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Oahe Reservoir & Missouri River, South Dakota (August 1989)

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The Oahe Reservoir in this southeast-looking, low-oblique photograph is one of many dams and reservoirs constructed in the late 1940s and the 1950s along the Missouri River, from eastern Montana through North Dakota and South Dakota. These reservoirs were built to provide flood control, hydroelectric power, irrigation, and recreation. Dams like the Oahe serve to impound, for later use, water from spring rains and snowmelt that swells the volume of the Missouri River during early and mid-spring. The dams also protect the countryside from a second flood stage that frequently occurs in June as the snow melts in the remote mountain systems to the west. As of 1984, the Oahe Dam was the largest rolled-earth dam in the United States. Problems continue to occur with the construction of these dams and large reservoirs. They cause large areas of once valuable farmland to be flooded permanently, resulting in losses in millions of dollars in farm revenue yearly. In addition, silt, fertilizers, and pesticides in the runoff from agricultural lands pollute the waters of these reservoirs. The positive and negative debates regarding the usefulness of these reservoirs continue today. Pierre, the capital of South Dakota, is barely discernible near the center of the photograph just southeast of the Oahe Dam, where the Bad River from the southwest joins the Missouri River.

Oahu, Hawaii (September 1988)

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Oahu, third largest and most important of the Hawaiian Islands, can be seen in this low-oblique, north-northeast-looking photograph (the line to true north runs from Pearl Harbor to Kahuka Point). The island covers 598 square miles (1536 square kilometers). Pearl Harbor, the city of Honolulu, and the International Airport’s large runway built on a coral reef can be seen near the center of the photograph. Geologically, two great volcanoes once made up the island of Oahu; but, over time, erosion has left the volcanoes as two parallel mountain ranges—Koolau northeast of Honolulu and Waianae northwest of Honolulu (under clouds). The mountain ranges are separated by a rolling plateau dissected by deep gorges, visible north of Honolulu. Oahu has no active volcanoes, but there are many extinct craters, such as Diamond Head, which is visible southeast of Honolulu. Large pineapple plantations cover the central plateau, and sugarcane plantations cover the coastal plains to the north. Population growth and urban development since the late 1960s have depleted a portion of the rural land available for agriculture. Oahu remains an important site for the U.S. Department of Defense, as it includes the headquarters of the United States Pacific Command and the Pearl Harbor Naval Complex.

Omsk, Russia (April 1994)

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The Russian city of Omsk, with a population of more than 1 million, is located on the southern boundary of the western Siberian lowlands. This photograph, taken with snow covering most of the landscape, shows large cultivated field patterns of spring wheat surrounding the city. Omsk is a major river port on the Irtysh River, which flows south to north. Located in the city are oil refineries, grain mills, textile plants, and manufacturing centers for agricultural machinery and railroad equipment. Omsk is a major ground transportation hub for the region. The Trans-Siberian railroad that extends from Moscow to Vladivostok is visible running east-west through the downtown area, and other railroads and highways are seen radiating outward from downtown Omsk. The dark area of the central city is probably caused by either the "heat island" effect of the city or by burning fossil fuels in homes and factories, resulting in air pollution.

Owens Lake, California (May 1991)

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Before an aqueduct was built to divert water from the Owens River to the city of Los Angeles for its water needs, Owens Lake (center of the photograph) held water in a basin 18 miles (29 kilometers) long and nearly 10 miles (16 kilometers) wide. This south-southwest-looking, low-oblique photograph reveals a dry Lake Owens, north and south of which is seen the Owens River, 120 miles (195 kilometers) long, rising in the Sierra Nevada southeast of Yosemite National Park. West of Owens Lake are snow-covered peaks of the Sierra Nevada and Mount Whitney, the highest mountain in the conterminous United States at 14 494 feet (4421 meters), part of Sequoia National Park. The Inyo Mountain Range and the dark blue waters of the Haiwee Reservoir lie northeast and south, respectively, of Owens Lake.

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