ISS014-E-7084
The city’s built-up area, roadways, and airport appear as white to gray surfaces in this astronaut photograph. Urbanized regions are interspersed with agricultural fields (bright green to light brown rectangular regions) and preserved forest stands (dark green) around the lake. In places, the forest stands cast shadows, giving the scene a three-dimensional feel.
The near-shore waters of Lake Geneva are brown with sediment in this scene. The main contributor to Lake Geneva is the Rhone River, which flows in at the northern end and exits in the south. Near the southwestern outskirts of the city, the Rhone is joined by the Arve River, which runs into the city from the southeast. Both rivers have their sources in alpine glaciers.
Geneva is primarily known for being a “world city” of cultural, economic, and political significance because it hosts numerous international organizations and corporations, including the European headquarters of the United Nations.
ISS014-E-6971
Farmland (light colored patches at top left) and urbanized areas (gray areas on land at image center) occupy all available “high” ground, which is still only a few feet above sea level in this area. This astronaut photograph illustrates how population density increases near the coastline. Large, angular patches of farmland with low building densities give way to smaller farms and urban lots on the spit of land between the North River estuary and Currituck Sound. Two golf courses, identified by manicured green fairways, appear in the center of the spit. Areas with the greatest building density crowd the narrow strip of Bodie Island, where small lots occupy all available dry land. In the decade before this photograph was taken, coastal population increased while farm-dominated counties just inland lost population.
Large, darker areas at image left are wetlands. Many of these regions enjoy strict protection, thanks to their importance to the fishing industry, and their ability to reduce storm surges. Atlantic hurricanes regularly batter North Carolina’s coast, and evidence of that activity lingers in the form of a likely washover fan, a common feature seen on the inland side of low barrier islands from the mid-Atlantic states to Texas. These fan-shaped sediment deposits result from hurricane-generated storm surges flooding over a barrier island. They are a stark reminder of the vulnerability of the Outer Banks to storm flooding.
Winds produce complex patterns on the water surface, captured in sunglint—light reflected directly back to a satellite sensor, or in this case, the camera lens of the astronaut taking the photograph. The day this photograph was taken, winds blew from the west, as shown by many stream-lines on the water surfaces. Sand mobilized by waves produced a light zone on the seaward side of Bodie Island.
ISS014-E-7258
This astronaut photograph shows some of the human impacts in Galveston that are easily observed from the vantage point of low-Earth orbit. The city of Galveston dominates the eastern half of Galveston Island, appearing as the gray-white region at center right. A large seawall along the Gulf of Mexico—shown here along the southern coastline of Galveston Island—protects most of the city. To the west of Galveston, coastal wetlands are largely submerged by regional subsidence—sinking of the land as a result of ground water withdrawal by the petrochemical industry of Houston and Texas City.
Near the right edge of this photograph, between Galveston Island and the Bolivar Peninsula, is the entrance to Galveston Bay and the Houston Ship Channel, where ship wakes can be seen from space. Other visible features of the entrance to Galveston Bay include the five-mile-long Texas City Dike, a structure that protects the Texas City Channel and includes a fishing pier extending roughly 180 meters (600 feet) beyond the end of the dike. Extensive petroleum processing facilities are located to the west of the dike in Texas City, and the building roofs and storage tanks appear bright white in this image. The Intracoastal Waterway runs through western Galveston Bay; new subdivisions built on dredge spoils (sediment dredged during canal-building and other projects) are visible along the northern boundary of the Waterway.
Besides land uses and ship wakes, this image shows complex sediment patterns iin estuaries. Dark brown to tan waters next to the Bolivar Peninsula and Texas City Dike reflect increased sediment loads following heavy rains in mid- to late October, coupled with northerly winds moving Bay water southwards. Turbidity currents to both the northwest and southeast of Galveston Island produce a more chaotic pattern of sediment-laden (light green to tan) and relatively sediment-free (dark green) water leading into the dark green Gulf of Mexico (image lower right).
ISS014-E-7480
Airfields and airports are useful sites for astronauts to hone their technique for using a long camera lens to acquire high-resolution images. The sharp contrast between highly reflective, linear features, such as runways, and darker agricultural fields and undisturbed (vegetated) land allows fine focusing of the cameras. This on-the-job training is crucial for teaching astronauts to obtain not only high-resolution imagery of Earth, but also inspection photographs of the thermal protection tiles on the Space Shuttle during continuing missions to the International Space Station.
