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Air Quality Emergency in Mal
…
| Title |
Air Quality Emergency in Malaysia |
| Description |
In mid-August, several locations in mainland Malaysia declared air quality emergencies, as smoke from burning in Indonesia wafted across the Strait of Malacca and blanketed the country with haze. Many regions closed their schools and businesses, and news reports have indicated this may be the worst air quality event the country has experienced since the terrible fire season on Sumatra during the 1997-98 El Niño. This pair of images shows the region in Sumatra where many of the fires are burning (left), and the resulting smoke blanketing Malaysia (right). Although it is sometimes difficult to distinguish smoke from clouds, the infrared-enhanced view can penetrate the smoke in places. In this type of image, vegetation is bright green, clouds are white or light blue, and smoke becomes almost transparent in many places. Water is dark blue (nearly black). Actively burning fires are marked with red dots. These images were captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov ] satellite on August 12, 2005. NASA image by Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] Goddard Space Flight Center. |
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Drought in Southeast Asia
| Title |
Drought in Southeast Asia |
| Description |
Little rain has fallen in Southeast Asia after an early end to the rainy season [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=12569 ] in October 2004, leaving the region in severe drought. From southern China, through the Indochina and Malay Peninsulas, and into some of the islands of Indonesia, crops are shriveling, and in some places, drinking water is scarce. According to news reports, the drought will cost farmers in Thailand up to US $193.2 million after 809,000 hectares of crops were lost. Vietnam has lost US $60 million in crops, and up to 1.3 million people do not have access to clean water. Other countries in the region have been similarly affected, with food shortages in Cambodia and a lack of drinkable water in Hainan, China. Rains eased the drought [ http://www.fas.usda.gov/pecad/highlights/2005/03/China%20Drought/Chinadrought.htm ] in parts of China in late February, but much of the region remains parched. It is the worst drought in 50 years. The above image illustrates the extent of the drought in February 2005. The image shows outgoing longwave radiation, which is a measure of the amount of heat radiated from the surface of the Earth. Since clouds tend to be colder than the Earth?s surface, the measurement shows the distribution of clouds. It is one way to monitor drought because where there are no clouds, there is no rain. In this case, scientists have compared the amount of heat radiated from the surface this year to the average collected between 1979 and 1995. The result shows that significantly fewer cool clouds gathered over Southeast Asia in 2005 than normal, as reflected by the red that stretches from Australia to southern China. This image was derived from measurements made by the TIROS Operational Vertical Sounder (TOVS) onboard the NOAA-POES satellite series. OLR anomaly image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data analyzed by Assaf Anyamba and provided by NOAA National Center for Environmental Prediction [ http://www.ncep.noaa.gov/ ]. |
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Drought in Southeast Asia
| Title |
Drought in Southeast Asia |
| Description |
Little rain has fallen in Southeast Asia after an early end to the rainy season [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=12569 ] in October 2004, leaving the region in severe drought. From southern China, through the Indochina and Malay Peninsulas, and into some of the islands of Indonesia, crops are shriveling, and in some places, drinking water is scarce. According to news reports, the drought will cost farmers in Thailand up to US $193.2 million after 809,000 hectares of crops were lost. Vietnam has lost US $60 million in crops, and up to 1.3 million people do not have access to clean water. Other countries in the region have been similarly affected, with food shortages in Cambodia and a lack of drinkable water in Hainan, China. Rains eased the drought [ http://www.fas.usda.gov/pecad/highlights/2005/03/China%20Drought/Chinadrought.htm ] in parts of China in late February, but much of the region remains parched. It is the worst drought in 50 years. The above image illustrates the extent of the drought in February 2005. The image shows outgoing longwave radiation, which is a measure of the amount of heat radiated from the surface of the Earth. Since clouds tend to be colder than the Earth?s surface, the measurement shows the distribution of clouds. It is one way to monitor drought because where there are no clouds, there is no rain. In this case, scientists have compared the amount of heat radiated from the surface this year to the average collected between 1979 and 1995. The result shows that significantly fewer cool clouds gathered over Southeast Asia in 2005 than normal, as reflected by the red that stretches from Australia to southern China. This image was derived from measurements made by the TIROS Operational Vertical Sounder (TOVS) onboard the NOAA-POES satellite series. OLR anomaly image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data analyzed by Assaf Anyamba and provided by NOAA National Center for Environmental Prediction [ http://www.ncep.noaa.gov/ ]. |
