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Browse All : Terra of Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) and Japan from 2006

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Sequence of Clouds, Snow Cov …
Title Sequence of Clouds, Snow Cover, Sea Ice, Sea Surface Temperature and Biosphere
Abstract This animation is part of an NSF-funded, international project, Exploring Time. The two-hour television special, broadcast on the Discovery Channel in the spring of 2007, explores how the world changes over different timescales ... from billionths of seconds to billions of years. This animation portrays a variety of remotely sensed data elements at different temporal resolutions. Initially, the animation shows cloud cover in motion over North America in half-hour increments from Nov. 26 to Dec. 7, 2005. The temporal pace quickens to show a 5-day moving average of daily MODIS snow cover along with daily AMSR-E sea ice from Dec. 7, 2005 to Mar. 15, 2006. As the view swings south over the Gulf of Mexico, the AMSR-E Sea Surface Temperature reveals warming ocean temperatures from March through August, 2006. As it passes over the Atlantic Ocean, the biosphere fades into view, showing both chlorophyll concentration in the ocean along with Normalized Difference Vegetation Index over the land areas. The biosphere animates over time while the view pans over northern Africa and Europe, showing data collected from September 2002 through February 2006. This program was also broadcast in Japan through a partnership with the NHK international broadcasting service and in France through a partnership with the ARTE television network.
Completed 2006-11-29
Sequence of Clouds, Snow Cov …
Title Sequence of Clouds, Snow Cover, Sea Ice, Sea Surface Temperature and Biosphere
Abstract This animation is part of an NSF-funded, international project, Exploring Time. The two-hour television special, broadcast on the Discovery Channel in the spring of 2007, explores how the world changes over different timescales ... from billionths of seconds to billions of years. This animation portrays a variety of remotely sensed data elements at different temporal resolutions. Initially, the animation shows cloud cover in motion over North America in half-hour increments from Nov. 26 to Dec. 7, 2005. The temporal pace quickens to show a 5-day moving average of daily MODIS snow cover along with daily AMSR-E sea ice from Dec. 7, 2005 to Mar. 15, 2006. As the view swings south over the Gulf of Mexico, the AMSR-E Sea Surface Temperature reveals warming ocean temperatures from March through August, 2006. As it passes over the Atlantic Ocean, the biosphere fades into view, showing both chlorophyll concentration in the ocean along with Normalized Difference Vegetation Index over the land areas. The biosphere animates over time while the view pans over northern Africa and Europe, showing data collected from September 2002 through February 2006. This program was also broadcast in Japan through a partnership with the NHK international broadcasting service and in France through a partnership with the ARTE television network.
Completed 2006-11-29
Sequence of Clouds, Snow Cov …
Title Sequence of Clouds, Snow Cover, Sea Ice, Sea Surface Temperature and Biosphere
Abstract This animation is part of an NSF-funded, international project, Exploring Time. The two-hour television special, broadcast on the Discovery Channel in the spring of 2007, explores how the world changes over different timescales ... from billionths of seconds to billions of years. This animation portrays a variety of remotely sensed data elements at different temporal resolutions. Initially, the animation shows cloud cover in motion over North America in half-hour increments from Nov. 26 to Dec. 7, 2005. The temporal pace quickens to show a 5-day moving average of daily MODIS snow cover along with daily AMSR-E sea ice from Dec. 7, 2005 to Mar. 15, 2006. As the view swings south over the Gulf of Mexico, the AMSR-E Sea Surface Temperature reveals warming ocean temperatures from March through August, 2006. As it passes over the Atlantic Ocean, the biosphere fades into view, showing both chlorophyll concentration in the ocean along with Normalized Difference Vegetation Index over the land areas. The biosphere animates over time while the view pans over northern Africa and Europe, showing data collected from September 2002 through February 2006. This program was also broadcast in Japan through a partnership with the NHK international broadcasting service and in France through a partnership with the ARTE television network.
Completed 2006-11-29
Sequence of Clouds, Snow Cov …
Title Sequence of Clouds, Snow Cover, Sea Ice, Sea Surface Temperature and Biosphere
Abstract This animation is part of an NSF-funded, international project, Exploring Time. The two-hour television special, broadcast on the Discovery Channel in the spring of 2007, explores how the world changes over different timescales ... from billionths of seconds to billions of years. This animation portrays a variety of remotely sensed data elements at different temporal resolutions. Initially, the animation shows cloud cover in motion over North America in half-hour increments from Nov. 26 to Dec. 7, 2005. The temporal pace quickens to show a 5-day moving average of daily MODIS snow cover along with daily AMSR-E sea ice from Dec. 7, 2005 to Mar. 15, 2006. As the view swings south over the Gulf of Mexico, the AMSR-E Sea Surface Temperature reveals warming ocean temperatures from March through August, 2006. As it passes over the Atlantic Ocean, the biosphere fades into view, showing both chlorophyll concentration in the ocean along with Normalized Difference Vegetation Index over the land areas. The biosphere animates over time while the view pans over northern Africa and Europe, showing data collected from September 2002 through February 2006. This program was also broadcast in Japan through a partnership with the NHK international broadcasting service and in France through a partnership with the ARTE television network.