ISS014-E-6812
The protected waters of Gibraltar Bay and its location close to Africa and the Strait of Gibraltar (the gateway between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea), contribute to the region’s past and current strategic and economic importance. Numerous ships and several ship wakes are visible within the bay; the majority of these are freighters and cargo tankers accessing the petroleum facilities. Ships nearer to the Rock of Gibraltar are more likely cruise ships, as Gibraltar is a popular destination for tourists. Partial sunglint (light reflected directly back to the camera onboard the International Space Station) within the bay highlights surface water roughened by winds funneled into the bay by the surrounding highlands. One such area is visible directly to the west of La Linea.
ISS014-E-8179
In this astronaut photograph from November 16, 2006, sunglint—light reflected directly back to the camera onboard the International Space Station (ISS) from a water surface—accentuates the wetland setting of New Orleans by highlighting the numerous lakes, ponds, and rivers (in various shades of silver-gray) surrounding the city. The image was acquired by an astronaut looking southwest from the ISS, which was located over north-central Alabama at the time this image was taken. Lake Pontchartrain borders New Orleans to the north, and the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway (36 kilometers in length) appears as a dark linear feature against the lake surface. Variations in the color of the water east and west of the Causeway reflect movement of the surface waters, including surface currents and wind-induced roughening. The patterns are visible because of surfactants (natural or synthetic chemicals like detergents that reduce surface tension). Low cloud cover produces a blue-gray haze at lower left.
ISS014-E-8138
The urbanized area of modern Gallipoli is visible as a light gray to pink region at the entrance to the Dardanelles Strait. Water in the Strait flows in both northeast and southwest directions due to opposite surface and undercurrents. The Strait has a long history of strategic importance as it provides a conduit between the Mediterranean and Black Seas, as well as access to Ankara, Turkey’s capital, to the northeast (not shown). Several ships are visible in the Strait to the southwest of Gallipoli (image center left). The Battle of Gallipoli—part of an Allied plan to capture Istanbul, then the capital of the Ottoman Empire—was fought near the city during World War I.
ISS014-E-11872
The most recent major eruption took place in 1981, but since then numerous steam- and ash-producing events have been observed at the volcano—the latest reported one occurring between December 5–8, 2006. This astronaut photograph records volcanic activity on January 11, 2007, that produced a thin plume that extended westwards away from Mount Pagan. The plume was most probably steam, possibly with minor ash content. The island is sparsely populated, and it is monitored for volcanic activity by the United States Geological Survey and the Commonwealth of the Mariana Islands.
ISS014-E-8741
This image mosaic is comprised of three astronaut photographs acquired within ten seconds of each other as the International Space Station passed over India. Almost cloud-free conditions reveal the continuous urban land cover of the megacity extending north to south across Salsette Island—a distance of nearly 50 kilometers. Sanjay Gandhi National Park, bordered on three sides by the urbanized area, is the largest national park in the world located within city limits. In addition to providing a refuge for native plants and animals (including humans), the park also includes two lakes that form part of the Mumbai drinking water system.
The development patterns (both physical and social) of megacities and urban conurbations are of great interest to ecologists, climate scientists, regional planners, and social scientists. The large-scale conversion of undeveloped and agricultural landscapes to built-up environments alters regional biodiversity, climate, and exposure to natural hazards in significant and sometimes unpredictable ways.
Located along the coast of western India, Mumbai is generally considered to be the most modern of India’s cities, and it is a major economic, transportation, and cultural center. India’s “Bollywood” film entertainment industry is also based in Mumbai.
ISS014-E-8742
This image mosaic is comprised of three astronaut photographs acquired within ten seconds of each other as the International Space Station passed over India. Almost cloud-free conditions reveal the continuous urban land cover of the megacity extending north to south across Salsette Island—a distance of nearly 50 kilometers. Sanjay Gandhi National Park, bordered on three sides by the urbanized area, is the largest national park in the world located within city limits. In addition to providing a refuge for native plants and animals (including humans), the park also includes two lakes that form part of the Mumbai drinking water system.
The development patterns (both physical and social) of megacities and urban conurbations are of great interest to ecologists, climate scientists, regional planners, and social scientists. The large-scale conversion of undeveloped and agricultural landscapes to built-up environments alters regional biodiversity, climate, and exposure to natural hazards in significant and sometimes unpredictable ways.
Located along the coast of western India, Mumbai is generally considered to be the most modern of India’s cities, and it is a major economic, transportation, and cultural center. India’s “Bollywood” film entertainment industry is also based in Mumbai.
