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Black Sea Becomes Turquoise
| Title |
Black Sea Becomes Turquoise |
| Description |
This true-color image shows bright, turquoise-colored swirls across the surface of the Black Sea, signifying the presence of a large phytoplankton bloom. Scientists have observed similar blooms recurring annually, roughly this same time of year. The Sea of Azov, which is the smaller body of water located just north of the Black Sea in this image, also shows a high level of color variance. The brownish pixels in the Azov are probably due to sediments carried in from high waters and snowmelt from upstream. This scene was acquired by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer [ http://modarch.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ], flying aboard NASA?s Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite, on May 14, 2002. According to the Black Sea Environment Programme?s Marine Hydrophysical Institute [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/redirect?http://www.grid.unep.ch/bsein/index.html ], the Black Sea is ?one of the marine areas of the world most damaged by human activities.? The coastal zone around these Eastern European inland water bodies is densely populated?supporting a permanent population of roughly 16 million people and another 4 million tourists each year. Six countries border with the Black Sea, including Ukraine to the north, Russia and Georgia to the east, Turkey to the south, and Bulgaria and Romania to the west. Because it is isolated from the world?s oceans, and because there is an extensive drainage network of rivers that empty into it, the Black Sea has a unique and delicate water balance which is very important for supporting its marine ecosystem. Of particular concern to scientists is the salinity, water level, and nutrient levels of the Black Sea?s waters, all of which are, unfortunately, being impacted by human activities. Within the last three decades the combination of increased nutrient loads from human sources together with pollution and over-harvesting of fisheries has resulted in a sharp decline in water quality. Scientists from each of the Black Sea?s bordering nations are currently working together to study the issues and formulate a joint, international strategy for saving this unique marine ecosystem. Working with a spirit of placing more emphasis on joint ownership of the Black Sea?s resources, and less emphasis on blame, it is hoped that the cooperating countries can strike an effective balance between both enjoying and preserving the Black Sea. Image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] at NASA GSFC |
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Chernobyl, Ukraine
| Title |
Chernobyl, Ukraine |
| Description |
Eighteen years ago, on April 26, 1986, the world's worst nuclear power accident occurred at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant near the Ukrainian-Belarus border. Toxic radionuclides like Cs137 and Sr90 contaminated an area of 155,000 square kilometers in what is today Belarus, Ukraine and Russia. Hundreds of thousands of people were killed, sickened from radiation-induced illnesses, or resettled to uncontaminated land. Today, the immediate area remains off limits to humans. The plant was permanently closed in 2000. The surrounding agricultural land has been abandoned, and the two nearby towns (Pripyat to the north and Chernobyl to the south) where plant workers lived are largely ghost towns. Instead of people, abundant wildlife—packs of wolves, deer, and birds—roam and live near Chernobyl. This image, taken seven years ago from the Russian Mir spacecraft, shows Chernobyl and the surrounding countryside. The power plant is situated on the northwest end of a cooling pond on the Pripyat River, which flows into the Dnepr River just 80 miles north of Kiev. [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=16519 ] The main features visible in the image are the massive concrete dams and levees that were constructed to contain elements of the power plant and prevent contaminated runoff from entering the local streams. The cooling water canals leading to the pond, and the levees in the middle of the pond that channeled the water circulation can also be seen. The darker green regions are forests and the light green areas are cleared land used for agriculture. Image NM23-745-116 [ http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/scripts/sseop/photo.pl?mission=NM23&roll=745&frame=116 ] was taken April 27, 1997, from the Russian Mir Space Station with a Hasselblad medium format camera equipped with a 250-mm lens and is provided by the Earth Observations Laboratory, Johnson Space Center. The NASA-Mir program was the first phase of the International Space Station Program, [ http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/ ] which now supports the Earth Observations Laboratory. The program trains astronauts to take pictures of Earth that are of 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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Stressed Crops in Ukraine an
…
| Title |
Stressed Crops in Ukraine and Russia |
| Description |
