.org/incident/184/ ] In the image, unburned vegetation appears red, the burned area is charcoal, water is blue, and constructed surfaces, such as cities and roads, appear light gray, sometimes tinged with lavender. (The large image shows more of the surrounding urban areas.) The very bright red areas are probably irrigated vegetation. The wildfire started on February 6, apparently escaping from a planned fire (known in forest management jargon as a prescribed burn) because of fierce, unpredicted Santa Ana winds. Thousands of people were forced to evacuate their homes for a short time while firefighters brought the blaze under control. Within the burned area, small pockets of red indicate areas that managed to escape the worst of the blaze. These lightly burned or unburned areas can act as small refuges for forest life and can help renew the area after a burn. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using ASTER data provided courtesy of NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team.
Mount Etna, Sicily
Title Mount Etna, Sicily
Description Humans have recorded eruptions at Etna since 1500 BC, making Etna one of the world's best-documented volcanoes. Along with other volcanoes in southern Europe and southwestern Asia, Etna has one of the world's longest records of volcanic activity. Volcanic activity in the region is driven by the collision of the north-moving African Plate—the slab of the Earth's crust on which Africa rests—and the Eurasian Plate. This activity has produced such famous volcanoes as Santorini, in Greece, and Vesuvius in mainland Italy. NASA image by Jesse Allen, based on data provided by the NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ], Plumes of steam rose from several vents on Mount Etna on November 30, 2006, a testament to the volcano's ongoing activity. The strongest plume appears to be coming from the Northeast Crater, but a second fainter plume is also emanating from the Southeast Crater. Etna has been rattled by frequent eruptive episodes through much of 2006, and in late November, most of the activity was centered around the Southeast Crater, said the Italian Istituto Nazionale de Geofisica e Vulcanologia, [ http://www.ct.ingv.it/Etna2006/Default.htm ] the organization of volcanologists officially charged with monitoring the volcano. The eruption was marked by continuous lava flows from several vents in and near the crater, explosions, rockfalls, steam, and rock debris. Much of Etna's recent activity is evident in this image, taken by the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite on November 30. Snow caps the summit of the volcano, covering all but the freshest lava flows. One such flow sent rivers of lava down the southwest flank of the volcano between October 26 and November 19, 2006. Another pool of new lava sits on the eastern side of the Southeast Crater. By November 30, both pools had cooled into solid rock, which appears black in this image, made from a combination of visible and infrared light. Farther down the eastern side of the volcano, fresh lava pours from a third fissure and snakes down the mountain off the right edge of the image. Steam and possibly volcanic gases rise from the line of hot lava, obscuring the Valle del Bove, a depression in the side of the mountain formed by a collapse during an ancient eruption similar to Mount St. Helens' 1980 eruption. The intense heat coming from the new lava saturates ASTER's near-infrared sensors so that the river of lava glows red. Since plants reflect near-infrared light and ASTER can't tell the different between emitted and reflected light of the same wavelengths, plant-covered land surrounding the volcano is also red. Older lava flows and patches of otherwise bare earth are grey. Sitting on the eastern shore of Sicily, Mount Etna is Italy's highest and most voluminous volcano, says the Smithsonian's Global Volcanism Program. [ http://www.volcano.si.edu/world/volcano.cfm?vnum=0101-06= ]
Mount Merapi
Title Mount Merapi
Description Frequent earthquakes and plumes of sulfur-laden gas indicated that Mt. Merapi was gearing up for an eruption in late April 2006. The volcano is one of Indonesia's most active and dangerous volcanoes. The slopes of the volcano are densely populated, with four districts clustered on its flanks. As many as 80,000 people may be displaced if the volcano erupts, depending on which way the lava flows down the summit, reported the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). Thousands of people who live near the volcano had been evacuated by April 27, and more were preparing to leave as the volcano continued to rumble. An eruption in 1994 claimed at least 66 lives, and a 1930 eruption killed 1,370. The Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured this image of the volcano on April 26, 2006. A light plume of steam rises from Merapi's summit, which is surrounded by dried rivers of black lava and debris from previous eruptions. Vegetated land farther down the slopes of the volcano is red in the false-color image. The light-grey squares around the outer edge of the image are sections of cleared land, possibly populated regions. Among the most serious dangers an erupting Merapi poses to the surrounding population are its characteristic pyroclastic flows [ http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/Products/Pglossary/PyroFlow.html ] and lahars [ http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/Products/Pglossary/lahar.html ]. Avalanches of hot ash, gas, and rock sweep down the mountain at speeds of 100 kilometers per hour or more in a pyroclastic flow, accompanied or followed by volcanic mudflows—lahars. Pyroclastic flows and lahars have been responsible for much of the damage caused by the volcano during its long eruptive history. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data obtained courtesy of the NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team.
