Earth Sciences and Image Analysis Photographic Highlights

ISS008 Earth Sciences and Image Analysis Photographic Highlights

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ISS008-E-13212 100,000 Earth Photographs from the International Space Station: This international image of the El Paso-Juárez area on the U.S.-Mexico border is the 100,000th photograph of Earth that astronauts have taken from the International Space Station. It was taken on January 26, 2004, by Expedition 8 crewmembers.
The Rio Grande can be seen meandering through the area, forming the boundary between the sister cities of El Paso, Texas and Juárez, Chihuahua. North is to the right in this image, and the setting sun has cast the east side of the Sierra Juárez and Franklin Mountains into shadow.
Photographs of Earth are a concrete way for astronauts to share their observations and experience in orbit with the public. Scientists integrate them with a variety of other remote sensing data in their Earth science research. The record of astronaut photography of Earth starts over 40 years ago with the first human spaceflights and represents the longest continuous record of the state of the planet as observed from orbit.

ISS008-E-13240 Mt. Kilimanjaro: Mt. Kilimanjaro (Tanzania), the highest point in all Africa, is capped by glaciers on its southern and southwestern flanks. An estimated 82 percent of the icecap that crowned the mountain when it was first thoroughly surveyed in 1912 is now gone, and the ice is thinning as well — by as much as a meter in one area. According to some projections, if recession continues at the present rate, the majority of the glaciers on Kilimanjaro could vanish in the next 15 years. In this image, it is difficult to distinguish the permanent snow cap from a fresh dusting of snow.

ISS008-E-11807 Glacial Retreat: For the crew onboard the International Space Station daylight views of the Earth’s Southern Hemisphere offer fewer opportunities to observe and document land features with onboard cameras. However, South America’s Patagonian Ice Fields and glaciers in the far southern Andes mountains offer beautiful, dynamic features with frequent passes whenever weather conditions permit. On the afternoon of January 3, 2004, the crew took this view of the Upsala Glacier in Argentina through a 400mm lens. This is the third largest glacier of the Southern Patagonian Ice Field with an estimated area of over 800 square kilometers. This long, north-south oriented river of ice terminates in the northern arm of Lake Argentino.
A worldwide retreat of glaciers was observed during the twentieth century and most of the Patagonia’s glaciers, including Upsala were no exception. From the late 1960’s to the mid 1990’s the retreat of some parts was in excess of 4 kilometers. The glacier’s retreat appears to be continuing during the Space Station era with visible changes along the terminus noted when compared with ISS001-E-5318 taken in December 2000. The crew continues to monitor most of the principal glaciers of Patagonia as science targets for Crew Earth Observations.
For more information on the observed history of Patagonia’s glaciers please see: Historic Fluctuations of Outlet Glaciers from the Patagonian Ice Fields.
Previous views of the Patagonian Ice fields from the International Space Station:
Retreat of San Quentin Glacier
Northern Patagonian Ice Field
Bruggen Glacier

ISS008-E-12107 Five-Year-Old Icebergs near South Georgia Island: This photograph from the International Space Station shows two pieces of a massive iceberg that broke off from the Ronne Ice Shelf in October 1998. Taken on January 6, 2004, the pieces of iceberg A-38 have floated relatively close to South Georgia Island. After 5 years and 3 months adrift, they are approximately 1,500 nautical miles from their origin. In the oblique image, taken a few minutes later, the cloud pattern is indicative of the impact of the mountainous islands on the local wind field. At this time, the icebergs are sheltered in the lee side of the island.
When the mass first broke away from the Antarctic Ronne Ice Shelf into the Weddell Sea, it was more than 90 miles long and 30 miles wide and was one of the largest reported icebergs in more than a decade. By the end of October 1998, the iceberg, A-38, began to break-up. Today A-38A is still longer than 40 nautical miles, and A-38B is more than 25 nautical miles long.
When ice shelves break up, it is common to ask, “Was the calving related to global climate change?” Dr. Ted Scambos, a scientist at the National Snow and Ice Data Center, compared the calving of Iceberg A-38 to events on the Larsen Ice Shelf and concluded that, “in contrast to what is going on in the northern reaches of the Antarctic Peninsula, the A-38 iceberg calving event on the Ronne Ice Shelf is unlikely to be climate-related.” Over a fifty-year period, the shelf has expanded and contracted, and the A-38 berg actually brought the ice shelf front back to the location it was when first mapped in 1957-58.
Positions and sizes of Antarctic Icebergs are reported by the National Ice Center.