Flat, fertile plains stretch northward from the Black Sea in Ukraine and southern Russia. With a climate similar to that of Kansas, roughly two-thirds of the Ukraine is agricultural land. The main crops in the region are wheat, barley, and corn. Most wheat (about 95 percent) is planted in the late fall and harvested in July and August of the following year. Across the border in southern Russia, winter wheat is similarly important. As the wheat grows, farmers rely on rain to nourish the developing plants. In 2005, however, farmers faced a problem. As of September 29, little or no rain had fallen over the region since mid-August. Without rain, farmers could not plant on time. Those who did plant faced the prospect of a poor crop unless rain began to fall. The effects of dry conditions on plants across Ukraine and southern Russia are shown in this vegetation image, made from data acquired by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) between October 2 and October 10, 2005. Dry areas are shown in brown, while normal conditions are tan, and better-than-normal conditions are green. The drought seems to be particularly bad on Crimea, the island-like peninsula in the Black Sea, and in Russia to its east, where deep red points to very stressed vegetation. The vegetation index is a measure of the amount of light absorbed by plants over a large area during photosynthesis. When crops are healthy, they produce more leaves and, as a result, absorb more light in photosynthesis. When they are stressed by drought, crops produce fewer leaves and absorb less light. In this image, the vegetation index was compared to the average of measurements made during the same period in 2001-2004. The resulting image shows that plants are significantly more stressed in 2005 than they were during this period in the previous four years. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data provided by Inbal Reshef and information provided by Assaf Anyamba as part of the Global Agricultural Monitoring Project between NASA, USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS), and the University of Maryland. More data and information about this joint project is available at Satellite Information for Agricultural Monitoring. [ http://tripwire.geog.umd.edu/usda/ ] |
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Stressed Crops in Ukraine an
…
| Title |
Stressed Crops in Ukraine and Russia |
| Description |
Flat, fertile plains stretch northward from the Black Sea in Ukraine and southern Russia. With a climate similar to that of Kansas, roughly two-thirds of the Ukraine is agricultural land. The main crops in the region are wheat, barley, and corn. Most wheat (about 95 percent) is planted in the late fall and harvested in July and August of the following year. Across the border in southern Russia, winter wheat is similarly important. As the wheat grows, farmers rely on rain to nourish the developing plants. In 2005, however, farmers faced a problem. As of September 29, little or no rain had fallen over the region since mid-August. Without rain, farmers could not plant on time. Those who did plant faced the prospect of a poor crop unless rain began to fall. The effects of dry conditions on plants across Ukraine and southern Russia are shown in this vegetation image, made from data acquired by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) between October 2 and October 10, 2005. Dry areas are shown in brown, while normal conditions are tan, and better-than-normal conditions are green. The drought seems to be particularly bad on Crimea, the island-like peninsula in the Black Sea, and in Russia to its east, where deep red points to very stressed vegetation. The vegetation index is a measure of the amount of light absorbed by plants over a large area during photosynthesis. When crops are healthy, they produce more leaves and, as a result, absorb more light in photosynthesis. When they are stressed by drought, crops produce fewer leaves and absorb less light. In this image, the vegetation index was compared to the average of measurements made during the same period in 2001-2004. The resulting image shows that plants are significantly more stressed in 2005 than they were during this period in the previous four years. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data provided by Inbal Reshef and information provided by Assaf Anyamba as part of the Global Agricultural Monitoring Project between NASA, USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS), and the University of Maryland. More data and information about this joint project is available at Satellite Information for Agricultural Monitoring. [ http://tripwire.geog.umd.edu/usda/ ] |
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Stressed Crops in Ukraine an
…
| Title |
Stressed Crops in Ukraine and Russia |
| Description |
Under the one-two punch of a dry fall and a frigid winter, winter crops in Ukraine were in poor condition in April and May 2006. This vegetation anomaly (difference from normal) image was created from data collected by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite. Widespread brown indicates that plants throughout the region had grown less compared to the average growth for 2000-2005. The Foreign Agricultural Service, a division of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, estimated that only 10 metric tons of winter wheat, the primary crop growing here, would be harvested in July and August. That figure was down about 46 percent from the 18.7 metric tons harvested in 2005. Why were winter crops in such rough shape? The biggest reason is drought. From August to October or November, depending on the location, little rain fell over the Ukrainian fields where winter grains were being planted, said the Foreign Agricultural Service. In Ukraine, roughly 42 million hectares of the total 60 million hectares is devoted to agriculture, and winter wheat and barley are among the most important crops. Planted in the fall, winter grains typically develop strong roots before going into dormancy with the onset of winter. During the winter, the crop is protected from the killing cold by an insulating layer of snow, and when the snow melts, the grain continues to grow until it is harvested in July and August. In 2005, the drought delayed planting, so the plants did not have time to develop strong root systems. And then the cold hit. An unusual deep freeze [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=17173 ] gripped Eastern Europe in mid-January. Though little of the wheat crop was damaged, winter barely and rape seed were. The widespread impact of drought and cold is clear from the negative vegetation anomaly shown above. All crop information cited in this caption is from the Foreign Agricultural Service. Links to the most recent crop report and general information about Ukrainian agriculture are provided below. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data provided by Inbal Reshef as part of the Global Agricultural Monitoring Project [ http://www.pecad.fas.usda.gov/glam.cfm ] between NASA, USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS), and the University of Maryland. |
