Snowfall returned to the mountain ranges of western and central Colorado on September 18—the first significant accumulation of the 2002-03 snow season. Most of Colorado experienced drought conditions throughout the summer, so this precipitation was badly needed. In this true-color scene, acquired on Sept. 20 by the Terra MODIS sensor, the bright…(Read More)
Lambert Glacier is a major glacier in East Antarctica. At about 60 miles (100 km) wide, over 250 miles (400 km) long, and about 2,500 m deep, it holds the Guinness world record for the world’s largest glacier. It drains 8% of the Antarctic ice sheet to the east and south of the…(Read More)
The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), flying aboard NASA’s Terra and Aqua satellites, measures snow cover over the entire globe every day, cloud cover permitting. At spatial resolutions of up to 500 meters per pixel, MODIS allows scientists to distinguish between snow and clouds, both of which appear bright white when seen from above…(Read More)
The Bering Sea (Russian, Beringovo More) is an enclosed sea adjacent to northernmost part of the Pacific Ocean at the surface. Therefore it called marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean. It connects with the Arctic Ocean through the Bering Strait which separates two continents by 85 kilometers. It is located to the south of the…(Read More)
Erta Ale volcano is a large basaltic shield volcano in the Erta Ale volcanic range in the central northern Danakil depression (NE Ethiopia). Erta Ale is one of the main attractions of the Danakil, and had become a popular tour destination in recent years. In Ethiopia’s Afar region—where three tectonic plates wrench themselves…(Read More)
Mining of stone and metal has been done since pre-historic times. Modern mining processes involve prospecting for ore bodies, analysis of the profit potential of a proposed mine, extraction of the desired materials, and final reclamation of the land after the mine is closed. The nature of mining processes creates a potential negative impact…(Read More)