ISS008-E-12109 Five-Year-Old Icebergs near South Georgia Island: This photograph from the International Space Station shows two pieces of a massive iceberg that broke off from the Ronne Ice Shelf in October 1998. Taken on January 6, 2004, the pieces of iceberg A-38 have floated relatively close to South Georgia Island. After 5 years and 3 months adrift, they are approximately 1,500 nautical miles from their origin. In the oblique image, taken a few minutes later, the cloud pattern is indicative of the impact of the mountainous islands on the local wind field. At this time, the icebergs are sheltered in the lee side of the island.
When the mass first broke away from the Antarctic Ronne Ice Shelf into the Weddell Sea, it was more than 90 miles long and 30 miles wide and was one of the largest reported icebergs in more than a decade. By the end of October 1998, the iceberg, A-38, began to break-up. Today A-38A is still longer than 40 nautical miles, and A-38B is more than 25 nautical miles long.
When ice shelves break up, it is common to ask, “Was the calving related to global climate change?” Dr. Ted Scambos, a scientist at the National Snow and Ice Data Center, compared the calving of Iceberg A-38 to events on the Larsen Ice Shelf and concluded that, “in contrast to what is going on in the northern reaches of the Antarctic Peninsula, the A-38 iceberg calving event on the Ronne Ice Shelf is unlikely to be climate-related.” Over a fifty-year period, the shelf has expanded and contracted, and the A-38 berg actually brought the ice shelf front back to the location it was when first mapped in 1957-58.
Positions and sizes of Antarctic Icebergs are reported by the National Ice Center.

ISS008-E-6150 The Many Faces of Mount Everest: Space is a good place to ponder the world’s extremes and nature’s variability. For example, photographing the highest point on the planet is a favorite target (and a long-standing challenge) for astronauts orbiting the Earth. Despite Everest’s planetary stature, it is not an easy peak to locate while zipping over the mountains at 7 kilometers per second (see tutorial “How to find Mt. Everest”).
Over the years, astronauts have used various viewing angles and lenses to capture the many faces of Everest. Differing seasons and illumination allow for very different, but always spectacular perspectives. The current astronauts on the International Space Station obtained this view of Mt. Everest in late November 2003.
Earlier views of Mt Everest can be viewed at the following links:
Mount Everest (Chomolungma, Goddess Mother of the World)
Mount Everest from the International Space Station

ISS008-E-5649 Lake Titicaca: Lake Titicaca, at an elevation of 12,507 feet (3,812 meters) in the Andean Altiplano, is the highest large lake in the world. More than 120 miles long and 50 miles wide, it was the center of the Incan civilization, and today straddles the boundary between Peru and Bolivia.
Perhaps more importantly, Lake Titicaca contains one of South America’s longest climate records, extending back more than 25,000 years. Scientists have studied indicators of the water level changes over time in Lake Titicaca to tease out information about precipitation shifts in the high Andes and the South American tropics. Because the lake occupies the low point of the Altiplano, much of the water of the high plateau eventually trickles into the lake. And because it is surrounded by mountains, very little of Lake Titicaca’s water drains out—the Rio Desguadero is the only major outflow river. So, like a bathtub with no drain, this large and deep lake (with depths of several hundred feet) has become the collecting basin for more than 25,000 years of sediment. These sediments and their fossils contain clues about past climate conditions.
The restricted outflow of the lake creates conditions where even shorter, interannual climate cycles (like El Niño /Southern Oscillation) impact Lake Titicaca’s water levels. Recent lake level variations have been several meters, with low levels occurring during regional droughts of El Niños. Right now, the region is relatively wet. In this image, the dark greens of the wetlands along the shallower margins of the lake contrast strongly with the surrounding desert, while large cities like Puno, Peru (100,000 people), are difficult to discern from the surrounding countryside.

