Earth Sciences and Image Analysis Photographic Highlights

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ISS009-E-5090 Lake Chapala, Mexico: Astronauts aboard the Space Shuttle and Space Station have tracked regional environmental changes spanning decades. Lake Chapala, Mexico’s largest lake, serves as one example of an area experiencing significant changes that have been well documented from space. Over the past twenty years, the lake’s water levels have decreased in conjunction with increasing development from the fast-growing city of Guadalajara.
Chapala is an alpine lake in west-central Mexico, resting at an elevation of 1,500 meters. It is part of the Lerma-Santiago River system, being fed mainly by the Lerma River on the east side of the lake and draining into the Rio Grande de Santiago from the northeast corner of the lake. The water then flows northwest into the Pacific Ocean. The combined effects of diminished inflow from dams on the Rio Lerma, heavy use of water for irrigation, and regional droughts in recent years have resulted in lower water levels in the lake. This is important to humans because it is the major water source for the nearby city of Guadalajara and its five million residents. Today, the mean depth of Lake Chapala is approximately 7 meters, with seasonal variations of water depth and clarity.
The lake is also a critical habitat for several species of migratory birds, such as the white pelican, and home to thousands of indigenous plants and animals. Untreated industrial and agricultural runoff threaten the health of this critical lake. The rapid development of the Lake Chapala region has spurred grassroots conservation programs to maintain the natural habitats of the lake and maintain a healthy ecotourism industry.
This image's comparison, taken in November 1982 from the Space Shuttle (STS005-37-758) along with this one taken in April 2004 from the International Space Station, shows some of the coastline changes around the lake. In the 2004 image (image shown here), sun glint reflecting off the water surface highlights the water-vegetation boundary of the coastal marshes that have emerged with lower lake levels. Their estimated locations are annotated on the 1985 image as dashed lines—roughly following the boundary of more turbid water. The built-up area of Guadalajara has also expanded from the 1982 baseline.

ISS009-E-18178 Hurricane Charley: August 13, 2004 11:58:05 GMT - This panoramic view of Hurricane Charley was photographed by the Expedition 9 crew of the International Space Station earlier this morning at a vantage point just north of Tampa, Florida looking southward. At 9 a.m. (EDT), about an hour after this photo was taken, Charley was reported to be about 75 west of Key West, moving north at 18 mph. Peak winds were estimated to be 110 mph. The small eye was not visible in this view, but the raised cloud tops near the center coincide roughly with the time that the storm began to rapidly strengthen today.

ISS009-E-18129 Hurricane Charley: August 12, 2004 21:08:57 GMT - Less than a minute after ISS009-E-18123, the Expedition 9 crew captured this more detailed view of Hurricane Charley looking southward. The small eye is visible, but not cloud-free yet. Spiraling streaks of high cirrus clouds around the south southern and western edges of the storm indicate the pronounced outflow of air above the storm.

ISS009-E-18123 Hurricane Charley: August 12, 2004 21:08:33 GMT - This panoramic view of Hurricane Charley was taken by the Expedition 9 crew of the International Space Station just after 5PM (EDT), August 12, 2004. The Category Two Hurricane was in the northwest Caribbean Sea, 140 miles south-southeast of Havana, Cuba moving north-northwest at 18mph packing winds of 105mph. In this view looking southeast, the newly formed eye of the storm is just visible and the west coast of Florida from Naples to Tampa Bay may be seen on the right.

ISS009-E-17915 Hurricane Charley: August 12, 2004 - This is an early morning view (6:29 a.m., CDT) from the International Space Station, which shows Hurricane Charley centered south of western Cuba over the Cayman Islands in the northwest Caribbean Sea. At the time of this image the storm was reported to be near 19.2N 80.5W with winds of 85 miles per hour as it moved northwest at 16 miles per hour. The north coast of Cuba is barely visible near the bottom of the image, which was taken by astronaut Mike Fincke looking to the south as the spacecraft flew on a track north of Cuba and the storm.

ISS009-E-18174 Hurricane Charley: August 13, 2004 - Approx. 75 miles off the Key West coast moving north.

ISS009-E-18179 Hurricane Charley: August 13, 2004 - Approx. 75 miles off the Key West coast moving north.

ISS009-E-17739 Tropical Storm Bonnie: August 11, 2004 - Tropical Storm Bonnie in the Gulf of Mexico. A crew member's digital still camera onboard the International Space Station captured this image Wednesday morning.

ISS009-E-17738 Tropical Storm Bonnie: August 11, 2004 - Tropical Storm Bonnie in the Gulf of Mexico. A crew member's digital still camera onboard the International Space Station captured this image Wednesday morning.

ISS009-E-17734 Tropical Storm Bonnie: August 11, 2004 - Tropical Storm Bonnie in the Gulf of Mexico. A crew member's digital still camera onboard the International Space Station captured this image Wednesday morning.

