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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.
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The adjacent Cuitat Vella, or “old city,” presents a much denser building pattern, which dates from Roman times. Also visible at image lower right is the 173-meter-high Montjuïc mountain—historically, the location of fortresses due to its strategic position overlooking the city’s harbor. Light tan and orange structures visible at the crest of the mountain include the stadium and other buildings used in the 1992 Summer Olympic Games.
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This astronaut photograph was taken while the International Space Station (ISS) was located approximately 306 kilometers (about 190 miles) to the southeast over Mount Vernon, Maine. The astronaut was looking northwest to capture the morning sunlight on a snow-dusted Montréal. Individual skyscrapers of the downtown area are clearly visible, highlighted by the long shadows they cast in the light of the rising sun. The high-rise profile of the downtown area contrasts sharply with a distinctive grid pattern of residential, commercial, and institutional city blocks to the north, south, and west, which are outlined by the snow cover. The combination of oblique viewing angle and sun position also allow for the capture of sunglint—light reflected directly back to the camera on the ISS—on the St. Lawrence River at image right. The glint reveals ice on the river; several large chunks are visible to the north of the Victoria Bridge (image lower right). The image is detailed enough to capture individual support pylons on the bridge.
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These two images show the same coastal region in Somalia, south of the capital of Mogadishu (not shown), providing a visual contrast between wet and normal conditions. The images were taken on February 14, 2007, during the wetter El Niño period (top), and December 2, 2005, during more normal conditions (bottom). The February 2007 image also shows the blooming of vegetation within swamps inland of coastal dune fields. Flooding of a coastal depression by overflowing rivers and swamps is also apparent. In early March 2007, the region was experiencing outbreaks of cholera and Rift Valley Fever associated with the flooding.
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The name Bahía Blanca (“White Bay”) derives from the white color of the salt. The name applies to the major bay (which was noted by Magellan as he probed the coast of South America for a passage to the Pacific Ocean in 1520) and the city at the head of the bay. Highways, airline routes, and pipelines from oil and gas fields to the west and south all converge on Bahía Blanca. The city is a major cultural center and historically has acted as a gateway for immigration. Higher ground on the north side of the estuary affords stable ground for the growth of the city and for intensive agriculture, a mainstay of the Argentine economy. The city sits back from the waterfront, where an industrial park, a petrochemical center, and dockyards are located.
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The Caravelas River flows into the Atlantic Ocean at the bottom of the view. Sediment from this river and the current shoreline produces the light browns and dun colors visible offshore. On the day the astronaut took this image, the river water was relatively clear; clear water (gray) flows out of the main river mouth and also off to one side to the south, over a levee. The Caravelas airport appears near the middle of the view, and is built on one of the ancient shoreline packets. Caravelas itself, a fishing town of about 20,000 residents, lies on an estuary and was once a flourishing whaling center—the prominent cape at image top right is known as Ponta da Baleia (Whale Point).
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The island is notable for being largely undeveloped—the exception being highly concentrated development on Bonacca Cay, a small island (roughly 0.5 by 0.3 kilometers) located along the southeastern coastline of the main island. The main island has little in the way of roads or other infrastructure—a canal is the major means of traversing the island—making it an attractive destination for hikers and eco-tourists. The clear waters and reefs that almost completely encircle Guanaja also attract divers.
In 1998, Hurricane Mitch destroyed almost all of the island’s mangrove forests, devastating coastal habitats and causing soil erosion. Regeneration of mangroves is slow, and scientists have suggested active reseeding efforts as the only way to restore the forests.
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This astronaut photograph has a resolution (resolution means “level of detail”) of approximately 7 meters per pixel, which is detailed enough to tell dark green, canopied tree cover from light green grass in a large golf course located at the southern edge of the city (near image center right). That level of detail is important for studies of urban ecology and climate, as well as for city water use planning. Sediment plumes along the coastline to the southeast of the city are also visible; rough patterns in the water surface of Montevideo Bay and the Rio de la Plata are a combination of wind disturbance and sediments.
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Within Bouganville’s lush landscape, light green vegetation and brown lava flows mark the 1,750-meter-high lava cone of Mount Bagana. The lighter color of vegetation could result from volcanic activity, higher altitude, or both. The eruptive style of the volcano is typically non-explosive, producing thick lobes of lava that run down the flanks and maintain a dome in the summit crater. Occasional pyroclastic flows of rock fragments and volcanic ash have also occurred. The most recent phase of activity, which began on March 7, was characterized by vapor plumes with occasional ash-producing emissions. This astronaut photograph, acquired 20 days after the last reported activity at Bagana, shows a diffuse white vapor plume extending west-southwest from the summit.
The Solomon Island region experiences other effects due to the geologic setting. On April 1, 2007, a large but shallow earthquake shook the region and induced a tsunami that hit the western part of the Solomon Island chain.
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The volcano’s southern flank, clearly visible in this northeast-looking view, is dominated by a horseshoe-shaped caldera formed during an eruption in the late Pleistocene Epoch (the last ice age, the geologic time period that ended roughly 10,000 years ago). The caldera was subsequently blanketed by additional ash deposits, and in this image is highlighted by the surrounding snow. Shiveluch’s peak is snow-free, its brown color due to exposed rock and ash deposits. The relatively smooth landscape of the south contrasts with the large, steep valleys on the northern slope of the volcano. Low clouds wrap around the eastern part of the mountain, obscuring the lower elevations.