Mount Merapi
Title Mount Merapi
Description A nighttime view of Mount Merapi, on the island of Java, shows characteristics of the volcano not usually seen during the day. The Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured this thermal image of the volcano on May 30, 2006. Shown mostly in shades of gray, this image shows the summits of Mount Merapi and nearby Mount Gunung. Just south of Mount Merapi's summit is a network of thermal hotspots. This ASTER image indicates cooler areas with darker colors and warmer areas with lighter colors. Clouds often contain ice crystals, and the clouds in the lower-right corner of the picture are nearly black, indicating their low temperature. The summits of Gunung and Merapi are cool for a different reason: altitude. Moving away from the summits, the colors in this image gradually lighten, indicating warming surface temperatures. A lake on the right edge of the image has even warmer temperatures. The hottest areas, however, are the brilliant white hotspots on Mount Merapi, almost certainly caused by volcanic activity. Mount Merapi showed signs of unrest beginning in April 2006. While officials and many local inhabitants prepared for a possible eruption, an earthquake struck the island of Java on May 27, 2006. According to news reports, the quake killed more than 5,000 people. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data provided courtesy of the NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team.
Mount Merapi
Title Mount Merapi
Description Just 10 days after a major earthquake struck the region and left roughly 340,000 people homeless, Mount Merapi erupted, on June 6, 2006. The volcano, which had been active since April, sent lava and hot gas down its slopes and prompted the evacuation of 11,000 villagers, according to the Times Online. The Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ] on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured this image of the volcano on June 6. In this false-color image, red indicates vegetation, and the brighter the red, the more robust the plant life. Clouds appear as bright, opaque white, and the volcanic plume appears as a dingy gray cloud blowing toward the southwest. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=13627 ] captured a different view of this volcano on the same day. Mount Merapi is a stratovolcano composed of layers of hardened lava, ash, and rocks from previous eruptions. The New York Times reported that while many expected the volcano's lava dome to collapse, the lava dome that formed in May 2006 did so under the remains of older lava domes, making it harder to dislodge. As of early June, vulcanologists and local inhabitants were still warily waiting for the volcano's next move. Volcanoes often produce fertile soil, so lush vegetation is common on volcanic slopes, and fertile soils attract people [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Study/NatHazards/ ] who want to farm the land and raise livestock. Merapi [ http://www.volcano.si.edu/world/volcano.cfm?vnum=0603-25= ] occupies a densely populated region, so its activity affects thousands of people. According to the New York Times, thousands of locals refused to leave their homes or livestock. Thousands more obeyed earlier evacuation orders then returned, only to suffer from the earthquake. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data obtained courtesy of the NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team.
