Earth from Space - Image Information

Photo #: ISS044-E-27240 Date: Aug. 2015
Geographic Region: MADAGASCAR
Feature: LINTA R. DELTA, DUNES, REEFS, MANGROVE

Linta River delta and dunes, southern Madagascar

Astronauts aboard the International Space Station used a very long lens to shoot this detailed image of the remote Linta River delta zone in southern Madagascar--showing 7.5 miles (12.1 km) of complex shoreline. Waves break far offshore (1.4 mi, 2.25 km) against a long line of coral reefs. A gap in the reef opposite the delta indicates where the river flowed at times of low sea level when the shoreline was far to the southwest of its present position, crossing the lower left corner of the image.

The Linta River was barely flowing when this image was taken during the winter dry season. This is shown by the beach completely blocking the mouths of the delta.

Waves breaking on this beach are distributing a tongue of reddish river mud--derived from the Linta sediment--well out beyond the reef into the open Mozambique Channel. Tendrils of dark, clearer water can be seen exiting from the bay with the mangrove wetland (image top left)

Bright, light-toned dunes cast shadows in the late afternoon sun. These winds build sand dunes by blowing sand out of the Linta River bed (image upper left). The bigger dune field (image upper right) is fed by sand moving from another delta out of the picture right. Just inland, numerous agricultural blocky fields occupy earlier dune fields (image far top right).

Images:	All Available Images Low-Resolution 96k
Mission:	ISS044
Roll - Frame:	E - 27240
Geographical Name:	MADAGASCAR
Features:	LINTA R. DELTA, DUNES, REEFS, MANGROVE
Center Lat x Lon:	25S x 44.1E
Film Exposure:		N=Normal exposure, U=Under exposed, O=Over exposed, F=out of Focus
Percentage of Cloud Cover-CLDP:	10
Camera::	N6
Camera Tilt:	04	LO=Low Oblique, HO=High Oblique, NV=Near Vertical
Camera Focal Length:	1150
Nadir to Photo Center Direction:	SW	The direction from the nadir to the center point, N=North, S=South, E=East, W=West
Stereo?:		Y=Yes there is an adjacent picture of the same area, N=No there isn't
Orbit Number:
Date:	20150801	YYYYMMDD
Time:	132806	GMT HHMMSS
Nadir Lat:	24.8S	Latitude of suborbital point of spacecraft
Nadir Lon:	44.3E	Longitude of suborbital point of spacecraft
Sun Azimuth:	298	Clockwise angle in degrees from north to the sun measured at the nadir point
Space Craft Altitude:	219	nautical miles
Sun Elevation:	14	Angle in degrees between the horizon and the sun, measured at the nadir point
Land Views:	DUNE
Water Views:	BAY, CHANNEL, DELTA, REEF, RIVER, SEA, SEDIMENT
Atmosphere Views:
Man Made Views:
City Views:
Photo is not associated with any sequences

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