Earth from Space - Image Description

NM21-768-022 Calgary Area, Alberta, Canada Spring/Summer 1996
Considered to be part of western Canada, Calgary was one of the fastest growing urban areas in North America during the decades of the 1970's and 1980's. The built-up area (lighter color) stands out in marked contrast with the surrounding rural landscape. Even though the climate of the Calgary region is semiarid, many cultivated fields and pasturelands are visible all around the periphery of the city. Much of the cultivated land is used to grow oats and barley which is in turn used for stock feed. The Bow River is visible as it cuts through the middle of the city. Downtown Calgary is located immediately west of where the Bow River makes its course change to the south (near the center of the image). The runways of Calgary International Airport are visible on the image.

This service is provided by the International Space Station program and the JSC Earth Science & Remote Sensing Unit, ARES Division, Exploration Integration Science Directorate.