Earth Sciences and Image Analysis Photographic Highlights

STS-111 Earth Sciences and Image Analysis Photographic Highlights

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STS111-E-5451 Anvil Tops of Thunderstorms: Sharp air mass boundaries, such as this one photographed by astronauts on board the Space Shuttle on June 17 2002, often are the focus of development for severe thunderstorms. This storm formed in the late afternoon over Eastern China. The sunlit anvil tops of thunderstorms here are estimated to be in excess of 60,000 feet (18,300 m) where icy cirrus clouds form near the top of the troposphere. The distribution and impact of such high clouds are a significant challenge to scientists modeling the Earth’s energy budget and climate.
The crew of the International Space Station is attempting to acquire such imagery over Florida this summer in support of a large, multi-agency experiment CRYSTAL - FACE (Cirrus Regional Study of Tropical Anvils and Cirrus Layers - Florida Area Cirrus Experiment). This experiment is designed to collect measurements of clouds that will help improve climate models. Such photos have the potential to provide profound, synoptic visuals for use in describing and interpreting these measurements. More information on CRYSTAL – FACE as well as other images of the atmosphere are available at http://cloud1.arc.nasa.gov/crystalface/

STS111-376-3 Salt Ponds, South San Francisco Bay: The red and green colors of the salt ponds in South San Francisco Bay are brilliant visual markers for astronauts. The STS-111 crew photographed the bay south of the San Mateo bridge in June, 2002. This photograph is timely because a large number of the salt ponds (more than 16,500 acres) that are owned by Cargill, Inc. will be sold in September for wetlands restoration—a restoration project second in size only to the Florida Everglades project. Rough boundaries of the areas to be restored are outlined on the image.
Over the past century, more than 80% of San Francisco Bay’s wetlands have been filled and developed or diked off for salt mining. San Francisco Bay has supported salt mining since 1854. Cargill has operated most of the bay’s commercial salt ponds since 1978, and had already sold thousands of acres to the State of California and the Don Edwards National Wildlife Refuge. This new transaction will increase San Francisco Bay’s existing tidal wetlands by 50%. The new wetlands, to be managed by the California Department of Fish and Game and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, will join the Don Edwards National Wildlife Refuge, and provide valuable habitat for birds, fish and other wildlife. The wetlands will contribute to better water quality and flood control in the bay, and open up more coastline for public enjoyment.
Additional information:
Historic Agreement Reached to Purchase San Francisco Bay Salt Ponds

STS111-E-5224 Imperial Valley and Salton Sea, California: Southern California’s Salton Sea is a prominent visual for astronauts. This large lake supports the rich agricultural fields of the Imperial, Coachella and Mexicali Valleys in the California and Mexico desert. The Salton Sea formed by accident in 1905 when an irrigation canal ruptured, allowing the Colorado River to flood the Salton Basin. Today the Sea performs an important function as the sink for agricultural runoff; water levels are maintained by the runoff from the surrounding agricultural valleys. The Salton Sea salinity is high—nearly 1/4 saltier than ocean water—but it remains an important stopover point for migratory water birds, including several endangered species.
The region also experiences several environmental problems. The recent increased demands for the limited Colorado River water threatens the amount of water allowed to flow into the Salton Sea. Increased salinity and decreased water levels could trigger several regional environmental crises.
The agricultural flow into the Sea includes nutrients and agricultural by-products, increasing the productivity and likelihood of algae blooms. This image shows either a bloom, or suspended sediment (usually highly organic) in the water that has been stirred up by winds.
Additional information: Land Use Across the U.S.-Mexico Border