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ISS009-E-5090	Lake Chapala, Mexico: Astronauts aboard the Space Shuttle and Space Station have tracked regional environmental changes spanning decades. Lake Chapala, Mexico’s largest lake, serves as one example of an area experiencing significant changes that have been well documented from space. Over the past twenty years, the lake’s water levels have decreased in conjunction with increasing development from the fast-growing city of Guadalajara. Chapala is an alpine lake in west-central Mexico, resting at an elevation of 1,500 meters. It is part of the Lerma-Santiago River system, being fed mainly by the Lerma River on the east side of the lake and draining into the Rio Grande de Santiago from the northeast corner of the lake. The water then flows northwest into the Pacific Ocean. The combined effects of diminished inflow from dams on the Rio Lerma, heavy use of water for irrigation, and regional droughts in recent years have resulted in lower water levels in the lake. This is important to humans because it is the major water source for the nearby city of Guadalajara and its five million residents. Today, the mean depth of Lake Chapala is approximately 7 meters, with seasonal variations of water depth and clarity. The lake is also a critical habitat for several species of migratory birds, such as the white pelican, and home to thousands of indigenous plants and animals. Untreated industrial and agricultural runoff threaten the health of this critical lake. The rapid development of the Lake Chapala region has spurred grassroots conservation programs to maintain the natural habitats of the lake and maintain a healthy ecotourism industry. This image's comparison, taken in November 1982 from the Space Shuttle (STS005-37-758) along with this one taken in April 2004 from the International Space Station, shows some of the coastline changes around the lake. In the 2004 image (image shown here), sun glint reflecting off the water surface highlights the water-vegetation boundary of the coastal marshes that have emerged with lower lake levels. Their estimated locations are annotated on the 1985 image as dashed lines—roughly following the boundary of more turbid water. The built-up area of Guadalajara has also expanded from the 1982 baseline.
ISS009-E-18178	Hurricane Charley: August 13, 2004 11:58:05 GMT - This panoramic view of Hurricane Charley was photographed by the Expedition 9 crew of the International Space Station earlier this morning at a vantage point just north of Tampa, Florida looking southward. At 9 a.m. (EDT), about an hour after this photo was taken, Charley was reported to be about 75 west of Key West, moving north at 18 mph. Peak winds were estimated to be 110 mph. The small eye was not visible in this view, but the raised cloud tops near the center coincide roughly with the time that the storm began to rapidly strengthen today.
ISS009-E-18129	Hurricane Charley: August 12, 2004 21:08:57 GMT - Less than a minute after ISS009-E-18123, the Expedition 9 crew captured this more detailed view of Hurricane Charley looking southward. The small eye is visible, but not cloud-free yet. Spiraling streaks of high cirrus clouds around the south southern and western edges of the storm indicate the pronounced outflow of air above the storm.
ISS009-E-18123	Hurricane Charley: August 12, 2004 21:08:33 GMT - This panoramic view of Hurricane Charley was taken by the Expedition 9 crew of the International Space Station just after 5PM (EDT), August 12, 2004. The Category Two Hurricane was in the northwest Caribbean Sea, 140 miles south-southeast of Havana, Cuba moving north-northwest at 18mph packing winds of 105mph. In this view looking southeast, the newly formed eye of the storm is just visible and the west coast of Florida from Naples to Tampa Bay may be seen on the right.
ISS009-E-17915	Hurricane Charley: August 12, 2004 - This is an early morning view (6:29 a.m., CDT) from the International Space Station, which shows Hurricane Charley centered south of western Cuba over the Cayman Islands in the northwest Caribbean Sea. At the time of this image the storm was reported to be near 19.2N 80.5W with winds of 85 miles per hour as it moved northwest at 16 miles per hour. The north coast of Cuba is barely visible near the bottom of the image, which was taken by astronaut Mike Fincke looking to the south as the spacecraft flew on a track north of Cuba and the storm.
ISS009-E-18174	Hurricane Charley: August 13, 2004 - Approx. 75 miles off the Key West coast moving north.
ISS009-E-18179	Hurricane Charley: August 13, 2004 - Approx. 75 miles off the Key West coast moving north.
ISS009-E-17739	Tropical Storm Bonnie: August 11, 2004 - Tropical Storm Bonnie in the Gulf of Mexico. A crew member's digital still camera onboard the International Space Station captured this image Wednesday morning.
ISS009-E-17738	Tropical Storm Bonnie: August 11, 2004 - Tropical Storm Bonnie in the Gulf of Mexico. A crew member's digital still camera onboard the International Space Station captured this image Wednesday morning.
ISS009-E-17734	Tropical Storm Bonnie: August 11, 2004 - Tropical Storm Bonnie in the Gulf of Mexico. A crew member's digital still camera onboard the International Space Station captured this image Wednesday morning.