Earth from Space - Image Description

STS085-729-053 Southern Coast, Greenland August 1997
Although the viewing angle (look direction) and the geographic area included in this image are different from STS85-713-074, both of these pictures show the southern tip of Greenland from slightly different prospectives. This particular image shows more of the southwestern tip with its extensively fjorded coastline. The large area of white in the upper right corner of the picture is part of a large, permanent ice field that extends southward through the mountainous area of southern Greenland. This summertime view of the rugged fjorded coastline shows an exposed landscape where a variety of flora (forest-like brush species) grows on the mountain slopes, isolated marshes, and alpine meadows. Two separate cloud patterns (whitish areas) are observed: one along the right edge (middle) and the other along the left edge (center) of the picture.

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