Completed 2006-11-29
Sequence of Clouds, Snow Cov …
Title Sequence of Clouds, Snow Cover, Sea Ice, Sea Surface Temperature and Biosphere
Abstract This animation is part of an NSF-funded, international project, Exploring Time. The two-hour television special, broadcast on the Discovery Channel in the spring of 2007, explores how the world changes over different timescales ... from billionths of seconds to billions of years. This animation portrays a variety of remotely sensed data elements at different temporal resolutions. Initially, the animation shows cloud cover in motion over North America in half-hour increments from Nov. 26 to Dec. 7, 2005. The temporal pace quickens to show a 5-day moving average of daily MODIS snow cover along with daily AMSR-E sea ice from Dec. 7, 2005 to Mar. 15, 2006. As the view swings south over the Gulf of Mexico, the AMSR-E Sea Surface Temperature reveals warming ocean temperatures from March through August, 2006. As it passes over the Atlantic Ocean, the biosphere fades into view, showing both chlorophyll concentration in the ocean along with Normalized Difference Vegetation Index over the land areas. The biosphere animates over time while the view pans over northern Africa and Europe, showing data collected from September 2002 through February 2006. This program was also broadcast in Japan through a partnership with the NHK international broadcasting service and in France through a partnership with the ARTE television network.
Completed 2006-11-29
Sequence of Clouds, Snow Cov …
Title Sequence of Clouds, Snow Cover, Sea Ice, Sea Surface Temperature and Biosphere
Abstract This animation is part of an NSF-funded, international project, Exploring Time. The two-hour television special, broadcast on the Discovery Channel in the spring of 2007, explores how the world changes over different timescales ... from billionths of seconds to billions of years. This animation portrays a variety of remotely sensed data elements at different temporal resolutions. Initially, the animation shows cloud cover in motion over North America in half-hour increments from Nov. 26 to Dec. 7, 2005. The temporal pace quickens to show a 5-day moving average of daily MODIS snow cover along with daily AMSR-E sea ice from Dec. 7, 2005 to Mar. 15, 2006. As the view swings south over the Gulf of Mexico, the AMSR-E Sea Surface Temperature reveals warming ocean temperatures from March through August, 2006. As it passes over the Atlantic Ocean, the biosphere fades into view, showing both chlorophyll concentration in the ocean along with Normalized Difference Vegetation Index over the land areas. The biosphere animates over time while the view pans over northern Africa and Europe, showing data collected from September 2002 through February 2006. This program was also broadcast in Japan through a partnership with the NHK international broadcasting service and in France through a partnership with the ARTE television network.
Completed 2006-11-29
AMSR-E Sea Surface Temperatu …
Title AMSR-E Sea Surface Temperature
Abstract This animation is part of an NSF-funded, international project, Exploring Time. The two-hour television special, broadcast on the Discovery Channel in the spring of 2007, explores how the world changes over different timescales ... from billionths of seconds to billions of years. This animation portrays a 3-day moving average of AMSR-E sea surface temperature (SST) over the western hemisphere from the beginning of 2005 to early December, 2006. In addition, seasonal MODIS landcover shows the advance and retreat of snow over the northern hemisphere. This program was also broadcast in Japan through a partnership with the NHK international broadcasting service and in France through a partnership with the ARTE television network.
