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Bernese Alps, Switzerland
| Title |
Bernese Alps, Switzerland |
| Description |
The formidable mountain system of the Alps stretches across much of central Europe, with seven countries claiming portions of the mountains within their borders: Germany, France, Switzerland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Austria, and Slovenia. The glacial landscape of the Bernese Alps, located in southwestern Switzerland, is well illustrated by this astronaut photograph. An astronaut took this picture by looking north-northwest while the International Space Station was over the Mediterranean Sea between Corsica and Italy. This oblique viewing angle imparts a sense of perspective to the image. This type of viewing angle complements nadir,or downward-viewing, imagery of the region. [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=5193 ] Three of the higher peaks of the central Alps are visible: Jungfrau at 4,158 meters (13,642 feet), Moench at 4,089 meters (13,415 feet), and Eiger at 3,970 meters (13,025 feet). To the east and south of the Jungfrau is the Aletsch Glacier, [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aletsch_Glacier ] clearly marked by dark medial moraines extending along the glacier's length parallel to the valley axis. The medial moraines are formed from rock and soil debris collected along the sides of three mountain glaciers located near the Jungfrau and Moench peaks. As these flowing ice masses merge to form the Aletsch Glacier, the debris accumulates in the middle of the glacier and is carried along the flow direction. Lake Brienz to the northwest results from the actions of both glacial ice and the flowing waters of the Aare and Lütschine rivers, and has a maximum depth of 261 meters (856 feet). The lake has a particularly fragile ecosystem, as demonstrated by the almost total collapse of the whitefish population in 1999. Possible causes for the collapse include increased water turbidity associated with upstream hydropower plant operations, and reduction of phosphorusa key nutrient for lake algae, and a basic element of the local food webdue to water quality changes. Astronaut photograph ISS013-E-77377 [ http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/scripts/sseop/photo.pl?mission=ISS013&roll=E&frame=77377 ] was acquired September 5, 2006, with a Kodak 760C digital camera using an 800 mm lens, and is provided by the ISS Crew Earth Observations experiment and the Image Science & Analysis Group, Johnson Space Center. The image in this article has been cropped and enhanced to improve contrast. The International Space Station Program [ http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/home/index.html ] supports the laboratory to help astronauts take pictures of Earth that will be of the greatest value to scientists and the public, and to make those images freely available on the Internet. Additional images taken by astronauts and cosmonauts can be viewed at the NASA/JSC Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth. [ http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/ ] |
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European Heat Wave
| Title |
European Heat Wave |
| Description |
Europe is experiencing an historic heat wave that has been responsible for at 3,000 deaths in France alone. Compared to July 2001, temperatures in July 2003 were sizzling. This image shows the differences in day time land surface temperatures collected in the two years by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA's Terra satellite. A blanket of deep red across southern and eastern France (left of image center) shows where temperatures were 10 degrees Celsius (18 degrees Fahrenheit) hotter this summer. White areas show where temperatures were similar, and blue shows where temperatures were cooler in 2003 than 2001. Even the Alps, which arc across southeastern France, Switzerland, Austria, and northern Italy (just below image center), are very warm this year. Glaciers are melting rapidly and swelling rivers and lakes to dangerously high levels. Climbers had to be evacuated from Switzerland's famous Matterhorn after melting triggered the collapse of a rock face. The popular climbing destination has been closed while geologists assess the possibility of further collapses. The heat wave stretches northward all the way to the United Kingdom, particularly southern England (bottom of island) and Scotland (top of island). In London, trains were shut down over fears that tracks would buckle in the heat, while in Scotland the high temperatures combined with falling water levels in rivers and streams are threatening the spawning and survival of salmon. Throughout France, Spain, Portugal, and Italy, the intense heat and dry conditions sparked devastating forest fires that killed at least 15 people. Image by Reto Stockli and Robert Simmon, NASA?s Earth Observatory Team. |
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European Heat Wave: Image of
…
nasa, nasaimageofthedaygalle
…
Europe was experiencing a hi
…
ge_03714
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2003 |
| creator |
NASA -- Image courtesy Reto Stockli and Robert Simmon, based upon data provided by the MODIS Land Science Team. |
| identifier |
ge_03714 |
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European Heat Wave: Image of
…
nasa, nasaimageofthedaygalle
…
Europe was experiencing a hi
…
ge_03714
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2003 |
| creator |
NASA -- Image courtesy Reto Stockli and Robert Simmon, based upon data provided by the MODIS Land Science Team. |
| identifier |
ge_03714 |
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European Heat Wave: Natural
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
Europe is experiencing an hi
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modis_lst_europe_2001-2003
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
July 31, 2003 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
modis_lst_europe_2001-2003 |
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Bernese Alps, Switzerland: I
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nasa, nasaimageofthedaygalle
…
The formidable mountain syst
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ISS013-E-77377
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2006-09-05 |
| creator |
NASA -- Astronaut photograph eol.jsc.nasa.gov/scripts/sseop/photo.pl?mission=ISS013&roll=E&frame=77377 ISS013-E-77377 was acquired September 5, 2006, with a Kodak 760C digital camera using an 800 mm lens, and is provided by the ISS Crew Earth Observations experiment and the Image Science & Analysis Group, Johnson Space Center. The image in this article has been cropped and enhanced to improve contrast. spaceflight.nasa.gov/home/index.html The International Space Station Program supports the laboratory to help astronauts take pictures of Earth that will be of the greatest value to scientists and the public, and to make those images freely available on the Internet. Additional images taken by astronauts and cosmonauts can be viewed at the NASA/JSC eol.jsc.nasa.gov/ Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth. |
| identifier |
ISS013-E-77377 |
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Southern Europe : Image of t
…
nasa, nasaimageofthedaygalle
…
On November 3, 2001, MODIS c
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SEurope_2001307
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2001-11-03 |
| creator |
NASA -- Image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, modis-land.gsfc.nasa.gov/ MODIS Land Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC |
| identifier |
SEurope_2001307 |
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| General Description |
International Space Station Imagery |
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