Mount Ubinas, Peru
Title Mount Ubinas, Peru
Description A faint white plume rose from the summit of the Ubinas Volcano on May 8, 2006, when the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured this image. Peru's most active volcano, Ubinas forced evacuations on April 21, after a series of explosions sent ash, gas, and lava fragments more than three kilometers into the air, said the U.S. Geological Survey in its weekly Volcanic Activity Report [ http://www.volcano.si.edu/world/volcano.cfm?vnum=1504-02=&volpage=weekly&wname=ubinas&VErupt=Y&VSources=Y&VRep=Y&VWeekly=Y ]. The fumes caused respiratory problems, and livestock fell ill or died after eating ash-coated grass. Evidence that people live on the volcano's fertile slopes is visible in this image. Crop-planted fields are bright red flecks against the dull natural vegetation on the southern and eastern slopes of the volcano. In the lower right corner of the image, the vegetation is a duller tone of red than elsewhere in the image. The difference in color is at least partially because there is less agriculture in the region, but may also have resulted from ash dusting the ground. The volcano itself has steep, lava-strewn slopes topped by a round caldera. The cliff-like caldera walls drop 150 meters to the caldera floor, where a deep, funnel-shaped vent opens. Ubinas sits in southern Peru, due west of Lake Titicaca. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using ASTER data made available by NASA/GSFC/MITI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team
New Island and Pumice Raft, …
Title New Island and Pumice Raft, Tonga
Description In August 2006, travelers yachting through the Tonga Islands discovered pumice [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=17461 ] floating on the ocean surface. The pumice resulted from an underwater eruption of the marine volcano Home Reef. [ http://www.volcano.si.edu/reports/usgs/index.cfm?content=archive&year=2006&week=nov_8-14_06#homereef ] Although the pumice eventually floated away, the new volcanic island could still be seen by satellites in the fall of 2006. On October 4, 2006, the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov ] satellite observed the newly emerged Home Reef. This image shows two views of the volcano. The larger image uses a combination of light visible to human eyes and infrared light. In this picture, dark blue indicates relatively clear water, light blue-green indicates water mixed with sediment, and the white ring around the island shows rocky material. The inset image shows temperatures on and around the island, with bright yellow being the warmest and dark purple being the coolest. Both images indicate a warm plume from the island that moves in a northeasterly direction before splitting in two. The exact origin of this plume is uncertain. It could result from underwater volcanic activity, but it might also result from solar heating of pumice remaining in the area. The island itself sports volcanic lakes, some as warm as 64.7 degrees Celsius (almost 150 degrees Fahrenheit). NASA images created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data provided courtesy of the NASA/GSFC/MITI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team. [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ]
New Island and Pumice Raft, …
Title New Island and Pumice Raft, Tonga
Description In August 2006, travelers yachting through the Tonga Islands discovered pumice [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=17461 ] floating on the ocean surface. The pumice resulted from an underwater eruption of the marine volcano Home Reef. [ http://www.volcano.si.edu/reports/usgs/index.cfm?content=archive&year=2006&week=nov_8-14_06#homereef ] Although the pumice eventually floated away, the new volcanic island could still be seen by satellites in the fall of 2006. On October 4, 2006, the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov ] satellite observed the newly emerged Home Reef. This image shows two views of the volcano. The larger image uses a combination of light visible to human eyes and infrared light. In this picture, dark blue indicates relatively clear water, light blue-green indicates water mixed with sediment, and the white ring around the island shows rocky material. The inset image shows temperatures on and around the island, with bright yellow being the warmest and dark purple being the coolest. Both images indicate a warm plume from the island that moves in a northeasterly direction before splitting in two. The exact origin of this plume is uncertain. It could result from underwater volcanic activity, but it might also result from solar heating of pumice remaining in the area. The island itself sports volcanic lakes, some as warm as 64.7 degrees Celsius (almost 150 degrees Fahrenheit). NASA images created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data provided courtesy of the NASA/GSFC/MITI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team. [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ]
New Island and Pumice Raft, …
Title New Island and Pumice Raft, Tonga
Description *New Island and Pumice Raft, Tonga* In August 2006, a pumice [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=17461 ] raft in the Tonga islands alerted sailors to the emergence of a new volcanic island known as Home Reef. After its appearance, the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov ] satellite tracked the new island's progress. Although prominent in early October, the island had retreated somewhat by mid-November. Compared to the October image (inset), the image acquired on November 12, 2006, shows a smaller island with a different shape. Cloud cover overhead also obscures the November view. For underwater volcanoes, erosion is not uncommon. The constant activity of the seawater eats away at the volcanic material. Volcanoes can grow in spurts of eruptive activity followed by periods of erosion that partially offset the growth. NASA images created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data provided courtesy of the NASA/GSFC/MITI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team. [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ]
Oil Spill Along the Lebanese …
Title Oil Spill Along the Lebanese Coast
Description In the summer of 2006, military conflict between Lebanon and Israel led to an oil spill along the coast of Lebanon. Between July 13 and 15, 2006, damage to the Jiyyeh Power Station released thousands of tons of oil along the coast of Lebanon. According to BBC news, early estimates indicated that the oil spill could rival [ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/5233358.stm ] the Exxon Valdez accident in 1989. Covering roughly 120 kilometers (75 miles), the spill was expected to affect [ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/5255966.stm ] fishing and tourism industries, as well as local wildlife. Because cleanup efforts could not safely begin until the hostilities ended, the oil slick continued to spread in the Mediterranean Sea in early August 2006. Representatives from the United Nations, the European Union, and the International Maritime Organization planned to discuss [ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4798965.stm ] the issue in Greece on August 17, 2006. The Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite took this picture of the region on August 10, 2006. In this image, the oil slick appears as a slightly darker shade of blue on the ocean surface, and it is easier to see in the enlarged area around Beirut at lower right. The slick spreads from the power plant at the southern end of the image to well north of the city of Beirut. The oil initially moved away from the coast, but some officials feared that it might return to the shoreline. The intensely urbanized area of Beirut appears in shades of gray, with straight lines and sharp angles marking the city's features. In contrast, patches of green appear along Lebanon's rough terrain to the east. Oil slicks are not always easily visible in satellite imagery from passive sensors like radiometers, which observe reflected sunlight. The ocean is already a dark surface in the imagery from those sensors, and the oil may only change the color slightly if at all. More often, oil slicks are observed with active sensors like radars, which send out pulses of energy and measure the returned signal. However, at the time of this image, the area of the slick was in a part of the ASTER scene where the ocean surface appeared very bright. Generally, the rougher the water surface, the brighter the ocean will appear, and because oil smoothes the water's surface, places where the oil has spread appear darker in this image. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data provided courtesy of the NASA/GSFC/MITI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ].
