Our planet from space
As we carry on with our everyday lives at the surface, there are lots of satellites busily orbiting the earth, frequently snapping images of our planet from space.
These high-resolution images allow scientists to see how the surface of our planet is changing – something that is important to monitor as our human influence spreads across it.
A great place to see a regularly updated collection of these stunning pictures is on Nasa’s Earth Observatory website. From volcanic eruptions to travelling icebergs, the selection of images is impressive.
Having taken a look at the imagery captured during the past month, I thought that I’d share some of them with you, along with an explanation as to what each image shows.
Phoenix, Arizona at night
This light-filled image taken on 1 April shows the US city of Phoenix at night. As with most cities in the US, the roads and streets follow a regular grid-like pattern. The bursts of light from the streets resemble the pattern that you’d see on a circuit board.
What also stands out in this picture are the darker areas which signify more rural areas that don’t have the dense network of lights.
Dust plumes over the Mediterranean
This image taken on 7 April shows thick plumes of dust that have been blown from the sandy interiors of Libya and Egypt out across the Mediterranean sea.
As you can see, the plumes of dust are so thick in places that the view of the water below is obscured. Such dust storms are common in spring as the strong sun creates instability in the lowest part of the atmosphere, strengthening the wind.
Drought in New Zealand
Much of New Zealand reached drought status in late February following unusually low amounts of rain through their summer (December to February).
By April, the situation had worsened across the North Island, with farmers seriously in need for some rain in what was described as the worst drought in 70 years.
The top image below taken in April 2009 shows how green the land is following a summer of normal rainfall. The bottom image below was taken in April 2013 during the drought and clearly shows a browner landscape.
Ice-covered fjord in Canada
This stunning image taken on 12 April by Nasa’s Operation Ice Bridge project shows an ice-covered fjord on Baffin island, with Davis strait in the background.
The rugged terrain either side of the fjord is casting a huge shadow on the smooth ice in the valley below.
Spring wildfires in California
Early in May, several wildfires broke out in southern California, fuelled by a combination of hot, dry Santa Ana winds and many months of below average rainfall leaving the ground parched.
The image below taken on 2 May shows a thick plume of smoke being blown out across the Pacific ocean as the fires raged across the land.
Paluweh volcano, Indonesia
This picture taken on 29 April shows an ash cloud spewing from the Paluweh volcano that sits on the five-mile-wide island in Indonesia’s Flores sea.
Images like this show the advantage of satellite imagery in regularly monitoring some of the most remote places in the world.
If you enjoyed looking at these images, you can find lots more on Nasa’s Earth Observatory website.
Images courtesy of Nasa