Beetles are turning the Rocky Mountains into a Graveyard

This image is showing the impact of mountain pine beetles on a forest in Colorado. The images are showing the change over seven years, and the lack of forest can easily be seen by the brown color showing up where the area was once green.  This is useful in seeing what areas are affected, where it is traveling, and the rate that they are being destroyed at.  There are some areas that look to be unaffected as well. These could help bring focus for more studying to be done on those specific areas, to look if they could either be in danger or have an immunity to this beetle.

Image of The Day, October 24, 2017

My image of the day for October 24th is an aerial image of the sunrise at the Grand Prismatic Spring, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming. The image was captured by Jasen Todorov from a airplane, and reveals the largest thermal basin in the Yellowstone  National Park. I chose this image because I am very fascinated with the Yellowstone region, and because I was taken aback by the beauty of the park when I visited with my family. The rainbow colors are caused by pigmented micro bacteria living in the mineral rich thermal water. The clouds above create a beautiful contrast with the water below, which can not be seen from the ground. Although you are able to walk around parts of the basin, it is impossible to get an overall view of the area unless you are in the air. It can also be very dangerous to go off of the guided paths, due to how unstable the grounds that lie above the active volcano are. 

Lake Erie Algal Bloom, October 26, 2017

The attached image was taken on September 26, 2017 in Toldeo, OH on the coast of Lake Erie. The image shows an algae bloom that began in mid July and reached all the way to Canada. Satellite imagery is used to monitor the bloom, in addition to tests of the concentration in the water itself. Recently, the end of the harmful algal bloom (HAB) season was officially declared, after 9 consecutive days of water tests came back negative. This monitoring is important because bodies of water are used for recreation and there are health concerns associated with HABs. For example, a chunk of one river in Toldeo was under "recreational advisory" due to an HAB.

http://www.toledoblade.com/local/2017/10/23/Toledo-s-harmful-algal-bloom-season-comes-to-end.html

Anarctic Larsen Ice Shelf: Massive Cleaving Event

The first image shows the Larsen C ice shelf and a massive ice berg that broke off recently. The second image shows the upper half of the broken piece in thermal imaging. Red and yellow correspond with warmer waters in the widening gap. The thermal band also reveals the many small sections of ice cleaving off the main ice berg as it moves into the warmer ocean due to stresses. The optical image reveals many fractures on the surface. The ice berg has an area of 6,400 square kilometers. That's somewhat comparable to the Hawaii's big island or Cyprus. A crack developed last spring and has since grew over the summer. By July, it broke off and has continually moved farther away from the ice shelf. This is important for researchers for wanting to gather data on the seafloor immediately beneath the now removed section of ice shelf, as well as gaining greater insight into the internal structure of ice shelf and thermal stresses. Not to mention, an ice berg of this magnitude may be a hazard to ships and needs to be tracked as it moves farther out into the ocean with a possibility that it might break up into many smaller pieces.

Shrinking of the Aral Sea

 These three images show the water cover extent of the Aral Sea in 1977, 1989, and 2006. Water level of the Aral Sea has been steadily dropping over the past several decades as water has been diverted from its tributaries for irrigation, to the point where the lake is now less than half its original size. This over-dependence on the Aral Sea’s water resources has also resulted in an increasingly exposed sea bed, which presents a serious problem both with the salinity level of the lake and the salinization of surrounding areas. Increased salt concentration in the water has spurred massive fish kills in the lake, while the salt left behind on the lake bed is swept up by wind and dust storms and deposited in the neighboring agricultural fields, resulting in reduced crop yield. 