STS111-E-5485 Zaliv Kara-Bogaz-Gol, Caspian Sea: The large eastern embayment of the Caspian Sea, the Zaliv Kara-Bogaz-Gol, provides astronauts the chance to observe several oceanographic phenomena. This view taken by the STS-111 crew from the Space Shuttle in June 2002 shows the sun reflecting off the surface waters that surround the spit that defines the Zaliv Kara-Bogaz-Gol from the open Caspian Sea. The sunglint reveals the flow of fresher water through the spit channel and into the bay. Old shorelines and accretionary features can be seen on the spit, as well as the dam that was constructed in 1980 to stop the flow into the lower Kara-Bogaz-Gol basin.
The Caspian Sea has experienced dramatic changes in water levels throughout the past 100 years. From the 1930s until 1978, the water levels in the Caspian had dropped nearly 3 m. In 1980, in response to the rapidly dropping sea level, a dam was constructed to prevent water from flowing into the shallow and restricted Kara-Bogaz-Gol basin, resulting in the drying up of the bay. The dam was partially opened a few years later, and completely opened in 1992 when Caspian water levels started to rise quickly. Today, sea levels are more than 2.6 m higher than the 1978 levels, and, as shown here, water flows freely into the salty waters of the Zaliv Kara-Bogaz-Gol. Astronauts have also been documenting the coastlines around the Caspian Sea that have been impacted by the large sea level fluctuations.

STS111-321-24 Sunset over the Sahara Desert: When this photograph was taken, the Space Shuttle was in a position over the Sudan near the Red Sea coast.

STS111-362-36 Aurora Australis: When this photograph was taken, the Space Shuttle in a position south of Australia.

STS111-367-14 Canadian forest fires: This is an oblique view northward of one of the numerous fires observed and reported burning in the dry boreal forests of Saskatchewan and Manitoba during the month of June. The location of this one is roughly between Candle Lake, Saskatchewan and Lake Winnepegosis, Manitoba.

STS111-368-36 Detail of the Pompey Island Group, Southern Great Barrier Reef, Australia: Ocean flow between the islands has produced unique wash features in the structures of the island banks.

STS111-371-3 Mt. St. Helens, Washington: The scars from the May 18, 1980 eruption are still visible near Mt. St. Helens. Before the 1980 eruption the volcano had been dormant since 1857.

STS111-712-28 San Francisco Bay, California: The gray urban footprint of San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose, and their surrounding suburbs contrast strongly with the brown and green vegetation in the hillsides. At the top and bottom of the picture the green, red and yellow pools are impoundments and salt evaporation ponds.