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Earthquake in Sulawesi
| Title |
Earthquake in Sulawesi |
| Description |
In the quiet of the earliest hours of the morning on January 24, 2005, a magnitude 6.2 earthquake rattled Palu, Sulawesi, killing one and injuring four others. The earthquake was centered approximately 35 kilometers (20 miles) south of Palu, 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) beneath the surface. Located in the center of the arc of islands that forms Indonesia, Sulawesi is at the heart of one of the most geologically active regions in the world. The effect of millennia of shifting ground on the island is readily apparent in this elevation image, created using data from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM). SRTM was designed to collect three-dimensional measurements of the Earth's surface using a radar instrument that flew aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour in February 2000. In the above image, the highest elevations are white and pink, while low elevations are green. Two mountain ranges run north-south from the center of the island to the shore. Between the two ranges, a finger of green marks out a straight valley that was formed by the fault. As this image reveals, the January 24 earthquake was centered just a few kilometers west of this fault. Like the San Andreas fault, Sulawesi's fault is a transform fault formed when two tectonic plates slide past one another. Indonesia sits on top of three major tectonic plates—giant slabs of the Earth's crust that float on the planet's molten core. The majority of the islands in the nation sit on the Eurasian plate, caught between the north-moving Australian plate, and the west-moving Pacific plate. Around Sulawesi, three smaller plates clash, adding to the seismic activity. All of this jostling between plates leads to frequent earthquakes and active volcanoes, Indonesia has more historically active volcanoes (76) than any other region on Earth. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using SRTM data obtained from the Global Land Cover Facility. |
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Earthquake Spawns Tsunamis
| Title |
Earthquake Spawns Tsunamis |
| Description |
The true-color image above shows an inlet of Little Andaman Island, near the village of Kwate-tu-Kwage. Little Andaman Island is part of India?s Andaman Island chain, situated in the eastern Indian Ocean roughly 965 km (600 miles) south-southeast of Bangladesh. The image shows a swath of destruction (grayish patches) just inland from the beach as buildings and houses were damaged or swept away by surging seawater. The image was acquired on January 2, 2005, by the IKONOS satellite. On December 26, 2004, a magnitude 9.0 earthquake hit off the west coast of Sumatra, [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=12640 ] Indonesia, sending shockwaves and tsunamis radiating out from the epicenter. [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=12645 ] According to news reports, as of January 2, 2005, no relief aid has been sent to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and little is currently known about the extent of the damage and loss of life there. Although this scene is partly obscured by a thin cloud overhead, many striking details can be seen in the full-resolution copy. A dark crescent of standing water can be seen to the west (left) of the village?possibly the remnants of the tsunami. The image also reveals tsunami destruction to structures along the coast and damage fairly far inland as well. In some cases structures have been ripped off foundations, which is especially noticeable near the inlet. Image copyright Space Imaging [ http://www.spaceimaging.com/ ] |
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Earthquake Spawns Tsunamis
| Title |
Earthquake Spawns Tsunamis |
| Description |
Satellites continue to acquire imagery of areas severely damaged by the tsunami of December 26, 2004. This image of Meulaboh, Indonesia, was collected on January 7, 2005, by DigitalGlobe?s [ http://www.digitalglobe.com/ ] QuickBird satellite. Meulaboh is located on the coast of Sumatra, roughly 150 kilometers (93 miles) from the epicenter of the magnitude 9.0 earthqukae that generated the tsunami. The image shows where the tsunami washed over a narrow peninsula, eroding the beach and destroying many of the town?s buildings. Image copyright DigitalGlobe [ http://www.digitalglobe.com/ ] |
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Earthquake Spawns Tsunamis
| Title |
Earthquake Spawns Tsunamis |
| Description |
Satellites continue to acquire imagery of areas severely damaged by the tsunami of December 26, 2004. This image of Meulaboh, Indonesia, was collected on January 7, 2005, by DigitalGlobe?s [ http://www.digitalglobe.com/ ] QuickBird satellite. Meulaboh is located on the coast of Sumatra, roughly 150 kilometers (93 miles) from the epicenter of the magnitude 9.0 earthqukae that generated the tsunami. The image shows where the tsunami washed over a narrow peninsula, eroding the beach and destroying many of the town?s buildings. Image copyright DigitalGlobe [ http://www.digitalglobe.com/ ] |
