Earth from Space - Image Description

STS062-103-040 Southeast Florida, U.S.A. March 1994
A dramatic visual difference exists between the densely populated (highly reflective) coastal area of southeast Florida and the natural swamp environment of The Everglades west of the urban corridor. The direction of surface water flow through the saw grass and hardwood hammocks of The Everglades (generally north-northeast to south-southwest) can be determined by observing the alignment of scattered hardwood stands (darker streaks) throughout The Everglades. The angular, uniform area east of the smoke palls (bottom center) shows the outline of the Arthur R. Marshall-Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge. The small dark spots in the light, shallow water (near top center) are the Bimini Islands of The Bahamas; the darker, deeper water shows the north-flowing Gulf Stream. Sunglint appears in the upper right corner.

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