Gallery: Fascinating Satellite Images of Earth's Ever-Changing Landscape
Photo: USGS/NASA01ca-snowpack-comp-1200
California's Snowpack After several consecutive years of below-normal precipitation, California is preparing for its most severe drought emergency in decades. The current drought is due in part to decreased rainfall along with reduced winter snowpack in the Sierra Nevada mountain range, shown here in February 2011 (left) and February 2014 (right).
Photo: USGS/NASA02cambodia-flood-comp
Flooding in Cambodia. In October 2013, heavy seasonal rains were followed by Typhoon Nari to create substantial flooding along the Mekong and Tonlé Sap Rivers in Cambodia in Southeast Asia.
Photo: USGS/NASA03pine-island-comp-1200
Pine Island Glacier A large iceberg has recently separated from the calving front of Antarctica’s Pine Island Glacier, one of the largest and fastest-moving glaciers in Antarctica. Satellite measurements have shown that the Pine Island Glacier Basin has a greater net contribution of ice to the sea than any other ice drainage basin in the world.
Photo: USGS/NASA04oso-slide-comp
Landslide in Washington A major landslide occurred near Oso, Washington on March 22, when a portion of a hillside collapsed, sending mud and debris across the North Fork of the Stillaguamish River.
Photo: USGS/NASA05bear-glacier-comp
Bear Glacier Recession Bear Glacier is located on the Kenai Peninsula near Seward, Alaska. This glacier represents one of over 30 glacial outflows for the nearby Harding Icefield, which covers over 700 square miles (1,800 square km). The glacier has been receding dramatically over recent decades.
Photo: USGS/NASA06mt-st-helens-comp
Mount St. Helens Recovery The volcanic blast from Mount St. Helens on May 18, 1980, devastated nearly 400 km2 (150 square miles) of forest within a few minutes. The 2013 image shows that much of the forest in the area has recovered. A small section on the northern slope of the volcano is still dominated by ash.
Photo: USGS/NASA07fun-river-comp
Funny River Fire Infrared sensors allow us to see through the smoke emitted by wildfires. The image on the left displays natural color similar to a photograph. The same image on the right is processed using two infrared wavelengths that can be detected by Landsat 8.
Photo: USGS/NASA08cairo-comp-1200
Growth of Cairo Cairo has expanded dramatically in the past 27 years. In the Landsat images above, the contrast between the lush vegetation of irrigated fields (bright green) and the desert (tan) is very clear.