Oil Spill near Guimaras Isla …
Title Oil Spill near Guimaras Island
Description Strong winds and high waves capsized a tanker off Guimaras Island in the Philippines on August 11, 2006, spilling more than 200,000 liters of bunker oil into the Panay Gulf, said the Philippines National Disaster Coordinating Council. Long strings and patches of oil still drifted over the water on August 29, 2006, when the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured this image. The oil is grey-white against the mirror-like surface of the water. The bulk of the oil has drifted northeast of the crash site, along the edge of ASTER's field of view, but long streamer-like tendrils also extend north and west of the ship. Dark patches on the water are cloud shadows or areas of still, smooth water. Land is dark red. By August 29, the government of the Philippines [ http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/HVAN-6T5RFF?OpenDocument&rc=3&cc=phl ] reported that the oil covered 245 kilometers of coastline, 16 square kilometers of coral reef area, 1,128 hectares of mangrove area, and 1,143 hectares of a marine reserve. At least 17,435 people had been affected by the spill, and many coastal residents were evacuated because of toxic substances on the shore. Even as the Petron Corporation—the ship's owner—and the Philippine Coast Guard led efforts to clean up the spill, fresh oil was seeping from the sunken tanker on August 29, said the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. The tanker had been carrying more than two million liters of oil when it went down. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data provided courtesy of the NASA/GSFC/MITI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team. [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ]
Oil Spill near Guimaras Isla …
Title Oil Spill near Guimaras Island
Description Strong winds and high waves capsized a tanker off Guimaras Island in the Philippines on August 11, 2006, spilling more than 200,000 liters of bunker oil into the Panay Gulf, said the Philippines National Disaster Coordinating Council. Long strings and patches of oil still drifted over the water on August 29, 2006, when the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured this image. The oil is grey-white against the mirror-like surface of the water. The bulk of the oil has drifted northeast of the crash site, along the edge of ASTER's field of view, but long streamer-like tendrils also extend north and west of the ship. Dark patches on the water are cloud shadows or areas of still, smooth water. Land is dark red. By August 29, the government of the Philippines [ http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/HVAN-6T5RFF?OpenDocument&rc=3&cc=phl ] reported that the oil covered 245 kilometers of coastline, 16 square kilometers of coral reef area, 1,128 hectares of mangrove area, and 1,143 hectares of a marine reserve. At least 17,435 people had been affected by the spill, and many coastal residents were evacuated because of toxic substances on the shore. Even as the Petron Corporation—the ship's owner—and the Philippine Coast Guard led efforts to clean up the spill, fresh oil was seeping from the sunken tanker on August 29, said the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. The tanker had been carrying more than two million liters of oil when it went down. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data provided courtesy of the NASA/GSFC/MITI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team. [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ]
Rare Snow in Tokyo
Title Rare Snow in Tokyo
Description Snow is a rare sight in Japan's capital city, Tokyo. But on January 25, 2006, snow is exactly what the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ] saw when it acquired this image. The city was hit with a rare snow storm on January 21. As much as 3.5 inches fell in the center of the city, reported the Agence France-Presse. To the east, nearer the Pacific, enough snow fell to close the Narita Airport, stranding thousands of passengers. Bright white snow mixes with dark green vegetation, deep blue waters, and the flat gray of developed areas in this image, which shows suburban areas to the east of Tokyo. (The large version of the scene shows the far eastern edge of Tokyo.) A pair of reservoirs connected by canals is visible at upper left. In the large version of the image, boats are scattered across Tokyo Bay like specks of confetti. This simulated natural-color ASTER image covers an area of 50.6 by 55.8 kilometers, and is centered near 35.7 degrees North, 139.9 degrees East. An image from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov ] satellite on the same day shows the entire extent of the snowfall across the region. NASA image courtesy the NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team
Shiprock Formation, New Mexi …
Title Shiprock Formation, New Mexico