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Fires in Southwest Russia
| Title |
Fires in Southwest Russia |
| Description |
As winter snow is retreating, fires are springing to life in southwestern Russia. Fires are likely being set to prepare land for springtime agricultural activities. This Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) image from March 2, 2003, shows fires (red dots) detected by the MODIS on the Aqua satellite. Fires are burning in the Volga River Delta (right of center) at the northwest corner of the Caspian Sea. To the west, near the Sea of Azov (filled with ice at center left) and the Black Sea (bottom left) more fires are burning. Two additional fires were detected at the foothills of the Caucasus Mountains, which separate Russia from Georgia. At upper left is Ukraine, at upper right is Kazakhstan. The high-resolution image provided above is 500 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response System provides this image at MODIS? maximum spatial resolution of 250 meters. Image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC |
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Flooding in Western Russia
| Title |
Flooding in Western Russia |
| Description |
As the ground began to thaw and snow melted, the Dnieper River and its tributaries were swollen with spring run-off. According to news reports, the rivers had caused some damage as flood waters inundated small cities along their banks. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] (MODIS) on the Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured this image of the river system on April 4, 2004. Four major rivers are shown running into the Dnieper, the large river that forms the trunk of this tree-like structure. On the far right is the Desna River, with the Seym River branching off of it. The center right branch is formed by the Sozh River and its tributaries. The center left branch is the Dnieper, and running into it from the top left is the Byarezina River. The far left branch is formed by the Prypyats River. Complicating this tangle of flowing water, the borders of three countries snake along the rivers, sometimes following their flow, but often not. Russia is in the top right corner of the image, Ukraine forms the lower third, and Belarus is in the upper left corner. In the high-resolution image, Poland and Lithuania are visible along the left edge of the image, and Romania, Moldova, and the Black Sea sit on the lower edge. Here, fires are marked with red dots. The fires were likely started by farmers clearing their fields for spring planting. This false-color image shows vegetation as green, bare ground as tan and pink, and clouds in light blue. Water is black and dark blue. The high-resolution image provided above has a resolution of 500 meters per pixel. The image is available in additional resolutions [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/?2004095-0404/Russia.A2004095.1105.721 ], including MODIS' maximum resolution of 250 meters per pixel. Image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC. |
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Black Sea in Bloom: Image of
…
nasa, nasaimageofthedaygalle
…
This true-color image shows
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BlackSea_S2002124
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2002-05-04 |
| creator |
NASA -- Image courtesy the seawifs.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEAWIFS.html SeaWiFS Project , NASA GSFC, and ORBIMAGE |
| identifier |
BlackSea_S2002124 |
|
Severe Storm in the Sea of A
…
nasa, nasaimageofthedaygalle
…
A fierce storm struck both t
…
ge_08214
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2007-11-11 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
ge_08214 |
|
Severe Storm in the Sea of A
…
nasa, nasaimageofthedaygalle
…
A fierce storm struck both t
…
ge_08214
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2007-11-11 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
ge_08214 |
|
Black Sea Becomes Turquoise:
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
This true-color image shows
…
BlackSea_M2002134
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2002-05-14 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
BlackSea_M2002134 |
|
Flooding in Western Russia:
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
As the ground began to thaw
…
ge_12994
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2004-04-04 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
ge_12994 |
|
Flooding in Western Russia:
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
As the ground began to thaw
…
ge_12994
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2004-04-04 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
ge_12994 |
|
Stressed Crops in Ukraine an
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
Flat, fertile plains stretch
…
ukraine_ndvia_0210oct05
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2005-10-10 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
ukraine_ndvia_0210oct05 |
|
Stressed Crops in Ukraine an
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
Flat, fertile plains stretch
…
ukraine_ndvia_0210oct05
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2005-10-10 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
ukraine_ndvia_0210oct05 |
|
Icy Spring Decimates Winter
…
nasa, nasaimageofthedaygalle
…
Severe ice crusting during F
…
Ukraine_wheat
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2003-04-17 |
| creator |
NASA -- Image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC |
| identifier |
Ukraine_wheat |
|
Kiev, Ukraine: Image of the
…
nasa, nasaimageofthedaygalle
…
Kiev (also spelled Kyiv) is
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kiev_l7_2001257
