Image of the Day October 1st, 2019

This image shows the progression of looting sites at an archaeologically rich part of Egypt, just south of Cairo. The round holes that increase over time are looting sites, which are noticeable due to their shape and their scattered cluster pattern. The observable ruins to the north of the looting sites are archaeological dig sites, and are clearly distinct from looting pits. This makes tracking archaeological looting very easy in exposed desert such as in Egypt. The time scale is also important, as it tracks Egypt through crisis, both 2008 and 2011, and how looting increased over this period of economic and political crisis, respectively. Satellite imagery is thus giving archaeologists new tools to monitor sites which previously would require constant on-the-ground policing, which is expensive and logistically difficult.                                                 

Climate Strike Protests in Hamburg, Germany

This is an image of one of the many climate protests that took place on September 20th. An estimated 4 million people worldwide took part; this photo is from Hamburg, Germany. At this particular protest in Hamburg, 70 thousand people attended. The largest was in New York City were over 300,000 people attended.

Hurricane Dorian Sweeps Across the Atlantic, September 26th, 2019

This image shows a mass of white clouds swirling over a series of islands in the Atlantic. Obtained from NOAA, the storm pictured is Hurricane Dorian as a tropical storm wreaking havoc across the Bahamas, whose tropical blue waters look serene from above the storm. The outlines of the land masses have been highlighted in white, so audiences can identify where in the Atlantic the storm is, and therefore glean some information about where it could be headed next. The magnitude of the storm can also be understood be comparing it to the relative size of the land masses, which most people are generally familiar with. 

Fires Wreak Havoc in Indonesia

For the Image of the day assignment I chose to look overseas in Asia for a source of inspiration. It was in the New York Times that I came across a news story based on an event that I was unaware was occurring. Indonesia has recently been struggling with forest fires in the country that tend to occur annually. However, the recent fires have been recorded as being much worse than the fires they are used to controlling. The lack of media attention on this event is mainly a result of the primary focus being on the fires in the Amazon. The government of Indonesia has made multiple statements asking citizens to refrain from initiating fires on their property to clear land in fear that the small fires may become another large forest fire. The most obvious reason for concern in this news story is that forest fires add more carbon to the atmosphere while simultaneously killing vegetation that would usually be drawing carbon out of the atmosphere to use for photosynthesis, both of which worsen the current climate crisis. The image I have selected is an areal photo of the aftermath of the forest fires that ravaged the area. I thought it was particularly interesting because it resembles an IR image where the vegetation appears red in color, however this image is in fact in true color. The image specifically shows the ash, burned debris from vegetation, uncovered soil and a small amount of remaining trees that have turned red in color due to a loss of water and nutrients.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/17/world/asia/indonesia-fires-photos.html

Hurricane Dorian Oil Spill Consequences

This image captures an oil spill on Grand Bahama Island at a major oil storage terminal after Hurricane Dorian hit. The company that runs the facility is called Equinor and has released a statement saying that the size of the spill is unclear, however, oil has been observed on the ground outside of the onshore tanks but has yet to reach the sea. When Dorian struck the terminal had 1.8 million barrels of oil on site. Equinor has announced they are mobilizing oil spill response resources as soon as possible but the threat to the surrounding local reefs, wildlife, beaches, and community is immense and will become a bigger issue if action is not taken quickly.

Bahamas Escape Tropical Storm Humberto

This is a low-oblique aerial photo that shows destruction caused by Hurricane Dorian on September 7th, 2019 on Elbow Key Island, Bahamas. You can clearly see debris scattered throughout the photo and homes that were torn apart. There appears to be trees and other vegetation that were destroyed also. The paths seem to have been cleared prior to this image being captured. The Bahamas thought they were going to be struck yet again by the new Tropical Storm Humberto. However, on September 15th, it was announced that the Bahamas were no longer in the storm’s path. If there is a before image of this area, this photo could be used to show the devastation of a storm through before and after pictures. This photo could also be used for insurance purposes if possible.  

Image of the day: September 17, 2019

LIDAR can be utilized alongside archaeological studies and ground surveying to reveal the Chaco Roads. These roads are estimated to have been constructed during the Basketmaker III period (500-700 A.D.) and were used for trade and transportation of people.

Clearly, the impressively parallel outlines of the Great North Road can be seen on the LIDAR results. The ground surveying done by the Farmington Bureau of Land Management field office found ceramic shards concentrated along the same road, noting that the deposits were from different pieces, rather than whole, broken pots.

Hurricane Dorian, September 12, 2019

This image shows the eye of Hurricane Dorian, the storm that hit the Bahamas earlier this month. The storm remained in the area for around 38 hours, devastating communities and businesses before finally changing trajectory. Aerial footage and images in the news have been giving viewers a sense of the magnitude and horror of the event. This image in particular was taken from the International Space Station on September 2. Though it is difficult to tell scale, the image is effective in conveying the power of the storm to completely alter the normal pattern of clouds and obscure the land below. You can also see from the image the rotating motion of the clouds, which alludes to the strength of the winds and their ability to cause damage.

Beautiful Symmetry of Renewables

This images is a satellite view of the Ouarzazate Solar Power Station in Morocco. The power station is approximately 10 sq miles and will produce enough electricity to supply one million people in Morocco. Despite the station's high energy output some critics still argue that it will not help the country get away from fossil fuels because of the role fossil fuels play in the creation of solar panel technology. However, this power station is an apt example of a country actively working to improve its use of renewable energy resources. I personally chose this image because its symmetric lines and circles which make it seem like a piece of artwork. 

The Burning Amazon

In the image above, agricultural lands in the Amazon basement are seen burning from seasonal fires. The summer of 2019 was marked by an increased global awareness of forest clearing in Brazil, due in part to expanding agricultural interests within the region. Although the Amazon is known to have a dry season in which fires occur naturally, much of the public outcry was from artificial fires created to clear large swaths of land. The satellite image shows some of these artificial fires, alongside some of the untouched Amazon forest. Images such as these, overlaid with other data, help scientists create a detailed and up to date map of seasonal fires in the area.