Description In the northwestern corner of New Mexico, a ragged dome of dark volcanic rock emerges from the dusty plateau like the sails of a ship against the horizon. Long, narrow ridges called "dikes" flank the dome, which is known in English as Shiprock Peak, and in Navajo as Tsé Bit'a'í, "the winged rock." Millions of years ago, a volcano stood in this place. As its activity decreased, the magma feeding the volcano hardened into solid rock, crystallizing part of the volcano's "circulatory system." Over eons, the softer overlying rock eroded, exposing the hidden workings of the ancient volcano. This image of the Shiprock formation was captured by the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov ] sensor on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov ] satellite on June 2, 2006. The image is not photo-like, it uses infrared light to make certain features more obvious than they would be in a natural-color image. Lush vegetation appears bright red, for example, while different kinds of rock with less vegetation appear in shades of gray, black, and tan. Shiprock Peak itself is the hardened magma that was in the central shaft of the volcano, while the dikes stretching out from the peak are the remains of magma feeder channels. The formation is bounded on the west by Shiprock Wash. Beyond is Bureau of Indian Affairs Road 5020. Shiprock, or the Winged Rock, is located on Navajo Nation lands, and the peak is part of many legends and stories. According to one story, the peak was once the nesting place of a giant bird of prey—the last of 16 monsters that the Hero Twin gods had to slay before human beings could come to live in the present world. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data provided courtesy of NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team. [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ] Thanks to Robert Johnson of the Navajo Nation Museum for information on the mythology of Tsé Bit'a'í.
Shrimp Farming in Ecuador
Title Shrimp Farming in Ecuador
Description Like fields of blue, rectangular shrimp farms line the coast of Ecuador south of the city of Guayaquil in these images. Worldwide, wetlands and coastal mangrove forests have been converted to shrimp ponds in order to farm these crustaceans for food and sale. In Ecuador, the industry started in the late 1960s and rapidly grew. By 1999, 175,255 hectares of land had been converted to shrimp farms. That year, Ecuador was the fourth largest shrimp producer in the world, and the largest in the Western Hemisphere, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization. In Ecuador, as elsewhere, shrimp farms are typically built along the shore where salt water is easily accessible. Though Ecuador's mangrove forests declined as shrimp farming and other coastal development occurred, salt flats or salt marshes on slightly higher ground have also been converted, as illustrated in these images. The lower image was taken by the Landsat satellite on April 29, 1991. Shrimp farms cover much of the land shown in the image, but a broad swath of tan-gray salt flat still lines the inlet. By March 6, 2006, when the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ]) satellite took the top image, the salt flat had almost entirely been converted to shrimp farms. A small canal connects the network of shrimp tanks to the inlet, providing a fresh source of water. The large images provide a broader perspective on the extent of the development. In the 1991 Landsat image, 143 square kilometers of land had been converted to shrimp ponds. In the 2006 ASTER image, shrimp farms cover 243 square kilometers. Roughly 83 percent of the region's wetlands and salt flats were eliminated by shrimp farms. NASA images created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory. ASTER data provided courtesy of the NASA/GSFC/MITI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team. [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ] Landsat data obtained from the University of Maryland's Global Land Cover Facility. [ http://www.landcover.org/ ]
Shrimp Farming in Ecuador
Title Shrimp Farming in Ecuador
Description Like fields of blue, rectangular shrimp farms line the coast of Ecuador south of the city of Guayaquil in these images. Worldwide, wetlands and coastal mangrove forests have been converted to shrimp ponds in order to farm these crustaceans for food and sale. In Ecuador, the industry started in the late 1960s and rapidly grew. By 1999, 175,255 hectares of land had been converted to shrimp farms. That year, Ecuador was the fourth largest shrimp producer in the world, and the largest in the Western Hemisphere, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization. In Ecuador, as elsewhere, shrimp farms are typically built along the shore where salt water is easily accessible. Though Ecuador's mangrove forests declined as shrimp farming and other coastal development occurred, salt flats or salt marshes on slightly higher ground have also been converted, as illustrated in these images. The lower image was taken by the Landsat satellite on April 29, 1991. Shrimp farms cover much of the land shown in the image, but a broad swath of tan-gray salt