ISS008-E-5652 Lake Titicaca: Lake Titicaca, at an elevation of 12,507 feet (3,812 meters) in the Andean Altiplano, is the highest large lake in the world. More than 120 miles long and 50 miles wide, it was the center of the Incan civilization, and today straddles the boundary between Peru and Bolivia.
Perhaps more importantly, Lake Titicaca contains one of South America’s longest climate records, extending back more than 25,000 years. Scientists have studied indicators of the water level changes over time in Lake Titicaca to tease out information about precipitation shifts in the high Andes and the South American tropics. Because the lake occupies the low point of the Altiplano, much of the water of the high plateau eventually trickles into the lake. And because it is surrounded by mountains, very little of Lake Titicaca’s water drains out—the Rio Desguadero is the only major outflow river. So, like a bathtub with no drain, this large and deep lake (with depths of several hundred feet) has become the collecting basin for more than 25,000 years of sediment. These sediments and their fossils contain clues about past climate conditions.
The restricted outflow of the lake creates conditions where even shorter, interannual climate cycles (like El Niño /Southern Oscillation) impact Lake Titicaca’s water levels. Recent lake level variations have been several meters, with low levels occurring during regional droughts of El Niños. Right now, the region is relatively wet. In this image, the dark greens of the wetlands along the shallower margins of the lake contrast strongly with the surrounding desert, while large cities like Puno, Peru (100,000 people), are difficult to discern from the surrounding countryside.

ISS008-E-6009 Water Boundaries: The South Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Argentina and Uruguay is a rich mixing bowl of different water masses. The nutrient-rich waters from the combined Paraná and Uruguay Rivers empty into the South Atlantic through the Rio de la Plata. Under the right conditions, especially in spring and early summer, the nutrients fertilize the offshore surface waters allowing for large plankton blooms.
This unique image captures traces of several different water masses just southeast of Montevideo, Uruguay, and the Rio de la Plata. Close to the coast of Uruguay, the muddy fresh water plume snakes along the coast. Farther offshore, broad swirls of light blue-green and darker water mark a bloom of plankton. To the right, deep blue water covered by puffy clouds suggests another, warmer water mass just north of the bloom.
The patterns of the interfaces between these water masses is complicated and dynamic. One of the objectives of International Space Station crew members is to document regions of plankton blooms. These images can be combined with other data sources such as the Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFS) and the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). Space Shuttle and International Space Station photographs frequently supply higher levels of detail than satellite imagery because the astronauts use cameras equipped with long telescopic lenses. In this case, the image is oblique (the spacecraft was approximately 45 degrees south), so exact field-of-view and resolution determinations are difficult. However, we estimate the resolution of the near part of the bloom to be between 50 to 100 meters per pixel. If a station crew can capture blooms on successive days or weeks, scientists may be able to determine something about the finer structure of the interacting water masses, the conditions necessary for blooms, and the evolution of the blooms over time.

ISS008-E-5983 Rio de la Plata: Rio de la Plata is the muddy estuary of the Paraná and Uruguay Rivers, and forms part of the border between Argentina and Uruguay. The rich estuary supports both capital cities of Buenos Aires and Montevideo.
The Paraná is South America’s second longest river, and drains much of the southeastern part of the continent. The extensive delta of the Paraná nearly reaches across the mouth of the Uruguay River. The rivers’ fertile soils support extensive agriculture, including livestock, in the region surrounding the cities.
This image provides a snapshot of the complicated mixing in the Rio de la Plata between the fresh river waters and the water of the South Atlantic. The thick sediment plume of the Paraná and Uruguay Rivers serves as a marker for the fresher water masses. It can be traced far out into the South Atlantic Ocean. The nutrients in the fresh water plume often feed large plankton blooms offshore.

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Recommended Citation: Image Science and Analysis Laboratory, NASA-Johnson Space Center. "The Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth." .