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Earthquake Spawns Tsunamis
| Title |
Earthquake Spawns Tsunamis |
| Description |
Satellites continue to acquire imagery of areas severely damaged by the tsunami of December 26, 2004. This image of Meulaboh, Indonesia, was collected on January 7, 2005, by DigitalGlobe?s [ http://www.digitalglobe.com/ ] QuickBird satellite. Meulaboh is located on the coast of Sumatra, roughly 150 kilometers (93 miles) from the epicenter of the magnitude 9.0 earthqukae that generated the tsunami. The image shows where the tsunami washed over a narrow peninsula, eroding the beach and destroying many of the town?s buildings. Image copyright DigitalGlobe [ http://www.digitalglobe.com/ ] |
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Earthquake Spawns Tsunamis
| Title |
Earthquake Spawns Tsunamis |
| Description |
The tsunami of Decemebr 26, 2004, struck hardest along the northwest coast of Sumatra, in Indonesia's Aceh province. In places only 100 kilometers (62 miles) from the earthquake epicenter, the Aceh coast was drowned in waves up to 15 meters (50 feet) tall. The water was channeled inland through low-lying areas, such as stream floodplains. These images of Gleebruk, a small town located roughly 50 km (31 miles) from Banda Aceh, show the degree of destruction. Wooded hills in the upper left of the images were spared, while the wave scoured the area alongside the stream in the center of the image. Buildings, trees, roads, bridges, beaches — and even topsoil — were swept away by the force of the wave. Satellite imagery is being used in the relief effort to locate and assess the damage in remote and inaccessible areas of Aceh province. These images were acquired by DigitalGlobe's [ http://www.digitalglobe.com/ ] QuickBird satellite on January 2, 2005, (top) and April 12, 2004 (lower). More imagery is available in DigitalGlobe's tsunami gallery. [ http://www.digitalglobe.com/tsunami_gallery.html ] Quickbird's maximum resolution of 60 centimeters (24 inches) per pixel provides exceptional image detail. Due to variations in viewing geometry between the two images, the horizontal scale is approximate. Images copyright DigitalGlobe [ http://www.digitalglobe.com/ ] |
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Earthquake Spawns Tsunamis
| Title |
Earthquake Spawns Tsunamis |
| Description |
The tsunami of Decemebr 26, 2004, struck hardest along the northwest coast of Sumatra, in Indonesia's Aceh province. In places only 100 kilometers (62 miles) from the earthquake epicenter, the Aceh coast was drowned in waves up to 15 meters (50 feet) tall. The water was channeled inland through low-lying areas, such as stream floodplains. These images of Gleebruk, a small town located roughly 50 km (31 miles) from Banda Aceh, show the degree of destruction. Wooded hills in the upper left of the images were spared, while the wave scoured the area alongside the stream in the center of the image. Buildings, trees, roads, bridges, beaches — and even topsoil — were swept away by the force of the wave. Satellite imagery is being used in the relief effort to locate and assess the damage in remote and inaccessible areas of Aceh province. These images were acquired by DigitalGlobe's [ http://www.digitalglobe.com/ ] QuickBird satellite on January 2, 2005, (top) and April 12, 2004 (lower). More imagery is available in DigitalGlobe's tsunami gallery. [ http://www.digitalglobe.com/tsunami_gallery.html ] Quickbird's maximum resolution of 60 centimeters (24 inches) per pixel provides exceptional image detail. Due to variations in viewing geometry between the two images, the horizontal scale is approximate. Images copyright DigitalGlobe [ http://www.digitalglobe.com/ ] |
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Earthquake Spawns Tsunamis
| Title |
Earthquake Spawns Tsunamis |
| Description |
The tsunami of Decemebr 26, 2004, struck hardest along the northwest coast of Sumatra, in Indonesia's Aceh province. In places only 100 kilometers (62 miles) from the earthquake epicenter, the Aceh coast was drowned in waves up to 15 meters (50 feet) tall. The water was channeled inland through low-lying areas, such as stream floodplains. These images of Gleebruk, a small town located roughly 50 km (31 miles) from Banda Aceh, show the degree of destruction. Wooded hills in the upper left of the images were spared, while the wave scoured the area alongside the stream in the center of the image. Buildings, trees, roads, bridges, beaches — and even topsoil — were swept away by the force of the wave. Satellite imagery is being used in the relief effort to locate and assess the damage in remote and inaccessible areas of Aceh province. These images were acquired by DigitalGlobe's [ http://www.digitalglobe.com/ ] QuickBird satellite on January 2, 2005, (top) and April 12, 2004 (lower). More imagery is available in DigitalGlobe's tsunami gallery. [ http://www.digitalglobe.com/tsunami_gallery.html ] Quickbird's maximum resolution of 60 centimeters (24 inches) per pixel provides exceptional image detail. Due to variations in viewing geometry between the two images, the horizontal scale is approximate. Images copyright DigitalGlobe [ http://www.digitalglobe.com/ ] |
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Earthquake Spawns Tsunamis
| Title |