flat still lines the inlet. By March 6, 2006, when the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ]) satellite took the top image, the salt flat had almost entirely been converted to shrimp farms. A small canal connects the network of shrimp tanks to the inlet, providing a fresh source of water. The large images provide a broader perspective on the extent of the development. In the 1991 Landsat image, 143 square kilometers of land had been converted to shrimp ponds. In the 2006 ASTER image, shrimp farms cover 243 square kilometers. Roughly 83 percent of the region's wetlands and salt flats were eliminated by shrimp farms. NASA images created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory. ASTER data provided courtesy of the NASA/GSFC/MITI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team. [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ] Landsat data obtained from the University of Maryland's Global Land Cover Facility. [ http://www.landcover.org/ ]
Fires in Southern United Sta …
Title Fires in Southern United States
Description On January 2, 2006, winds whipped a fast-moving fire across the grasslands just south of the Red River, which marks the border between Oklahoma and Texas. According to reports from the Associated Press, the fire nearly razed the small ranch town of Ringgold, Texas, destroying as many as 50 homes and most of the buildings along the small town's Main Street. The fire scorched tens of thousands of acres between Ringgold and the town of Nocona, to the southeast. The charcoal-colored burn scar slices through the center of this image, captured on January 8, 2006, by the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov ] satellite. To make the burn scar stand out more prominently, the image was enhanced with the sensor's observations of near- and shortwave-infrared energy as well as visible light. Winter-bare ground is tan and brown, while patches of red indicate growing vegetation, probably irrigated crops. The small town of Nocona appears as a cement-gray splash at lower right of the scene, while the location of Ringgold is obscured by a cloud at image left. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor [ http://www.drought.unl.edu/dm/archive/2006/drmon0103.htm ] map for January 3, drought stretched across the south-central United States in the first of January, affecting Arizona, southern Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, and western Arkansas. A pocket of Exceptional Drought—the highest drought category on the scale—spanned northeastern Texas, southeastern Oklahoma, and intruded a short distance into western Arkansas. The lack of rain, high temperatures, and strong winds were a menace for firefighters across the region, who continued to battle grassland and other wildfires through the first part of the month. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data provided courtesy of the NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team
Suncook River Shifts Course
Title Suncook River Shifts Course
Description In mid-May 2006, the U.S. Northeast experienced days of heavy rain. Several states declared a state of emergency as floods strained dams and forced people to evacuate. Near the New Hampshire town of Epsom, the flooding Suncook River abandoned its meandering course around Bear Island and carved a more direct course southwest, the most dramatic change in a New Hampshire river course in recorded history. This image of the old and new channels was captured by the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov ] sensor on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov ] satellite. The bottom image shows a regional perspective, including the city of Concord. A white box outlines the Suncook River close-up view (top). Because narrow rivers can be hard to distinguish from dense vegetation in photo-like satellite images, this image uses ASTER's observations of shortwave and near-infrared light to make water (blue) and bare ground (gray) stand out from vegetation (red). Before the floods, the Suncook River flowed southward around Bear Island in two streams that joined up again to the west of Round Pond. During the flood, the river rushed past the old bend in the river and plowed its way more directly southwest, abandoning the riverbeds around the west and northeast sides of Bear Island. On either side of the river at the point where the new channel starts, charcoal-colored patches show where the land was scoured. The state is studying the event and trying to determine what the impacts will be on fish and other river life, as the stretch of river was a popular angling spot. In addition, owners of former riverside restaurants, campgrounds, and other tourist spots hope the state will try to divert the river back into its former bed. Geologists and engineers are studying the change and trying to determine what, if anything, should be done about the river's new path. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data obtained courtesy of the NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team.