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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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STS111-E-5451	Anvil Tops of Thunderstorms: Sharp air mass boundaries, such as this one photographed by astronauts on board the Space Shuttle on June 17 2002, often are the focus of development for severe thunderstorms. This storm formed in the late afternoon over Eastern China. The sunlit anvil tops of thunderstorms here are estimated to be in excess of 60,000 feet (18,300 m) where icy cirrus clouds form near the top of the troposphere. The distribution and impact of such high clouds are a significant challenge to scientists modeling the Earth’s energy budget and climate. The crew of the International Space Station is attempting to acquire such imagery over Florida this summer in support of a large, multi-agency experiment CRYSTAL - FACE (Cirrus Regional Study of Tropical Anvils and Cirrus Layers - Florida Area Cirrus Experiment). This experiment is designed to collect measurements of clouds that will help improve climate models. Such photos have the potential to provide profound, synoptic visuals for use in describing and interpreting these measurements. More information on CRYSTAL – FACE as well as other images of the atmosphere are available at http://cloud1.arc.nasa.gov/crystalface/
STS111-376-3	Salt Ponds, South San Francisco Bay: The red and green colors of the salt ponds in South San Francisco Bay are brilliant visual markers for astronauts. The STS-111 crew photographed the bay south of the San Mateo bridge in June, 2002. This photograph is timely because a large number of the salt ponds (more than 16,500 acres) that are owned by Cargill, Inc. will be sold in September for wetlands restoration—a restoration project second in size only to the Florida Everglades project. Rough boundaries of the areas to be restored are outlined on the image. Over the past century, more than 80% of San Francisco Bay’s wetlands have been filled and developed or diked off for salt mining. San Francisco Bay has supported salt mining since 1854. Cargill has operated most of the bay’s commercial salt ponds since 1978, and had already sold thousands of acres to the State of California and the Don Edwards National Wildlife Refuge. This new transaction will increase San Francisco Bay’s existing tidal wetlands by 50%. The new wetlands, to be managed by the California Department of Fish and Game and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, will join the Don Edwards National Wildlife Refuge, and provide valuable habitat for birds, fish and other wildlife. The wetlands will contribute to better water quality and flood control in the bay, and open up more coastline for public enjoyment. Additional information: Historic Agreement Reached to Purchase San Francisco Bay Salt Ponds
STS111-E-5224	Imperial Valley and Salton Sea, California: Southern California’s Salton Sea is a prominent visual for astronauts. This large lake supports the rich agricultural fields of the Imperial, Coachella and Mexicali Valleys in the California and Mexico desert. The Salton Sea formed by accident in 1905 when an irrigation canal ruptured, allowing the Colorado River to flood the Salton Basin. Today the Sea performs an important function as the sink for agricultural runoff; water levels are maintained by the runoff from the surrounding agricultural valleys. The Salton Sea salinity is high—nearly 1/4 saltier than ocean water—but it remains an important stopover point for migratory water birds, including several endangered species. The region also experiences several environmental problems. The recent increased demands for the limited Colorado River water threatens the amount of water allowed to flow into the Salton Sea. Increased salinity and decreased water levels could trigger several regional environmental crises. The agricultural flow into the Sea includes nutrients and agricultural by-products, increasing the productivity and likelihood of algae blooms. This image shows either a bloom, or suspended sediment (usually highly organic) in the water that has been stirred up by winds. Additional information: Land Use Across the U.S.-Mexico Border
STS111-E-5485	Zaliv Kara-Bogaz-Gol, Caspian Sea: The large eastern embayment of the Caspian Sea, the Zaliv Kara-Bogaz-Gol, provides astronauts the chance to observe several oceanographic phenomena. This view taken by the STS-111 crew from the Space Shuttle in June 2002 shows the sun reflecting off the surface waters that surround the spit that defines the Zaliv Kara-Bogaz-Gol from the open Caspian Sea. The sunglint reveals the flow of fresher water through the spit channel and into the bay. Old shorelines and accretionary features can be seen on the spit, as well as the dam that was constructed in 1980 to stop the flow into the lower Kara-Bogaz-Gol basin. The Caspian Sea has experienced dramatic changes in water levels throughout the past 100 years. From the 1930s until 1978, the water levels in the Caspian had dropped nearly 3 m. In 1980, in response to the rapidly dropping sea level, a dam was constructed to prevent water from flowing into the shallow and restricted Kara-Bogaz-Gol basin, resulting in the drying up of the bay. The dam was partially opened a few years later, and completely opened in 1992 when Caspian water levels started to rise quickly. Today, sea levels are more than 2.6 m higher than the 1978 levels, and, as shown here, water flows freely into the salty waters of the Zaliv Kara-Bogaz-Gol. Astronauts have also been documenting the coastlines around the Caspian Sea that have been impacted by the large sea level fluctuations.
STS111-321-24	Sunset over the Sahara Desert: When this photograph was taken, the Space Shuttle was in a position over the Sudan near the Red Sea coast.
STS111-362-36	Aurora Australis: When this photograph was taken, the Space Shuttle in a position south of Australia.
STS111-367-14	Canadian forest fires: This is an oblique view northward of one of the numerous fires observed and reported burning in the dry boreal forests of Saskatchewan and Manitoba during the month of June. The location of this one is roughly between Candle Lake, Saskatchewan and Lake Winnepegosis, Manitoba.
STS111-368-36	Detail of the Pompey Island Group, Southern Great Barrier Reef, Australia: Ocean flow between the islands has produced unique wash features in the structures of the island banks.
STS111-371-3	Mt. St. Helens, Washington: The scars from the May 18, 1980 eruption are still visible near Mt. St. Helens. Before the 1980 eruption the volcano had been dormant since 1857.
STS111-712-28	San Francisco Bay, California: The gray urban footprint of San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose, and their surrounding suburbs contrast strongly with the brown and green vegetation in the hillsides. At the top and bottom of the picture the green, red and yellow pools are impoundments and salt evaporation ponds.

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:
Server: 1