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2001-09-14 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data obtained from the University of Maryland's |
| identifier |
kiev_l7_2001257 |
|
Fires in Southwest Russia: N
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
As winter snow is retreating
…
SWRussia.AMOA2003061
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2003-03-02 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
SWRussia.AMOA2003061 |
|
Stressed Crops in Ukraine an
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
Under the one-two punch of a
…
ge_15726
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2006-04-23 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
ge_15726 |
|
Stressed Crops in Ukraine an
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
Under the one-two punch of a
…
ge_15726
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2006-04-23 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
ge_15726 |
|
Stressed Crops in Ukraine an
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
Under the one-two punch of a
…
ge_15726
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2006-04-23 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
ge_15726 |
|
Uzboi Vallis, Nirgal Vallis,
…
PIA03765
Sol (our sun)
Thermal Emission Imaging Sys
…
| Title |
Uzboi Vallis, Nirgal Vallis, and Luki Crater |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
(Released 9 April 2002) This THEMIS image captures two channels (Nirgal Vallis is the smaller sinuous channel on the left and Uzboi Vallis is the larger channel located in the lower right) and Luki Crater located in the upper right. The mouth of Nirgal Vallis appears to be truncated by Uzboi Vallis. This indicates that Nirgal Vallis is an older channel than Uzboi Vallis. The floor of Uzboi Vallis was subsequently bombarded by an asteroid or comet which gouged out the 21 km diameter crater named Luki. Luki is named after a town in the Ukraine. Uzboi is the name of a dry river in Russia. Nirgal is the Babylonian name for Mars. Gullies and alluvial deposits discovered by Mars Global Surveyor are clearly visible on the polar-facing (south) wall and floor of Nirgal Vallis and also in the inner rim of Luki crater. These gullies appear to emanate from a specific layer in the walls. There is a pronounced sparsity of gullies on the equator-ward facing slopes but some are present in this image. The gullies have been proposed to have formed by the subsurface release of water. The western channel wall of Uzboi Vallis does not appear to have the fine-scale gullying as does Nirgal Vallis. However, the western channel wall of Uzboi Vallis does show some evidence of downslope movement (mass wasting). Some patches of dunes are also seen on the channel floor, notably along the edges of the channel floor near the canyon walls. There is also a landslide located along the southern wall of Luki Crater. |
|
Uzboi Vallis, Nirgal Vallis,
…
PIA03765
Sol (our sun)
Thermal Emission Imaging Sys
…
| Title |
Uzboi Vallis, Nirgal Vallis, and Luki Crater |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
(Released 9 April 2002) This THEMIS image captures two channels (Nirgal Vallis is the smaller sinuous channel on the left and Uzboi Vallis is the larger channel located in the lower right) and Luki Crater located in the upper right. The mouth of Nirgal Vallis appears to be truncated by Uzboi Vallis. This indicates that Nirgal Vallis is an older channel than Uzboi Vallis. The floor of Uzboi Vallis was subsequently bombarded by an asteroid or comet which gouged out the 21 km diameter crater named Luki. Luki is named after a town in the Ukraine. Uzboi is the name of a dry river in Russia. Nirgal is the Babylonian name for Mars. Gullies and alluvial deposits discovered by Mars Global Surveyor are clearly visible on the polar-facing (south) wall and floor of Nirgal Vallis and also in the inner rim of Luki crater. These gullies appear to emanate from a specific layer in the walls. There is a pronounced sparsity of gullies on the equator-ward facing slopes but some are present in this image. The gullies have been proposed to have formed by the subsurface release of water. The western channel wall of Uzboi Vallis does not appear to have the fine-scale gullying as does Nirgal Vallis. However, the western channel wall of Uzboi Vallis does show some evidence of downslope movement (mass wasting). Some patches of dunes are also seen on the channel floor, notably along the edges of the channel floor near the canyon walls. There is also a landslide located along the southern wall of Luki Crater. |
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| General Description |
STS-106 Shuttle Mission Imagery |
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STS-106 Shuttle Mission Imagery |
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STS-106 Shuttle Mission Imagery |
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STS-106 Shuttle Mission Imagery |
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STS-106 Shuttle Mission Imagery |
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STS-106 Shuttle Mission Imagery |
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STS-106 Shuttle Mission Imagery |
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STS-106 Shuttle Mission Imagery |
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STS-106 Shuttle Mission Imagery |
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STS-106 Shuttle Mission Imagery |
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STS-106 Shuttle Mission Imagery |
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STS-106 Shuttle Mission Imagery |
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STS-106 Shuttle Mission Imagery |
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STS-106 Shuttle Mission Imagery |
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| General Description |
STS-106 Shuttle Mission Imagery |
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STS-106 Shuttle Mission Imagery |
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