Completed 2006-12-06
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/ ]
Gobi Dust Storm
Title Gobi Dust Storm
Description In early and mid-April 2006, waves of dust washed out of the Gobi Desert and spread across eastern China, the Korean Peninsula, and Japan. According to news reports, a dust storm that hit South Korea [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=13484 ] over the weekend of April 8 was the worst the country had seen in four years. This pair of images shows a massive wave of dust that blew out of deserts in north-central China on April 10, 2006. The top image, captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov ] on April 7, 2006, shows the landscape of north-central China, including two large, sandy deserts that are part of the Gobi Desert region. Just a few days later, an image from the MODIS sensor on the Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov ] satellite shows that the area was completely hidden by a wave of bright dust that reached beyond the Yellow River. Gobi dust is whipped eastward with prevailing winds by spring storms and can spread all the way to the United States. The storms can be hazardous to public health both in terms of air quality and visibility. In addition, the dust storms can devastate croplands and contaminate sensitive electronic equipment. Dust storms in China are on the rise, probably as a result of land degradation, such as deforestation and overgrazing, and drought. The Chinese government has undertaken a large reforestation effort to combat the spread of deserts and to mitigate the effects of dust storms, particularly around urban areas such as Beijing. The large images above are provided at MODIS' maximum spatial resolution (level of detail) of 250 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response Team provides daily images [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?FAS_China3 ] of this area of China in a variety of formats and resolutions. NASA images courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC.
Gobi Dust Storm
Title Gobi Dust Storm
Description In early and mid-April 2006, waves of dust washed out of the Gobi Desert and spread across eastern China, the Korean Peninsula, and Japan. According to news reports, a dust storm that hit South Korea [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=13484 ] over the weekend of April 8 was the worst the country had seen in four years. This pair of images shows a massive wave of dust that blew out of deserts in north-central China on April 10, 2006. The top image, captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov ] on April 7, 2006, shows the landscape of north-central China, including two large, sandy deserts that are part of the Gobi Desert region. Just a few days later, an image from the MODIS sensor on the Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov ] satellite shows that the area was completely hidden by a wave of bright dust that reached beyond the Yellow River. Gobi dust is whipped eastward with prevailing winds by spring storms and can spread all the way to the United States. The storms can be hazardous to public health both in terms of air quality and visibility. In addition, the dust storms can devastate croplands and contaminate sensitive electronic equipment. Dust storms in China are on the rise, probably as a result of land degradation, such as deforestation and overgrazing, and drought. The Chinese government has undertaken a large reforestation effort to combat the spread of deserts and to mitigate the effects of dust storms, particularly around urban areas such as Beijing. The large images above are provided at MODIS' maximum spatial resolution (level of detail) of 250 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response Team provides daily images [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?FAS_China3 ] of this area of China in a variety of formats and resolutions. NASA images courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC.
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 ]
Haze over Korea
Title Haze over Korea
Description A thick band of haze crossed the Yellow Sea, Korean Peninsula, and Sea of Japan on October 9, 2006. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite took this picture the same day. In this image, the pollution appears as a dingy plume of grey-beige, so thick in places that it completely obscures the view of the underlying land or water. At least some of this haze may have resulted from fires on Borneo and Sumatra. [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=13925 ] NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data provided courtesy of the MODIS Rapid Response [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] team.
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/ ]
Heavy Snows in Central Asia
Title Heavy Snows in Central Asia
Description The bitter cold of winter settled ferociously over the interior of Asia during the first week of 2006. A large mass of Siberian air swept as far south as India and as far east as Japan, enveloping much of Asia with uncommonly low temperatures. In many places, the cold weather was accompanied by crippling snow. Among the most severely affected were the 200,000-plus people stranded in northwestern China when heavy snow fell over the region, reported United Press International. The cold snap also levied a heavy toll on northern India, where an estimated 200 had died of the cold as of January 9, said the BBC. The effect of the cold air on the land can be seen in these land surface temperature images, taken by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) between January 1 and January 8. Unlike the air temperatures given in weather reports, which tell how cold the air near the Earth is, land surface temperature measurements record how cold the ground is. In these images, land temperatures are represented with color, deep blue being the coldest temperatures and yellow being the warmest. In January 2006 (top), large sections of China were significantly colder than they had been in 2005 (bottom). The Taklimakan Desert formed a warm pink and purple oval surrounded by the cold blue of the Kunlun Shan and Tian Shan mountain ranges in the 2005 image. One year later, the desert is the dark blue of intense cold. To the north of the desert, where most of the people affected by snow in China live, the warmer purple tones that marbled the region in 2005 are gone, replaced with colder blue tones. In both images, areas that were cloudy throughout the eight-day period are gray. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data provided courtesy of Z. Wan, MODIS Land Science Team.