Point Rosee. Were the Norse there? October 17, 2017

This is satellite imagery of Point Rosee in southwestern Newfoundland, a site discovered by Sarah Parcak using remote sensing. She identified it as an area of interest due to the discoloration and the rectilinear and circular, L-shaped features that can be made out in the image suggesting man-made structures reminiscent of Norse (Viking) culture. This was a research/documentary collaboration (Vikings Unearthed) with BBC and several other television stations to use satellite imagery to look for potential Norse sites south of the only known settlement in North America (L'Anse aux Meadows). The darker areas of the image indicated the possibility of turf structures under the surface because this would affect the growth of vegetation (infrared sensing of vegetation). An exploratory dig was conducted in 2015 and the results lead to a 2016 excavation season. What I found interesting about this was how this research was portrayed in the media. It began as a documentary project, so it already started out with bias. The initial findings seemed to be sensationalized in a lot of media outlets making Point Rosee appear as a newly discovered Norse Settlement but just waiting on further confirmation with further excavation. But in reality, there were initial findings that showed potential and a second dig was led in 2016 resulting with inconclusive evidence, and with some of the initial findings found to more likely be a result of natural processes. The site requires further analysis and excavation; there are a number of possibilities but there may never be conclusive evidence to determine if Point Rosee was a settlement, a work camp, a stopover, etc. But this does not make for exciting news.  I also found there were several contradictory statements about the site amongst different articles such as Point Rosee being a bad location for the Vikings versus it being an ideal location. There seemed to be a lot of misleading and bias present which I would expect when science is purposed for popular culture consumption. It was difficult to get an overview of what actually was happening with this site and what the results were. I had to go through tens of news outlets and videos. However a huge takeaway was the methodology of using satellite imagery to identify possible archeological sites. 

1).

• View From Space Hints at a New Viking Site in North America 
• Point Rosee A Norse Settlement Site?
• Possible Viking Find Could Rewrite North American History
• Discovery Could Rewrite History of Vikings in New World
• An ancient site spotted from space could rewrite the history of Vikings in North America
• Vikings Unearthed | Netflix
• BBC uncovers new find that may be first Viking site discovered in North America in 55 years, in co-production with PBS science series NOVA 

2).

• Inside the search for a fabled Norse site … with the help of satellites 
• On the trail of Vikings: Latest search for Norse in North America
• What You Don't Know About the Vikings - National Geographic

Image of the day: October 12, 2017

This is a picture of potash pond in Moab, Utah. From the geometric shape of the pond, it is clear that it is man-made. The pond is used to produce potash, which has potassium that is useful as fertilizers. The blue color is due to dye to retain heat from sun and the different shades is due to different level of evaporation (the second picture). At the middle top of the first picture, there is a white and brown smudge which is where the activity of potash mining is done. The potash is mined by dissolving it in brine and then pumped to the potash pond to evaporate the brine and potash mixture to obtain pure potash. 

Relevant website: 

https://gizmodo.com/why-theres-an-electric-blue-lake-in-the-middle-of-the-u-1596118092 

Albatrosses on South Georgia Island, Argentina

This image depicts endangered albatross birds on a remote island off the coast of Argentina. The faint white dots seen in the picture are the albatrosses. Remote sensing can be used to count endangered species in remote locations.The use of satellite imagery to count endangered species is important since it makes it easier to study population sizes in remote areas, such as these islands, which are usually difficult to get to and pose a risk of disturbing natural habitats if traveled to.

http://money.cnn.com/2017/05/04/technology/endangered-birds-space-satellite/index.html

Human Rights Applications of Remote Sensing: Maungdaw Myanmar

Late August, 2017   

September 2, 2017

These high resolution, false-color images show the Burmese town of Maungdaw. The first image was taken some time in mid to late August, 2017 while the later image was taken on September 2, 2017. Using thermal satellite imagery, researchers at Human Rights Watch were able to detect active fires burning on August 28th. By comparing the the two-false color images below (taken before and after August 28th, respectively), the researchers were able to document the extent and effect of fires that destroyed buildings in tow neighborhoods of Maungdaw primarily inhabited by Rohingya Muslims, an ethic minority in Myanmar that has been persecuted by the Burmese government which refuses to recognize them as citizens. Human Rights Watch believes that these fires, which destroyed nearly 450 buildings, were set intentionally by the Burmese government to force them out of the country. The UN high commissioner for human rights has called this 'a text book example of ethnic cleansing' but the government of Myanmar denies any claims of systematic violence or wrongdoing.

I think these images represent an interesting application of false color imagery. The false color image emphasizes the dramatic change in vegetation. In the first image, houses are scattered throughout a rather forested part of the city. In the second image, most of this vegetation is gone (shown as pink, purple or brown) and the shapes of the interspersed houses are gone. In a situation where the government denies any wrongdoing, the missing vegetation and housing in two predominantly Muslim neighborhoods provides the most concrete circumstantial evidence to the contrary.

