Northern Somalia’s Cal Madow mountain range is pictured in this image from Japan’s ALOS satellite.
In contrast to the sparsely-vegetated majority of the country – typical of its semi-arid to arid climate – the mountain range is densely forested. In this image, the vegetated areas appear much darker.
The ecologically diverse region is home to a number of endemic plants species, as well as many rare animals. Unfortunately, the area lacks proper conservation and is threatened by deforestation and intensive livestock grazing.
The uplifted plateau to the south has the distinct pattern of water erosion from rivers and streams making their way towards the edges of the cliffs, before cascading down. There are numerous perennial and persistent waterfalls in this region.
In some areas, we can see where water continues to flow north across the coastal plain towards the Gulf of Aden (not pictured).
The Japanese Advanced Land Observation Satellite captured this image on 2 January 2011. ALOS was supported as a Third Party Mission, which means that ESA used its multi-mission ground systems to acquire, process, distribute and archive data from the satellite to its user community.
In April 2011 the satellite abruptly lost power while mapping Japan’s tsunami-hit coastline.
This image is featured on the Earth from Space video program.
Image credit: JAXA/ESA
This image from Japan’s ALOS satellite shows part of the Flinders Ranges in South Australia, about 500 km north of Adelaide.
The area pictured is between Flinders Ranges National Park to the south, Vulkathunha-Gammon Ranges National Park to the north and Lake Frome due east (none of which is pictured).
The curving structures that dominate this image are part of a larger geosyncline – a subsiding linear trough in Earth’s crust – that includes the Flinders Ranges. The geosyncline consists of sedimentary rocks in a basin that were folded about 500 million years ago and have been eroded to the current landscape. In this image, the different colors show the different layers of rock.
Some of the oldest fossilised animal life have been found in parts of the Flinders Ranges.
Running up the middle of this image is a long, narrow gorge – typical of the ranges.
Along the right side of the image, the terrain is flat with a long, straight road running north–south. Numerous creeks appear like veins across the entire image.
The Flinders Ranges is one of Australia’s most seismically active regions, with numerous small earthquakes recorded every year.
Japan’s Advanced Land Observation Satellite captured this image on 3 January 2009. ALOS was supported as a Third Party Mission, which means that ESA used its multi-mission ground systems to acquire, process, distribute and archive data from the satellite to its user community.
This image is featured on the Earth from Space video program.
Image credit: JAXA/ESA
Lakes and mountains of western Uganda are captured in this Envisat radar image.
The area pictured is part of the Albertine Rift, a branch of the East African Rift where the Somali Plate is splitting away from the rest of the continent.
In the upper right corner is Lake George. With the equator running right through the middle, this body of water is recognized as a Wetland of International Importance by the Ramsar Convention, an intergovernmental treaty for the sustainable use of wetlands.
Its waters flow into the Kazinga Channel – known for its high concentration of hippopotami and Nile crocodiles – and then empty into Lake Edward at lower left.
The colors in the two lakes and connecting channel indicate changes in water level between acquisitions. On either side of the channel, large craters and crater-lakes dot the volcanic fields.
At the top of the image, we can see the foothills of the Rwenzori Mountains on the border between Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (west).
Its highest peak topping 5100 m, the mountain chain is home to numerous glaciers, waterfalls and lakes. However, climate change has negatively affected the glaciers, and subsequently the mountains’ vegetation and biodiversity.
To the south of the mountains, the bright pink, purple and green areas show where changes in the land’s surface occurred between the three radar scans that make up this composite image. These changes are primarily in vegetation as the land here is blanketed with agricultural plots. There is even a clear-cut line where agricultural activities end and the protected land begins.
This image was created by combining two acquisitions from Envisat’s radar on 14 June 2007, 14 February 2008 and 3 July 2008 over the same area and it is featured on the Earth from Space video program.
Photo credit: ESA
This Envisat radar image is centered on the man-made Raystown Lake in the US state of Pennsylvania. Near the top of the lake – which appears as a snaking red and blue line – there is a bright white radar reflection from the Raystown Dam. The area pictured is part of the greater Valley and Ridge Appalachians, in the Appalachian Mountain range. The lines that cut through the image are the long, even ridges characteristic of this region. One of the significant ridges is Tuscoarora Mountain in the lower-right corner. This is a compilation of three radar images from 23 December 2007, 2 March 2008 and 11 May 2008.
This image is featured on the Earth from Space video program.
Image credit: ESA
The foothills of the Andes mountains near the southern coast of Peru were captured by the Kompsat-2 satellite on 4 May 2011. The Andes stretch about 7000 km from Venezuela down South America’s west coast to the top of Argentina. The mountain range is the result of the Nazca and Antarctic tectonic plates moving under the South American plate – a geological process called ‘subduction’. This process is also responsible for the Andes range’s volcanic activity.
Photo credit: KARI/ESA
Jebel Uweinat (1,934 meters, mountain of sourcelets) is a mountain range in the area of the Egyptian-Sudanese-Libyan border. In general, the west slope constitutes an oasis, with wells, bushes and grass. The area is notable for its prehistoric petroglyphs. Engraved in sandstone, petroglyphs of Bushmen style are visible, representing giraffes, lions, ostriches, gazelles, and human figures. The western part of the massive consists of intrusive granite, arranged in a ring shape of some 25 km diameter. Its eastern part consists of sandstone; four plateaus emerge from the level of the surrounding desert. One of the driest places on earth, it reportedly hasn't rained since 1998 (Wikipedia). The image was acquired March 17, 2012, covers an area of 40 x 43 km, and is located at 22 degrees north latitude, 24.9 degrees east longitude.
Photo credit: NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team
This image from ALOS shows southern France and the divide of the Rhone River: the 'Grand Rhône' flows down the center of the image while the 'Petit Rhône' is visible to the west. This divide at the French city of Arles forms the Camargue delta region. In the upper right corner of the image, we can see the Alpilles mountains. The green area south of the mountains is a large nature reserve.
This image is a compilation of three radar passes on 14 May 2008, 20 May 2010 and 5 July 2010. Each is assigned a color (red, green or blue) and combined to produce this representation. The colors reveal changes in the surface between the satellite’s passes.
Photo credit: JAXA, ESA
The Sikhote–Alin mountain range in Russia’s Far East is pictured in this image, acquired on 27 January 2012 by the MERIS instrument on ESA’s Envisat satellite. In the lower-left portion of the image is the snow-covered Khanka Lake, which spans Russia’s border with northeast China. East of the mainland is the Sea of Japan, which appears to have a feathery cloud-cover. This is due to the cold air coming from the mountains and blowing out to sea. In the upper-right portion of the image is Russia’s largest island, Sakhalin.
Photo credit: ESA
The snow-kissed Alps that stretch across France, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Liechtenstein, Austria and Slovenia are captured in this Envisat image, acquired on 16 January 2012. Owing to this snow cover and a relatively low illumination angle of the Sun during this time of year, the ranges and valleys of the mountains stand out in the image.
Just south of the Alps we see the typical winter fog and clouds over the Po Valley. Stretching down the length of the Italian peninsula are the Apennine Mountains. In the lower-right corner, we can see Italy’s Lake Trasimeno. Closer to the Alps is the long Lake Garda. On the opposite side of the Alps from Garda, on the border of Switzerland, Germany and Austria, is Lake Constance. Further north in the upper-left portion of the image we can see Germany’s Black Forest.
Photo credit: ESA
