Photo #: ISS006-E-45935 Date: Apr. 2003Geographic Region: RED SEA
Feature: REEFS,OIL FILMS,SABAYA I., SUNGLINT
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Photo #: ISS006-E-45935 Date: Apr. 2003 Geographic Region: RED SEA Feature: REEFS,OIL FILMS,SABAYA I., SUNGLINT |
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| Above and Under the Red Sea: This unique photograph of shallow Red Sea waters off the coast of Saudi Arabia gives us a glimpse of both the coral reefs under the surface, and the texture and movements of surface waters. On the left side of the image we see through the water column to the reefs below the surface. On the right side of the image, the sun reflects off of microscopic oily films formed by a combination of natural biological sources and human activities on the sea surface. The films are concentrated by surface water movements and variably dampen surface capillary waves, which effect how the sun's light is reflected. This creates patterns of brighter and darker reflections when viewed from orbit. These patterns trace the complex surface water dynamics along the coast. The Red Sea and Gulf of Aden include over 17,400 km2 of coral reefs, or 6% of the world's total (World Atlas of Coral Reefs: //www.unep-wcmc.org/marine/coralatlas/). The World Resources Institute has estimated that 60% of the reefs in the Red Sea and Arabian Gulf are threatened by coastal development, overfishing, and the threat of oil spills by the heavy tanker traffic. The stretch of reefs shown here is near Qutu Island, south of Al-Qunfudhah, and is relatively isolated compared to other reefs in the region. |
| Images: | All Available Images Low-Resolution 57k |
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| Mission: | ISS006 |
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| Roll - Frame: | E - 45935 |
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| Geographical Name: | RED SEA |
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| Features: | REEFS,OIL FILMS,SABAYA I., SUNGLINT |
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| Center Lat x Lon: | 18.5N x 41.0E |
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| Film Exposure: | N=Normal exposure, U=Under exposed, O=Over exposed, F=out of Focus |
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| Percentage of Cloud Cover-CLDP: | 10 |
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| Camera:: | E4 |
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| Camera Tilt: | 34 | LO=Low Oblique, HO=High Oblique, NV=Near Vertical |
| Camera Focal Length: | 180 |
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| Nadir to Photo Center Direction: | S | The direction from the nadir to the center point, N=North, S=South, E=East, W=West |
| Stereo?: | Y=Yes there is an adjacent picture of the same area, N=No there isn't |
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| Orbit Number: | 1058 |
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| Date: | 20030411 | YYYYMMDD |
| Time: | 084820 | GMT HHMMSS |
| Nadir Lat: | 20.7N |
Latitude of suborbital point of spacecraft |
| Nadir Lon: | 41.9E |
Longitude of suborbital point of spacecraft |
| Sun Azimuth: | 153 | Clockwise angle in degrees from north to the sun measured at the nadir point |
| Space Craft Altitude: | 209 | nautical miles |
| Sun Elevation: | 76 | Angle in degrees between the horizon and the sun, measured at the nadir point |
| Land Views: | COAST, ISLAND |
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| Water Views: | GULF, SEA |
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| Atmosphere Views: | |
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| Man Made Views: | |
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| City Views: | |
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Photo is not associated with any sequences | ||
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