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ISS008-E-13212	100,000 Earth Photographs from the International Space Station: This international image of the El Paso-Juárez area on the U.S.-Mexico border is the 100,000th photograph of Earth that astronauts have taken from the International Space Station. It was taken on January 26, 2004, by Expedition 8 crewmembers. The Rio Grande can be seen meandering through the area, forming the boundary between the sister cities of El Paso, Texas and Juárez, Chihuahua. North is to the right in this image, and the setting sun has cast the east side of the Sierra Juárez and Franklin Mountains into shadow. Photographs of Earth are a concrete way for astronauts to share their observations and experience in orbit with the public. Scientists integrate them with a variety of other remote sensing data in their Earth science research. The record of astronaut photography of Earth starts over 40 years ago with the first human spaceflights and represents the longest continuous record of the state of the planet as observed from orbit.
ISS008-E-13240	Mt. Kilimanjaro: Mt. Kilimanjaro (Tanzania), the highest point in all Africa, is capped by glaciers on its southern and southwestern flanks. An estimated 82 percent of the icecap that crowned the mountain when it was first thoroughly surveyed in 1912 is now gone, and the ice is thinning as well — by as much as a meter in one area. According to some projections, if recession continues at the present rate, the majority of the glaciers on Kilimanjaro could vanish in the next 15 years. In this image, it is difficult to distinguish the permanent snow cap from a fresh dusting of snow.
ISS008-E-11807	Glacial Retreat: For the crew onboard the International Space Station daylight views of the Earth’s Southern Hemisphere offer fewer opportunities to observe and document land features with onboard cameras. However, South America’s Patagonian Ice Fields and glaciers in the far southern Andes mountains offer beautiful, dynamic features with frequent passes whenever weather conditions permit. On the afternoon of January 3, 2004, the crew took this view of the Upsala Glacier in Argentina through a 400mm lens. This is the third largest glacier of the Southern Patagonian Ice Field with an estimated area of over 800 square kilometers. This long, north-south oriented river of ice terminates in the northern arm of Lake Argentino. A worldwide retreat of glaciers was observed during the twentieth century and most of the Patagonia’s glaciers, including Upsala were no exception. From the late 1960’s to the mid 1990’s the retreat of some parts was in excess of 4 kilometers. The glacier’s retreat appears to be continuing during the Space Station era with visible changes along the terminus noted when compared with ISS001-E-5318 taken in December 2000. The crew continues to monitor most of the principal glaciers of Patagonia as science targets for Crew Earth Observations. For more information on the observed history of Patagonia’s glaciers please see: Historic Fluctuations of Outlet Glaciers from the Patagonian Ice Fields. Previous views of the Patagonian Ice fields from the International Space Station: Retreat of San Quentin Glacier Northern Patagonian Ice Field Bruggen Glacier
ISS008-E-12107	Five-Year-Old Icebergs near South Georgia Island: This photograph from the International Space Station shows two pieces of a massive iceberg that broke off from the Ronne Ice Shelf in October 1998. Taken on January 6, 2004, the pieces of iceberg A-38 have floated relatively close to South Georgia Island. After 5 years and 3 months adrift, they are approximately 1,500 nautical miles from their origin. In the oblique image, taken a few minutes later, the cloud pattern is indicative of the impact of the mountainous islands on the local wind field. At this time, the icebergs are sheltered in the lee side of the island. When the mass first broke away from the Antarctic Ronne Ice Shelf into the Weddell Sea, it was more than 90 miles long and 30 miles wide and was one of the largest reported icebergs in more than a decade. By the end of October 1998, the iceberg, A-38, began to break-up. Today A-38A is still longer than 40 nautical miles, and A-38B is more than 25 nautical miles long. When ice shelves break up, it is common to ask, “Was the calving related to global climate change?” Dr. Ted Scambos, a scientist at the National Snow and Ice Data Center, compared the calving of Iceberg A-38 to events on the Larsen Ice Shelf and concluded that, “in contrast to what is going on in the northern reaches of the Antarctic Peninsula, the A-38 iceberg calving event on the Ronne Ice Shelf is unlikely to be climate-related.” Over a fifty-year period, the shelf has expanded and contracted, and the A-38 berg actually brought the ice shelf front back to the location it was when first mapped in 1957-58. Positions and sizes of Antarctic Icebergs are reported by the National Ice Center.
