Earth from Space - Image Description

STS061-83-15 Shark Bay Area, Western Australia, Australia December 1993
Even though clouds obscure part of this picture, the synoptic scale provides a southeast-looking view of west central Western Australia. Shark Bay, the large divided embayment, is visible in the foreground. The entire subregion of the Geraldton Sandplains (the region with the uniform reddish color) can be seen south of Shark Bay. The linear patterns marking boundaries between lighter and darker regions show the extent of human ownership and intrusion into a more rugged and dry landscape in the semiarid region of Western Australia. The very light features that seem to follow valley contours in the undeveloped Bush landscape are a series of dry lakes (highly reflective surfaces, not to be confused with cloud patterns). Cleared fields of the western wheat belt and the outback inland. Nice land-breeze effect on the cumulus cloud field.

This service is provided by the International Space Station program and the JSC Earth Science & Remote Sensing Unit, ARES Division, Exploration Integration Science Directorate.