Earthquake Spawns Tsunamis |
| Description |
The tsunami of Decemebr 26, 2004, struck hardest along the northwest coast of Sumatra, in Indonesia's Aceh province. In places only 100 kilometers (62 miles) from the earthquake epicenter, the Aceh coast was drowned in waves up to 15 meters (50 feet) tall. The water was channeled inland through low-lying areas, such as stream floodplains. These images of Gleebruk, a small town located roughly 50 km (31 miles) from Banda Aceh, show the degree of destruction. Wooded hills in the upper left of the images were spared, while the wave scoured the area alongside the stream in the center of the image. Buildings, trees, roads, bridges, beaches — and even topsoil — were swept away by the force of the wave. Satellite imagery is being used in the relief effort to locate and assess the damage in remote and inaccessible areas of Aceh province. These images were acquired by DigitalGlobe's [ http://www.digitalglobe.com/ ] QuickBird satellite on January 2, 2005, (top) and April 12, 2004 (lower). More imagery is available in DigitalGlobe's tsunami gallery. [ http://www.digitalglobe.com/tsunami_gallery.html ] Quickbird's maximum resolution of 60 centimeters (24 inches) per pixel provides exceptional image detail. Due to variations in viewing geometry between the two images, the horizontal scale is approximate. Images copyright DigitalGlobe [ http://www.digitalglobe.com/ ] |
|
Earthquake Spawns Tsunamis
| Title |
Earthquake Spawns Tsunamis |
| Description |
The tsunami of Decemebr 26, 2004, struck hardest along the northwest coast of Sumatra, in Indonesia's Aceh province. In places only 100 kilometers (62 miles) from the earthquake epicenter, the Aceh coast was drowned in waves up to 15 meters (50 feet) tall. The water was channeled inland through low-lying areas, such as stream floodplains. These images of Gleebruk, a small town located roughly 50 km (31 miles) from Banda Aceh, show the degree of destruction. Wooded hills in the upper left of the images were spared, while the wave scoured the area alongside the stream in the center of the image. Buildings, trees, roads, bridges, beaches — and even topsoil — were swept away by the force of the wave. Satellite imagery is being used in the relief effort to locate and assess the damage in remote and inaccessible areas of Aceh province. These images were acquired by DigitalGlobe's [ http://www.digitalglobe.com/ ] QuickBird satellite on January 2, 2005, (top) and April 12, 2004 (lower). More imagery is available in DigitalGlobe's tsunami gallery. [ http://www.digitalglobe.com/tsunami_gallery.html ] Quickbird's maximum resolution of 60 centimeters (24 inches) per pixel provides exceptional image detail. Due to variations in viewing geometry between the two images, the horizontal scale is approximate. Images copyright DigitalGlobe [ http://www.digitalglobe.com/ ] |
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Earthquake Spawns Tsunamis
| Title |
Earthquake Spawns Tsunamis |
| Description |
On December 26, 2004, a large (magnitude 9.0) earthquake occurred off the western coast of Sumatra in the Indian Ocean. The earthquake was caused by the release of stresses accumulated as the Burma tectonic plate overrides the India tectonic plate. Movement of the seafloor due to the earthquake generated a tsunami, or seismic sea wave, that affected coastal regions around the Indian Ocean. The northwestern Sumatra coastline in particular suffered extensive damage and loss of life. These astronaut photographs illustrate damage along the southwestern coast of Aceh Province in the vicinity of the city of Lho? Kruet, Indonesia. Large areas of bare and disturbed soil (brownish gray) that were previously covered with vegetation are visible along the coastline in the near-nadir (top) image. Embayments in the coastline were particularly hard hit, while adjacent headlands were less affected. The oblique (lower) astronaut photograph was acquired 45 seconds after the near-nadir photograph, and captures sunglint illuminating the Indian Ocean and standing water inland (light gray, yellow). Distortion and scale differences in the images are caused by increased obliquity of the view from the International Space Station. Arrows on the photographs indicate several points of comparison between the two images. Standing bodies of seawater may inhibit revegetation of damaged areas and act as sources of salt contamination in soil and groundwater. Astronaut photographs ISS010-E-13079 [ http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/scripts/sseop/photo.pl?mission=ISS010&roll=E&frame=13079 ] (top) and ISS010-E-13088 [ http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/scripts/sseop/photo.pl?mission=ISS010&roll=E&frame=13088 ] (bottom) were acquired January 15, 2005 with a Kodak 760C digital camera using a 400 mm lens, and are provided by the ISS Crew Earth Observations experiment and the Image Science & Analysis Group, Johnson Space Center. 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/ ] |
|
Earthquake Spawns Tsunamis
| Title |
Earthquake Spawns Tsunamis |
| Description |