ISS008-E-12109	Five-Year-Old Icebergs near South Georgia Island: This photograph from the International Space Station shows two pieces of a massive iceberg that broke off from the Ronne Ice Shelf in October 1998. Taken on January 6, 2004, the pieces of iceberg A-38 have floated relatively close to South Georgia Island. After 5 years and 3 months adrift, they are approximately 1,500 nautical miles from their origin. In the oblique image, taken a few minutes later, the cloud pattern is indicative of the impact of the mountainous islands on the local wind field. At this time, the icebergs are sheltered in the lee side of the island. When the mass first broke away from the Antarctic Ronne Ice Shelf into the Weddell Sea, it was more than 90 miles long and 30 miles wide and was one of the largest reported icebergs in more than a decade. By the end of October 1998, the iceberg, A-38, began to break-up. Today A-38A is still longer than 40 nautical miles, and A-38B is more than 25 nautical miles long. When ice shelves break up, it is common to ask, “Was the calving related to global climate change?” Dr. Ted Scambos, a scientist at the National Snow and Ice Data Center, compared the calving of Iceberg A-38 to events on the Larsen Ice Shelf and concluded that, “in contrast to what is going on in the northern reaches of the Antarctic Peninsula, the A-38 iceberg calving event on the Ronne Ice Shelf is unlikely to be climate-related.” Over a fifty-year period, the shelf has expanded and contracted, and the A-38 berg actually brought the ice shelf front back to the location it was when first mapped in 1957-58. Positions and sizes of Antarctic Icebergs are reported by the National Ice Center.
ISS008-E-6150	The Many Faces of Mount Everest: Space is a good place to ponder the world’s extremes and nature’s variability. For example, photographing the highest point on the planet is a favorite target (and a long-standing challenge) for astronauts orbiting the Earth. Despite Everest’s planetary stature, it is not an easy peak to locate while zipping over the mountains at 7 kilometers per second (see tutorial “How to find Mt. Everest”). Over the years, astronauts have used various viewing angles and lenses to capture the many faces of Everest. Differing seasons and illumination allow for very different, but always spectacular perspectives. The current astronauts on the International Space Station obtained this view of Mt. Everest in late November 2003. Earlier views of Mt Everest can be viewed at the following links: Mount Everest (Chomolungma, Goddess Mother of the World) Mount Everest from the International Space Station
ISS008-E-5649	Lake Titicaca: Lake Titicaca, at an elevation of 12,507 feet (3,812 meters) in the Andean Altiplano, is the highest large lake in the world. More than 120 miles long and 50 miles wide, it was the center of the Incan civilization, and today straddles the boundary between Peru and Bolivia. Perhaps more importantly, Lake Titicaca contains one of South America’s longest climate records, extending back more than 25,000 years. Scientists have studied indicators of the water level changes over time in Lake Titicaca to tease out information about precipitation shifts in the high Andes and the South American tropics. Because the lake occupies the low point of the Altiplano, much of the water of the high plateau eventually trickles into the lake. And because it is surrounded by mountains, very little of Lake Titicaca’s water drains out—the Rio Desguadero is the only major outflow river. So, like a bathtub with no drain, this large and deep lake (with depths of several hundred feet) has become the collecting basin for more than 25,000 years of sediment. These sediments and their fossils contain clues about past climate conditions. The restricted outflow of the lake creates conditions where even shorter, interannual climate cycles (like El Niño /Southern Oscillation) impact Lake Titicaca’s water levels. Recent lake level variations have been several meters, with low levels occurring during regional droughts of El Niños. Right now, the region is relatively wet. In this image, the dark greens of the wetlands along the shallower margins of the lake contrast strongly with the surrounding desert, while large cities like Puno, Peru (100,000 people), are difficult to discern from the surrounding countryside.