Suncook River Shifts Course
Title Suncook River Shifts Course
Description In mid-May 2006, the U.S. Northeast experienced days of heavy rain. Several states declared a state of emergency as floods strained dams and forced people to evacuate. Near the New Hampshire town of Epsom, the flooding Suncook River abandoned its meandering course around Bear Island and carved a more direct course southwest, the most dramatic change in a New Hampshire river course in recorded history. This image of the old and new channels was captured by the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov ] sensor on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov ] satellite. The bottom image shows a regional perspective, including the city of Concord. A white box outlines the Suncook River close-up view (top). Because narrow rivers can be hard to distinguish from dense vegetation in photo-like satellite images, this image uses ASTER's observations of shortwave and near-infrared light to make water (blue) and bare ground (gray) stand out from vegetation (red). Before the floods, the Suncook River flowed southward around Bear Island in two streams that joined up again to the west of Round Pond. During the flood, the river rushed past the old bend in the river and plowed its way more directly southwest, abandoning the riverbeds around the west and northeast sides of Bear Island. On either side of the river at the point where the new channel starts, charcoal-colored patches show where the land was scoured. The state is studying the event and trying to determine what the impacts will be on fish and other river life, as the stretch of river was a popular angling spot. In addition, owners of former riverside restaurants, campgrounds, and other tourist spots hope the state will try to divert the river back into its former bed. Geologists and engineers are studying the change and trying to determine what, if anything, should be done about the river's new path. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data obtained courtesy of the NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team.
Fires in Victoria, Australia
Title Fires in Victoria, Australia
Description Throughout December 2006, large bushfires raged through national parks and other remote areas of Victoria's Barry Mountains. Despite the fact that summer was not officially underway, the late spring weather was extremely challenging for firefighters: hot, windy, and dry. Rough estimates based on preliminary maps from the government's Victoria Parks [ http://www.parkweb.vic.gov.au/1park_display.cfm ] Website indicated that more than 470,000 hectares (close to 1.2 million acres) had burned as of December 15. This image from NASA's Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov ] on the agency's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov ] satellite shows fires burning in the heart of Alpine National Park, roughly 57 kilometers (a little over 35 miles) southeast of the town of Mansfield. The image uses not only visible light detected by ASTER, but also shortwave- and near-infrared light. Vegetation appears red, burned areas appear charcoal, bare ground (including roads) appears light beige, and smoke is gray. Plumes of smoke from individual fires billow southeast (the image is rotated counterclockwise off North) and spread into a blanket of haze. Alpine is Victoria's largest national park, covering 646,000 hectares (nearly 1.6 million acres) of the state's highest mountains. A mixture of alpine and sub-alpine ecosystems exists in the park, including snow gum (a kind of eucalyptus) forest and high plains covered by grasslands. More than 1,000 species of native plants live within the park, as well as threatened and rare animals. Many areas and roads in the park were closed because of the dangerous fire conditions. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data provided courtesy of NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and the U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team. [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ]
Flooding from Typhoon Durian
Title Flooding from Typhoon Durian
Description Mayon Volcano, steep-sided and symmetric, rises 2,462 meters above the Albay Gulf and the city of Legazpi, the regional capital, with a population of more than 150,000. The most active volcano in the Philippines, Mayon turned deadly on November 30, 2006, but it wasn't an eruption that caused the damage. The volcano had been pumping out ash and lava since July 2006, leaving a layer of loose ash and rock on its surface. On November 30, Typhoon Durian unleashed heavy rain on the island nation, and the water mixed with loose ash to create deadly mudslides. The mudslides swept over populated regions on the south and west slopes of the volcano, leaving an estimated 1,000 dead, said the Associated Press. The extent of the disaster is apparent in this image, taken by the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite on December 12, 2006. Mudslides are black against bright red plant-covered land in this image. Populated areas, such as the city of Legazpi and its neighbor, Daraga, are cement gray, with flashes of silvery white made by highly reflective surfaces. Larger squares of tan north of the cities are probably agricultural fields. The lower image, taken on April 10, 2004, provides a view of conditions before the 2006 mudslides. In the two years that elapsed between the two images, the city appears to have grown. Squares of red plant-covered areas have been replaced by silver-gray city, particularly in Daraga. Silvery squares extending along the western edge of the mudflow indicate that the city probably extended farther up the mountain, possibly in some of the area covered by mud. Much of the agricultural land visible in the 2004 image has been buried by the mud flow. The area shown here is just one of the regions devastated by landslides after Typhoon Durian. Additional slides over the city of Guinobatan, west of the area shown here, are visible in the large image. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data provided courtesy of NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and the U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team. [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ]