On December 26, 2004, a large (magnitude 9.0) earthquake occurred off the western coast of Sumatra in the Indian Ocean. The earthquake was caused by the release of stresses accumulated as the Burma tectonic plate overrides the India tectonic plate. Movement of the seafloor due to the earthquake generated a tsunami, or seismic sea wave, that affected coastal regions around the Indian Ocean. The northwestern Sumatra coastline in particular suffered extensive damage and loss of life. These astronaut photographs illustrate damage along the southwestern coast of Aceh Province in the vicinity of the city of Lho? Kruet, Indonesia. Large areas of bare and disturbed soil (brownish gray) that were previously covered with vegetation are visible along the coastline in the near-nadir (top) image. Embayments in the coastline were particularly hard hit, while adjacent headlands were less affected. The oblique (lower) astronaut photograph was acquired 45 seconds after the near-nadir photograph, and captures sunglint illuminating the Indian Ocean and standing water inland (light gray, yellow). Distortion and scale differences in the images are caused by increased obliquity of the view from the International Space Station. Arrows on the photographs indicate several points of comparison between the two images. Standing bodies of seawater may inhibit revegetation of damaged areas and act as sources of salt contamination in soil and groundwater. Astronaut photographs ISS010-E-13079 [ http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/scripts/sseop/photo.pl?mission=ISS010&roll=E&frame=13079 ] (top) and ISS010-E-13088 [ http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/scripts/sseop/photo.pl?mission=ISS010&roll=E&frame=13088 ] (bottom) were acquired January 15, 2005 with a Kodak 760C digital camera using a 400 mm lens, and are provided by the ISS Crew Earth Observations experiment and the Image Science & Analysis Group, Johnson Space Center. 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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Massive Earthquake Along the
…
| Title |
Massive Earthquake Along the Sunda Trench |
| Description |
A magnitude 8.7 earthquake rattled northern Sumatra, Indonesia, on March 28, 2005, at 11:09 p.m., local time. At least 330 people are dead, but Indonesian officials expect the toll to soar over 2,000. The earthquake was centered 160 kilometers southeast of the 9.0 quake that triggered the devastating December 26,2004, tsunami, between the islands of Simeulue and Nias. The most severe damage appears to be on Nias, where large parts of the city Gunungsitoli were destroyed. The United States Geological Survey reports that the March 28 quake occurred on the same fault that triggered the December 26 earthquake, probably as a result of stress placed on the fault by the first quake. The above map shows the locations of both earthquakes off the northwest coast of Sumatra. The March 28 earthquake occurred in a section of the fault just south of the part of the fault that slipped on December 26. The last time this section of fault moved was in 1861, when a large earthquake triggered a fatal tsunami. As the image illustrates, the earthquakes occurred just east of the Sunda Trench, the deep underwater canyon where the Australia Plate is being pulled under the Sunda Plate. The plates, giant sections of the Earth's crust, float on a layer of soft rock, propelled by convection currents beneath them. The Australia plate moves about five centimeters northeast in relation to the Sunda plate every year. As the Australia plate has crumbled under the Sunda plate, a number of faults have developed in the Sunda plate, including the thrust fault that produced both the December 26 and March 28 quakes. According to the Pacific Tsumani Warning Center, sea level readings taken after the March 28 earthquake show that a small tsunami was generated, but there have been no reports of damage. Why did the 9.0 earthquake generate a massive tsunami compared to the small wave that came out of the most recent earthquake? By USGS estimates, both earthquakes occurred about 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) beneath the Earth's surface, but the March 28 quake was much smaller and probably didn't displace the same amount of earth as the December 26 quake. For more information about this earthquake, please visit the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program [ http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqinthenews/2005/usweax/ ]. Map courtesy USGS Earthquake Hazards Program [ http://earthquake.usgs.gov/ ] |
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North Reef Island, Andaman S
…
| Title |
North Reef Island, Andaman Sea |
| Description |
On December 26, 2004, one of the largest earthquakes in recorded history struck offshore of the island of Sumatra, Indonesia. The ocean floor heaved in some places and sank in others, creating catastrophic tsunamis that raced across the Indian Ocean. Hundreds of thousands of people died as the waves struck coastlines from Thailand to Sri Lanka to Somalia. In addition to tsunami damage, satellite images of reefs, islands, and coastlines identified signs of permanent elevation change—sinking or uplift—along the fault between the Indo-Australia and Burma plates. [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=12640 ] In places such as North Reef Island, shown in this pair of 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, the quake lifted the reefs permanently out of the water. The images use visible and infrared light detected by ASTER to make different land surfaces