ISS008-E-5652	Lake Titicaca: Lake Titicaca, at an elevation of 12,507 feet (3,812 meters) in the Andean Altiplano, is the highest large lake in the world. More than 120 miles long and 50 miles wide, it was the center of the Incan civilization, and today straddles the boundary between Peru and Bolivia. Perhaps more importantly, Lake Titicaca contains one of South America’s longest climate records, extending back more than 25,000 years. Scientists have studied indicators of the water level changes over time in Lake Titicaca to tease out information about precipitation shifts in the high Andes and the South American tropics. Because the lake occupies the low point of the Altiplano, much of the water of the high plateau eventually trickles into the lake. And because it is surrounded by mountains, very little of Lake Titicaca’s water drains out—the Rio Desguadero is the only major outflow river. So, like a bathtub with no drain, this large and deep lake (with depths of several hundred feet) has become the collecting basin for more than 25,000 years of sediment. These sediments and their fossils contain clues about past climate conditions. The restricted outflow of the lake creates conditions where even shorter, interannual climate cycles (like El Niño /Southern Oscillation) impact Lake Titicaca’s water levels. Recent lake level variations have been several meters, with low levels occurring during regional droughts of El Niños. Right now, the region is relatively wet. In this image, the dark greens of the wetlands along the shallower margins of the lake contrast strongly with the surrounding desert, while large cities like Puno, Peru (100,000 people), are difficult to discern from the surrounding countryside.
ISS008-E-6009	Water Boundaries: The South Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Argentina and Uruguay is a rich mixing bowl of different water masses. The nutrient-rich waters from the combined Paraná and Uruguay Rivers empty into the South Atlantic through the Rio de la Plata. Under the right conditions, especially in spring and early summer, the nutrients fertilize the offshore surface waters allowing for large plankton blooms. This unique image captures traces of several different water masses just southeast of Montevideo, Uruguay, and the Rio de la Plata. Close to the coast of Uruguay, the muddy fresh water plume snakes along the coast. Farther offshore, broad swirls of light blue-green and darker water mark a bloom of plankton. To the right, deep blue water covered by puffy clouds suggests another, warmer water mass just north of the bloom. The patterns of the interfaces between these water masses is complicated and dynamic. One of the objectives of International Space Station crew members is to document regions of plankton blooms. These images can be combined with other data sources such as the Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFS) and the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). Space Shuttle and International Space Station photographs frequently supply higher levels of detail than satellite imagery because the astronauts use cameras equipped with long telescopic lenses. In this case, the image is oblique (the spacecraft was approximately 45 degrees south), so exact field-of-view and resolution determinations are difficult. However, we estimate the resolution of the near part of the bloom to be between 50 to 100 meters per pixel. If a station crew can capture blooms on successive days or weeks, scientists may be able to determine something about the finer structure of the interacting water masses, the conditions necessary for blooms, and the evolution of the blooms over time.
ISS008-E-5983	Rio de la Plata: Rio de la Plata is the muddy estuary of the Paraná and Uruguay Rivers, and forms part of the border between Argentina and Uruguay. The rich estuary supports both capital cities of Buenos Aires and Montevideo. The Paraná is South America’s second longest river, and drains much of the southeastern part of the continent. The extensive delta of the Paraná nearly reaches across the mouth of the Uruguay River. The rivers’ fertile soils support extensive agriculture, including livestock, in the region surrounding the cities. This image provides a snapshot of the complicated mixing in the Rio de la Plata between the fresh river waters and the water of the South Atlantic. The thick sediment plume of the Paraná and Uruguay Rivers serves as a marker for the fresher water masses. It can be traced far out into the South Atlantic Ocean. The nutrients in the fresh water plume often feed large plankton blooms offshore.

This service is provided by the International Space Station program and the JSC Astromaterials Research & Exploration Science Directorate. Recommended Citation: Image Science and Analysis Laboratory, NASA-Johnson Space Center. "The Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth." .
	NASA Responsible Official: Tracy Calhoun Curator: jsc-earthweb@mail.nasa.gov Contributors: Earth Sciences Web Team	National Aeronautics and Space Administration Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center	International Space Station National Laboratory Last Update:
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