Copyright �1998 C & F Computer Products All Rights Reserved

Newberry Volcano, Oregon (May 1985)

STS51B-038-0091

Snow-covered Newberry Volcano (center of the photograph) lies 40 miles (64 kilometers) east of the Cascade Mountains but is considered to be included in the Pacific "Rim of Fire," a series of volcanoes and mountain ranges that surround the Pacific Ocean basin. Newberry is very much like its neighbor to the south, Crater Lake (not part of this photograph), in that Newberry also lost its summit to a gigantic explosion (15 000 years ago). Inside the caldera are two lakes—Paulina and East—separated by lava and obsidian flows and a cinder cone 1 mile (1.6 kilometers) wide and 700 feet (214 meters) high. Hot springs in both lakes are the only surface signs of continuing volcanic activity. Geothermal exploration has revealed that, only 3000 feet (915 meters) below the floor of the caldera, temperatures exceed 500 degrees Fahrenheit (260 degrees Celsius), the highest temperatures recorded in a dormant Cascade volcano. To the east are the Deschutes River and Wickiup Reservoir, and to the northeast is the snow-covered, extinct volcanic peak of Mount Bachelor, now a famous ski resort.

New York City Area (Night), New York (May 1991)

STS039-088-054

Since this color infrared photograph covers the same general area as STS-058-081-038, almost all of the physical features identified and described in the caption for that photograph are applicable to this one. It is important to note that color infrared film is designed to enhance vegetation signatures. The film records reflected energy from plants and presents the information as a reddish signature. Central Park in the middle of Manhattan Island shows green trees and grass as a reddish color. Similarly, a line of rectangular parks (red blocks) can be traced eastward from the borough of Queens toward the other end of Long Island. Other features that are discernible in this photograph are three large airports—John F. Kennedy International, La Guardia, and Newark International—as well as smaller airports southeast of Brooklyn. Some segments of the extensive ground transportation network pattern (even individual thoroughfares and streets) can be identified. The recent scar created by disturbing natural vegetation (highly reflective area) is evidence that a new highway is either under construction or has just been completed through the hill and lake region northwest of the metropolitan area. It appears that this highway is part of an interstate bypass around the metropolitan area and links with Interstate Highway 287.

Niagara River, Canada and U.S.A. (October 1994)

STS-068-274-032

The Niagara River forms part of the international boundary between the United States and Canada. Water exiting the eastern end of Lake Erie creates this north-flowing river, which eventually empties into the southwestern part of Lake Ontario (not shown in this photograph). The "white water" created by the waterflow over world-famous Niagara Falls is barely visible where the Niagara River narrows northwest of Grand Island, the large island that is completely encircled by the Niagara River on the U.S. side of the international border. Niagara Falls was formed approximately 10 000 years ago as the retreating glaciers of the last continental ice sheets exposed the Niagara escarpment, thus permitting the waters of Lake Erie to flow north, over the scarp, to Lake Ontario. The two cities adjacent to the Niagara Falls watercourse are Niagara Falls, New York (east of the river), and Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada (west of the river). Each city has a population of more than 80 000. Two reservoirs are visible immediately north of these cities. The Welland Canal, approximately 7 miles (11 kilometers) west of the Niagara River, is part of the much larger Saint Lawrence Seaway that allows oceangoing vessels to travel between the Atlantic Ocean and the Great Lakes. This near-vertical photograph reveals much detail for Buffalo (south-central portion of the photograph), a major transshipment point for goods that are shipped by water through the Great Lakes. Some identifiable manmade features are major highways, street patterns, port facilities along Lake Erie, the Buffalo downtown district, and Greater Buffalo International Airport (east of downtown). Cultivated field patterns are visible on either side of the international border.

800 DPI

Nile River and Aswan Dam, Egypt (August 1992)

STS046-075-018

The Nile River is the longest river in the world and unquestionably the "life blood" of Egypt. Throughout Egypt’s history the Nile River has provided water for drinking, irrigation, and replenishment of fertile soils. About 95 percent of Egypt’s population lives within 12 miles (20 kilometers) of the river’s banks or on its delta. This segment of the Nile River has been modified by the construction of the Aswan High Dam. The dam is barely visible toward the northern edge of the photograph. This project was begun in 1958, and the dam was dedicated in 1971. The 365-foot-high (110-meter-high) dam created Lake Nasser, one of the world’s largest artificial lakes. A series of photographs of Lake Nasser, taken in different seasons and years, is useful in mapping the seasonally influenced fluctuating water levels in the lake. Water levels are normally lowest during April and May; then during the summer months the water level rises. The dam has dramatically (1) changed how Egyptians irrigate their fields, (2) increased oil-poor Egypt’s hydroelectric power generation, and (3) curtailed flood control problems. The inundated area created behind the Aswan High Dam extends into a small area of north-central Sudan.

Nile River Delta and Sinai Peninsula, Egypt (June 1991)

STS040-078-025

Several physiographic provinces are captured in this southeast-looking, high-oblique photograph. The large, dark green area on the west side of the photograph is the Nile River Delta, which extends from the capital city of Cairo at the apex of the delta to the Suez Canal on the eastern edge (the relatively straight line that runs north-south) to the city of Alexandria on the west corner (outside this photograph). The alluvial soils, which have been deposited by the Nile River for many centuries, provide a unique environment for the production of a variety of crops, and the flooding of the river makes up for lack of rainfall. The entire region is classified as desert [less than 10 inches (25 centimeters) of rainfall per year]. Desert-like sandy areas are visible southwest of the delta and in the northwestern part of the Sinai Peninsula. In addition to these sandy areas, major rock outcrops (darker areas) are seen encircling the Red Sea, including the southern two-thirds of the Sinai Peninsula. The darker, hilly terrain along the western shore of the Red Sea is the Arabian Desert, and the low mountains along the eastern shore of the Red Sea in Saudi Arabia are the Al Hijaz Mountains. The two elongated bodies of water flanking the southern end of the Sinai Peninsula are the Gulf of Suez (western boundary) and the Gulf of Aqaba (eastern boundary). The linear feature extending to the northeast from the northern end of the Gulf of Aqaba is the southern end of the Dead Sea Rift, which is part of the much larger East African Rift Valley that runs 6000 miles (9600 kilometers)—from the Middle East to south-central Africa. The faint line that can be seen along the eastern part of the Sinai Peninsula is the boundary between Egypt and Israel. The line is a result of different densities in vegetation.

Northwest Mexico and Southern California (June 1991)

STS040-073-054

Rugged mountains along the spine of Baja California, the deep blue water of the Gulf of California (also known as the Sea of Cortez), and the deserts of northwestern Mexico and southern California highlight this photograph. This southerly view provides an excellent panorama extending from the Salton Sea in the Imperial Valley of southern California almost to the southern tip of Baja California. Human imprint on this landscape is primarily found along the rivers and their floodplains, where intensive irrigated agriculture exists. The Colorado River, with its cultivated field patterns (darker areas), can be seen to flow from the north toward the southwest and finally to empty into the broad delta at the center of the photograph and to enter the northern end of the Gulf of California. The international border between the United States and Mexico can be identified by the differences in land management, farming practices, and sizes of fields. The border is the east-west straight line approximately 35 miles (56 kilometers) south of the Salton Sea. The Altar Desert is the arid-looking area with no visible vegetation east of the mouth of the Colorado River.

C & F Computer Products (eMail: [email protected])