stand out clearly from one another: water is blue, vegetation is red, coral or bare sand appears white. In the "before" image, from December 2, 2004, the submerged reef creates a bright blue glow around the island. In the "after" image, from February 4, 2005, the white coral stands completely up out of the water. It is even tinged with red, which suggests the exposed coral had died, and algae had colonized it. In the weeks and months after the earthquake, satellite images provided broad coverage of an area where ground-based observations were initially very limited. A team of scientists led by Caltech Ph.D. geology student Aron Meltzner discovered changes in elevation along nearly 1,600 kilometers (994 miles) of the tectonic plate boundary. The images revealed that the earthquake rupture extended 100 kilometers (62 miles) farther north than estimates based on seismic and Global Positioning System (GPS) data suggested. The feature article Rise and Fall: Satellites Reveal Full Length of Tsunami-Generating Earthquake [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Study/Aceh/aceh.html ] describes how scientists used satellite images to map the length of the earthquake rupture zone. The article includes additional satellite and ground-based images of elevation changes resulting from the 2004 Aceh-Andaman earthquake. 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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North Reef Island, Andaman S
…
| Title |
North Reef Island, Andaman Sea |
| Description |
On December 26, 2004, one of the largest earthquakes in recorded history struck offshore of the island of Sumatra, Indonesia. The ocean floor heaved in some places and sank in others, creating catastrophic tsunamis that raced across the Indian Ocean. Hundreds of thousands of people died as the waves struck coastlines from Thailand to Sri Lanka to Somalia. In addition to tsunami damage, satellite images of reefs, islands, and coastlines identified signs of permanent elevation change—sinking or uplift—along the fault between the Indo-Australia and Burma plates. [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=12640 ] In places such as North Reef Island, shown in this pair of 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, the quake lifted the reefs permanently out of the water. The images use visible and infrared light detected by ASTER to make different land surfaces stand out clearly from one another: water is blue, vegetation is red, coral or bare sand appears white. In the "before" image, from December 2, 2004, the submerged reef creates a bright blue glow around the island. In the "after" image, from February 4, 2005, the white coral stands completely up out of the water. It is even tinged with red, which suggests the exposed coral had died, and algae had colonized it. In the weeks and months after the earthquake, satellite images provided broad coverage of an area where ground-based observations were initially very limited. A team of scientists led by Caltech Ph.D. geology student Aron Meltzner discovered changes in elevation along nearly 1,600 kilometers (994 miles) of the tectonic plate boundary. The images revealed that the earthquake rupture extended 100 kilometers (62 miles) farther north than estimates based on seismic and Global Positioning System (GPS) data suggested. The feature article Rise and Fall: Satellites Reveal Full Length of Tsunami-Generating Earthquake [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Study/Aceh/aceh.html ] describes how scientists used satellite images to map the length of the earthquake rupture zone. The article includes additional satellite and ground-based images of elevation changes resulting from the 2004 Aceh-Andaman earthquake. 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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Fires on Sumatra
| Title |
Fires on Sumatra |
| Description |
A thick cloud of smoke pours from forest fires on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. Forest fires are common in Indonesia during the hot, dry months of the dry season, which runs from June to September. Hot, dry weather and winds blowing from the southwest help fires explode in Indonesia?s forests, and such conditions probably fed the fires seen outlined in red in this image. The winds are also responsible for blanketing parts of Malaysia with smoke. In this image, a white plume of smoke snakes north and east from the fires, moving inland over northern Malaysia. Not only does the dense haze decrease visibility, posing a traffic hazard for both air and ground travel, but the smoke could cause serious health problems. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) onboard NASA?s Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite acquired this image in the morning of June 25, 2005. By afternoon, the fires had grown to the point that the narrow Strait of Malacca that separates Malaysia from Sumatra was barely visible. Unfortunately, clouds also partially obscured the view of the region. NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC |
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Fires on Sumatra
| Title |
Fires on Sumatra |
| Description |