Flooding from Typhoon Durian
Title Flooding from Typhoon Durian
Description Mayon Volcano, steep-sided and symmetric, rises 2,462 meters above the Albay Gulf and the city of Legazpi, the regional capital, with a population of more than 150,000. The most active volcano in the Philippines, Mayon turned deadly on November 30, 2006, but it wasn't an eruption that caused the damage. The volcano had been pumping out ash and lava since July 2006, leaving a layer of loose ash and rock on its surface. On November 30, Typhoon Durian unleashed heavy rain on the island nation, and the water mixed with loose ash to create deadly mudslides. The mudslides swept over populated regions on the south and west slopes of the volcano, leaving an estimated 1,000 dead, said the Associated Press. The extent of the disaster is apparent in this image, taken by the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite on December 12, 2006. Mudslides are black against bright red plant-covered land in this image. Populated areas, such as the city of Legazpi and its neighbor, Daraga, are cement gray, with flashes of silvery white made by highly reflective surfaces. Larger squares of tan north of the cities are probably agricultural fields. The lower image, taken on April 10, 2004, provides a view of conditions before the 2006 mudslides. In the two years that elapsed between the two images, the city appears to have grown. Squares of red plant-covered areas have been replaced by silver-gray city, particularly in Daraga. Silvery squares extending along the western edge of the mudflow indicate that the city probably extended farther up the mountain, possibly in some of the area covered by mud. Much of the agricultural land visible in the 2004 image has been buried by the mud flow. The area shown here is just one of the regions devastated by landslides after Typhoon Durian. Additional slides over the city of Guinobatan, west of the area shown here, are visible in the large image. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data provided courtesy of NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and the U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team. [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ]
Floods in Central Europe
Title Floods in Central Europe
Description Floods along the Danube River forced more than 5,000 Romanians from their homes between April 25 and April 26, 2006, reported Reuters. Approximately half of the evacuations were in the section of southwestern Romania shown in this image and the region immediately surrounding it. The image was taken by the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite on the morning of April 26. Dark blue water spreads across the farmland lining the north side of the river. Faint lines—roads or perhaps dikes—are visible within the flood, hinting that the water covers a populated or developed area. An uneven white line arcs across the floodwater on the left side of the image. This appears to be a wide area of turbulence where water is rushing through a broken dike. Dikes along the Danube were under pressure as water levels on the river reached record highs, and flood defenses in the region shown here were reported to have failed. On both sides of the river, the geometrical grid of grey and red reveal that the area is heavily farmed. Fields in which crops are growing are red, while bare earth is grey. The grey is condensed into a tight grid in populated regions, such as the Bulgarian village, Kozloduy, on the south shore of the river. The Danube, Europe's second longest river, was swollen with spring snowmelt and rains for much of April. Floods along the river caused extensive damage in several European countries including Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia, and Hungary. Further damage was caused in other Central European countries when other rivers, such as the Tisza, filled with spring run-off. Many of those rivers are tributaries to the Danube. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data obtained courtesy of the NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team.
Floods in Central Europe
Title Floods in Central Europe
Description The Danube River spills over into farm fields in the northeastern corner of Serbia in this image, taken by the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite on April 24, 2006. Though water levels on the Danube River in Eastern Europe had been expected to fall by this time, the river was still running high on April 24. Melting snow and spring rain have driven rivers across Central Europe over their banks, causing widespread flooding. High water levels on the Danube forced evacuations throughout Serbia, Romania, and Bulgaria in late April 2006, according to news reports. In the region shown here, a small village is nestled within a bend in the river. Streets, houses, and exposed earth form a tight grey grid within the village, interrupted by occasional red squares where plants are growing. The rest of the land in the scene is covered with long, rectangular agricultural fields. Bare fields, as yet unplanted, are grey, while those in which crops are growing are red. The river, blue, seeps over its banks and across the fields in the center of the image. Smudges of blue along the banks of the river in the village hint that flooding may be occurring here too, though the darker colors may also be shadows cast by the small clouds overhead. On April 23, Reuters reported that some 225,000 hectares of Serbia's farm land, about 5 percent of the arable land in the country, had been flooded or threatened by floods. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data obtained courtesy of the NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team.
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