Heavy Snows in Central Asia
Title Heavy Snows in Central Asia
Description The bitter cold of winter settled ferociously over the interior of Asia during the first week of 2006. A large mass of Siberian air swept as far south as India and as far east as Japan, enveloping much of Asia with uncommonly low temperatures. In many places, the cold weather was accompanied by crippling snow. Among the most severely affected were the 200,000-plus people stranded in northwestern China when heavy snow fell over the region, reported United Press International. The cold snap also levied a heavy toll on northern India, where an estimated 200 had died of the cold as of January 9, said the BBC. The effect of the cold air on the land can be seen in these land surface temperature images, taken by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) between January 1 and January 8. Unlike the air temperatures given in weather reports, which tell how cold the air near the Earth is, land surface temperature measurements record how cold the ground is. In these images, land temperatures are represented with color, deep blue being the coldest temperatures and yellow being the warmest. In January 2006 (top), large sections of China were significantly colder than they had been in 2005 (bottom). The Taklimakan Desert formed a warm pink and purple oval surrounded by the cold blue of the Kunlun Shan and Tian Shan mountain ranges in the 2005 image. One year later, the desert is the dark blue of intense cold. To the north of the desert, where most of the people affected by snow in China live, the warmer purple tones that marbled the region in 2005 are gone, replaced with colder blue tones. In both images, areas that were cloudy throughout the eight-day period are gray. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data provided courtesy of Z. Wan, MODIS Land Science Team.
Heavy Snows in Central Asia
Title Heavy Snows in Central Asia
Description The bitter cold of winter settled ferociously over the interior of Asia during the first week of 2006. A large mass of Siberian air swept as far south as India and as far east as Japan, enveloping much of Asia with uncommonly low temperatures. In many places, the cold weather was accompanied by crippling snow. Among the most severely affected were the 200,000-plus people stranded in northwestern China when heavy snow fell over the region, reported United Press International. The cold snap also levied a heavy toll on northern India, where an estimated 200 had died of the cold as of January 9, said the BBC. The effect of the cold air on the land can be seen in these land surface temperature images, taken by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) between January 1 and January 8. Unlike the air temperatures given in weather reports, which tell how cold the air near the Earth is, land surface temperature measurements record how cold the ground is. In these images, land temperatures are represented with color, deep blue being the coldest temperatures and yellow being the warmest. In January 2006 (top), large sections of China were significantly colder than they had been in 2005 (bottom). The Taklimakan Desert formed a warm pink and purple oval surrounded by the cold blue of the Kunlun Shan and Tian Shan mountain ranges in the 2005 image. One year later, the desert is the dark blue of intense cold. To the north of the desert, where most of the people affected by snow in China live, the warmer purple tones that marbled the region in 2005 are gone, replaced with colder blue tones. In both images, areas that were cloudy throughout the eight-day period are gray. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data provided courtesy of Z. Wan, MODIS Land Science Team.
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.
Dust Over Japan
Title Dust Over Japan
Description Something more than clouds hovered over Japan on April 18, 2006. Dust filled the skies as well. The dust traveled to the island nation from the Gobi Desert. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] flying onboard the Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite took this picture on April 18. In this image, the eastward-moving, tan dust mingles with white clouds. An especially thick plume of dust heads toward the Korean Peninsula and the island of Japan from the west coast of China. The same day this picture was taken, Japan's Meteorological Agency announced that the dust storm reached Tokyo, the first such weather event in that city in six years. The agency predicted reduced visibility but no health hazards. Research results published in 2005, however, suggested that dust storms may carry bacteria from China to Japan. If the Japanese hoped others could understand the frustrations this dust storm caused, they needed to look no further than Beijing. Spring is the season for Gobi Dust storms, but this storm appeared to be unusually hard on China's citizens. According to news reports, it was the worst in five years, dumping some 300,000 tons of dust on Beijing. It was also the second dust storm to hit that city in a week. According to some reports, Chinese officials planned to seed clouds in hopes of bringing some relief. In 2005, a Nature paper examined China's changing environment. Partially worsened by human actions such as overgrazing and grassland degradation, dust storms began to increase in the 20th century. Between AD 300 and 1949, northwestern China saw a dust storm on average every 31 years. After 1990, the average jumped to one such storm per year. According to news reports, at the time this storm hit, the average rate of dust storms for the Beijing region (in northeastern China) was five or six a year. This storm was the eighth to hit the region in 2006. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data obtained from the Goddard Earth Sciences DAAC. [ http://daac.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ]
Dust Storm in the Taklimakan …
Title Dust Storm in the Taklimakan Desert
Description A blur of thin clouds stretches over the western edge of the Taklimakan Desert in western China, while swaths of pale dust span the center and far eastern corner of the desert in this image from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov ] satellite from March 31, 2006. The rugged mountains that line the basin are snow-covered, but the dust storm itself is a sign of spring, when such events are most common. Dust storms from the Taklimakan and Gobi Deserts spread over large parts of Asia and cause health and transportation problems as far away as Korea and Japan. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, usind data provided courtesy of the MODIS Rapid Response 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/ ]
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