A thick cloud of smoke pours from forest fires on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. Forest fires are common in Indonesia during the hot, dry months of the dry season, which runs from June to September. Hot, dry weather and winds blowing from the southwest help fires explode in Indonesia?s forests, and such conditions probably fed the fires seen outlined in red in this image. The winds are also responsible for blanketing parts of Malaysia with smoke. In this image, a white plume of smoke snakes north and east from the fires, moving inland over northern Malaysia. Not only does the dense haze decrease visibility, posing a traffic hazard for both air and ground travel, but the smoke could cause serious health problems. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) onboard NASA?s Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite acquired this image in the morning of June 25, 2005. By afternoon, the fires had grown to the point that the narrow Strait of Malacca that separates Malaysia from Sumatra was barely visible. Unfortunately, clouds also partially obscured the view of the region. NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC |
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Grasberg Mine, Indonesia: Im
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nasa, nasaimageofthedaygalle
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Located in the Sudirman Moun
…
ISS011-E-9620
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2005-06-25 |
| creator |
NASA -- Astronaut photograph eol.jsc.nasa.gov/scripts/sseop/photo.pl?mission=ISS011&roll=E&frame=9620 ISS011-E-9620 was acquired June 25, 2005, with a Kodak 760C digital camera with a 400 mm lens, and is provided by the ISS Crew Earth Observations experiment and the Image Science & Analysis Group, Johnson Space Center. The spaceflight.nasa.gov/home/index.html 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 |
ISS011-E-9620 |
|
Tectonic Uplift near Sumatra
…
nasa, nasaimageofthedaygalle
…
* eoimages.gsfc.nasa.gov/ima
…
nias_20000713_20050406
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2005-04-06 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA image by Robert Simmon, based on data provided by the NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ASTER Science Team |
| identifier |
nias_20000713_20050406 |
|
Tsunami Damage, Gleebruk, In
…
nasa, nasaimageofthedaygalle
…
* eoimages.gsfc.nasa.gov/ima
…
gleebruk_qbd_2005002
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2005-01-02 |
| creator |
NASA -- Images copyright www.digitalglobe.com/ DigitalGlobe |
| identifier |
gleebruk_qbd_2005002 |
|
Earthquake Spawns Tsunamis:
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
* eoimages.gsfc.nasa.gov/ima
…
meulaboh_qbd_2005007
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2005-01-07 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
meulaboh_qbd_2005007 |
|
Earthquake Spawns Tsunamis:
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
* eoimages.gsfc.nasa.gov/ima
…
meulaboh_qbd_2005007
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2005-01-07 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
meulaboh_qbd_2005007 |
|
Earthquake Spawns Tsunamis:
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
The true-color image above s
…
LittleAndaman_IKO20050102
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2005-01-02 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
LittleAndaman_IKO20050102 |
|
North Reef Island, Andaman S
…
nasa, nasaimageofthedaygalle
…
On December 26, 2004, one of
…
nreefis_ast_2005035
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2005-02-04 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA images created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data provided courtesy of the NASA/GSFC/MITI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ASTER Science Team. |
| identifier |
nreefis_ast_2005035 |
|
Air Quality Emergency in Mal
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
In mid-August, several locat
…
Sumatra.TMOA2005224
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2005-08-12 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
Sumatra.TMOA2005224 |
|
Drought in Southeast Asia: N
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
Little rain has fallen in So
…
seasia_olra_tcer_feb2005
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2005-03-01 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
seasia_olra_tcer_feb2005 |
|
Drought in Southeast Asia: N
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
Little rain has fallen in So
…
seasia_olra_tcer_feb2005
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2005-03-01 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
seasia_olra_tcer_feb2005 |
|
Fires on Sumatra: Natural Ha
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
A thick cloud of smoke pours
…
Indonesia2_TMO_2005176
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2005-06-25 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
Indonesia2_TMO_2005176 |
|
Fires on Sumatra: Natural Ha
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
A thick cloud of smoke pours
…
Indonesia2_TMO_2005176
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2005-06-25 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
Indonesia2_TMO_2005176 |
|
Fires on Sumatra: Image of t
…
nasa, nasaimageofthedaygalle
…
A thick cloud of smoke pours
…
ge_05629