Image of the Day October 5, 2017

This is my image of Venice, Italy for my image of the day for October 5, 2017. I thought this image was interesting because there are no roads or cars in Venice. I have visited Venice before so it makes sense to me that I would only see boats, water, and canals, but if someone were analyzing this image without knowing it was in Venice, it may be more difficult to figure out where in the world there are no roads. The color and block texture of the red brick buildings distinguish themselves from the smooth blue/greens of the surrounding Adriatic Sea. The white streaks in the water are boats. It is also worth noting that there is almost no green space on the large, main island. The buildings are tightly packed close to each other, but in the lower part of the image you can see a bit more green space. The green space is distinguishable not only because of the dark green colors, but also because of the coarse texture of the trees in these areas. According to the website where I found this image, Venice has been having issues with flooding and high tides. In my opinion, this may be because of climate change. In any case, this image is important because it depicts the entirety of the city, and makes it easy to see which parts of the city are most affected by the flooding. Knowing these parts of the city also makes it easier to figure out where flood prevention methods are needed.

Image of the Day, October 4th, 2017

2006

2008

2009

This series of images from 2006, 2008, and 2009, respectively, shows Lake Delton near the Wisconsin Dells. After a period of extensive flooding on June 9th, 2008, the  lake was entirely drained as the  floodwaters eroded away a new stream to the Wisconsin River, bypassing the dam which historically created Lake Delton.  It had a large rippling effect on the local economy, as  the tourism-driving lake was still drained for the entire 2008 summer. Soon, the new stream bed was filled with dirt, and the lake returned to its historical levels. The event still lives on in many's memories, especially for the several home owners that had their properties washed away as the stream eroded its new course to the Wisconsin River. 

http://host.madison.com/news/a-catastrophe-lake-delton-drains-doyle-vows-it-will-be/article_53eeb05a-ee33-5264-a8a2-c791ad971883.html

Image of the Day October 3, 2017

Photo: Lake Natron, Northern Tanzania

Date: March 6th, 2017

Satellite: Landsat 8 - Operational Land Imager (OLI)

True Color Image

Landsat 8- OLI true color image of a reddish-pink lake in Norther Tanzania. Red lakes are not common, which begs the question: why is this lake reddish-pink? Lake Natron's shallow waters are known for it's pink and red hues. The lake's uniquely warm temperatures (125 - 140 degrees Fahrenheit), salty, and alkaline chemistry is due to the volcanic activity in the area. Considered inhospitable for many organisms, haloarchaea, also known as salt-loving extremophile microorganisms, and cyanobacteria produce reddish-pink pigments that give the lake its rich pink and red color. These extremophile microorganisms provide an important food resource for the endangered Lesser Flamingo. During the dryer seasons, more than two million Lesser Flamingos use this area for protected nesting grounds, because there are no predators due to the formation of protected channels of the extreme lake chemistry. Lake Natron's high salt and bicarbonate chemistry received press, in recent years, for the calcified birds and bats found and photographed in 2013. Most scientists agreed that these animals died of natural causes and became "calcified" by being coated with sodium carbonate, due to their remains being in close proximity of the lake.

Landsat 8 OLI Image of Lake Natron

Lake Natron and Endangered Lesser Flamingos

Huff Post Article on Calcified Animals of Lake Natron

Nat Geo Article about Lake Natron's "calcified" animals

Image of the day

Nov 16, 2016

 Jan 28, 2017

 July 7, 2017

This set of satellite images show Cape Point at Cape Hatteras National Seashore just to the East of North Carolina. What is depicted in these images is the creation of a new island due to the movements and changes in the currents and wave energy of the water surrounding and hitting the land. As the waves move around the tip of this island they lose energy and deposit sediment that they were carrying. This causes a build up of sand and eventually the creation of an island. The scale of the island can be judged off of the size of the roads as well as what appears to be a city or town of some sort on the land to the North. What is important about this picture is the time frame in which it happened. This type of land creation normally takes an extremely long time. With the satellite imaging, however, we can see and begin to speculate as to why this occurred in such a rapid manner. By tracking the events around this area between the dates of the picture we can better understand what happened and how influential different types of weather and natural phenomena are when it comes to the creation of the offshore sand islands, or just how the effect the land in general.