Shuttle-Mir Program Earth Science Early Results

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Seasonal Change--Snow and Ice

NM21-732-042 Southern Andes, Argentina Many glaciers along the continental divide of the Southern Andes empty into the large lakes on the western side of the mountains. This striking photograph, taken in April 1996, looks obliquely at the high mountains and glaciers in southern Argentina. Early morning light highlights the ice cliff at toe of a glacier which empties into Lake Argentino. Levels of snowpack, and relative position of the ends of glaciers allow scientists to asses the regional hydrology and apply their data to global climate models.

NM22-737-091 Glaciers, icebergs and sunglint on fjords, southern Argentina and Chile Water budgets are critical around the globe. Global warming or the potential for global warming is a hot topic. This unusual view, taken in the sunglint, shows glaciers calving into lakes and fjords in southern-most South America. This is a seasonal event, but frequent observations of the mountain snowpack, glacier endpoints, and amount of icebergs are important for assessment of the regional water budget as well as an indicator for regional climate changes.

NM21-704-023 Orenburg, Russia, in Winter The early March snow cover is still heavy, and contrasts with the gray city of Orenburg on the Ural River which flows just south of Russia's Ural Mountains. The parallel lines on both sides of the river are lines of trees called shelter belts. They are planted as wind breaks, stretch for hundreds of miles across Russia and Ukraine, and are easily observed from low Earth orbit.

NM21-773-045 Orenburg, Russia, in Summer The city of Orenburg lies on the Ural River south of Russia's Ural Mountains. The city is surrounded by the river floodplains, rich agricultural land , and long lines of trees (shelter belts) which were planted to break the wind. As the Russian economy changes, the large Soviet farming collectives are becoming privatized. Photography from Mir can help document the changes in land management.

NM21-770-029 Ice Break-up in James Bay, Canada Summer comes late to northern Canada. In early July, the breakup of the ice pack in James Bay is nearly complete.
	NM21-770-036 Ice Break-up in James Bay, Canada This photograph provides detail for the ice floes in James Bay surrounding Akimiski Island.

NM21-745-069 Hudson Bay, Canada One of the prime goals of our NASA-Mir imagery is to document seasonal changes on the Earth's surface. This view, taken in mid-May, 1996, looks north across Ontario, Canada to the still ice-covered Hudson Bay. The dark blue water in the middle of the scene shows that the ice pack is beginning to break up in late spring, but ice remains in the bay until early July.

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