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2005-06-25 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov MODIS Land Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC. |
| identifier |
ge_05629 |
|
Fires on Sumatra: Image of t
…
nasa, nasaimageofthedaygalle
…
A thick cloud of smoke pours
…
ge_05629
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2005-06-25 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov MODIS Land Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC. |
| identifier |
ge_05629 |
|
Earthquake in Sulawesi: Imag
…
nasa, nasaimageofthedaygalle
…
In the quiet of the earliest
…
sulawesi_srtm_23jan05
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2005-01-24 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using SRTM data obtained from the glcf.umiacs.umd.edu/index.shtml Global Land Cover Facility . |
| identifier |
sulawesi_srtm_23jan05 |
|
Earthquake in Sulawesi: Imag
…
nasa, nasaimageofthedaygalle
…
In the quiet of the earliest
…
sulawesi_srtm_23jan05
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2005-01-24 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using SRTM data obtained from the glcf.umiacs.umd.edu/index.shtml Global Land Cover Facility . |
| identifier |
sulawesi_srtm_23jan05 |
|
Uplift and Subsidence Associ
…
PIA02435
Sol (our sun)
ASTER
| Title |
Uplift and Subsidence Associated with the Great Aceh-Andaman Earthquake of 2004 |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
The magnitude 9.2 Indian Ocean earthquake of December 26, 2004, produced broad regions of uplift and subsidence. In order to define the lateral extent and the downdip limit of rupture, scientists from Caltech, Pasadena, Calif., NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., Scripps Institution of Oceanography, La Jolla, Calif., the U.S. Geological Survey, Pasadena, Calif., and the Research Center for Geotechnology, Indonesian Institute of Sciences, Bandung, Indonesia, first needed to define the pivot line separating those regions. Interpretation of satellite imagery and a tidal model were one of the key tools used to do this. These pre-Sumatra earthquake (a) and post-Sumatra earthquake (b) images of North Sentinel Island in the Indian Ocean, acquired from the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) instrument on NASA's Terra spacecraft, show emergence of the coral reef surrounding the island following the earthquake. The tide was 30 plus or minus 14 centimeters lower in the pre-earthquake image (acquired November 21, 2000) than in the post-earthquake image (acquired February 20, 2005), requiring a minimum of 30 centimeters of uplift at this locality. Observations from an Indian Coast Guard helicopter on the northwest coast of the island suggest that the actual uplift is on the order of 1 to 2 meters at this site. In figures (c) and (d), pre-earthquake and post-earthquake ASTER images of a small island off the northwest coast of Rutland Island, 38 kilometers east of North Sentinel Island, show submergence of the coral reef surrounding the island. The tide was higher in the pre-earthquake image (acquired January 1, 2004) than in the post-earthquake image (acquired February 4, 2005), requiring subsidence at this locality. The pivot line must run between North Sentinel and Rutland islands. Note that the scale for the North Sentinel Island images differs from that for the Rutland Island images. The tidal model used for this study was based on data from JPL's Topex/Poseidon satellite. The model was used to determine the relative sea surface height at each location at the time each image was acquired, a critical component used to quantify the deformation. The scientists' method of using satellite imagery to recognize changes in elevation relative to sea surface height and of using a tidal model to place quantitative bounds on coseismic uplift or subsidence is a novel approach that can be adapted to other forms of remote sensing and can be applied to other subduction zones in tropical regions. ASTER is one of five Earth-observing instruments launched December 18, 1999, on NASA's Terra satellite. The instrument was built by Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. A joint U.S./Japan science team is responsible for validation and calibration of the instrument and the data products. The broad spectral coverage and high spectral resolution of ASTER provides scientists in numerous disciplines with, critical information for surface mapping, and monitoring of dynamic conditions and temporal change. Example applications are: monitoring glacial advances and retreats, monitoring potentially active volcanoes, identifying crop stress, determining cloud morphology and physical properties, wetlands evaluation, thermal pollution monitoring, coral reef degradation, surface temperature mapping of soils and geology, and measuring surface heat balance. The U.S. science team is located at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. The Terra mission is part of NASA's Science Mission Directorate. |
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| General Description |
International Space Station Imagery |
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| General Description |
International Space Station Imagery |
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| General Description |
International Space Station Imagery |
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