Photo #: ISS050-E-29783 Date: Dec. 2016 Geographic Region: CHINA Feature: WIND FARMS, MAJIAMIAO, AGR., GOBI DES., DRAINAGE PATTERNS |
Drainage Patterns and Wind Farms in Northwest China An astronaut aboard the International Space Station captured this photograph of drainage patterns on the southwestern end of the Gobi Desert in China's Gansu Province. The desert landscape - part of the Hexi (or Gansu) Corridor route along the historical Silk Road - is low in elevation, generally flat, and surrounded by mountains and rolling hills. The foothills of the Tien Shan mountains lie to the north of this scene. As temperatures warm in the springtime, snow melt from the higher elevations flows down into streams, forming narrow alluvial fans. The water carries sand, silt, and clay that accumulate at the mouths of the streams. These sediments are then available for further transport by larger valley rivers such as the Shule. The grid pattern superimposed on the basin is part of the Gansu Wind Farm Project. Narrow roads mark the paths between dozens of wind turbines. Currently China is the largest emitter of greenhouse gases, and the wind farms are part of an effort to reduce carbon emissions and to harness cleaner energy. Most of the agriculture in this region follows along the Hexi Corridor. Several small towns skirt the Shule River, diverting water for cultivation of wool, tobacco, and a variety of grain and fruit crops. |
Images: | All Available Images Low-Resolution 350k |
|
Mission: | ISS050 |
|
Roll - Frame: | E - 29783 |
|
Geographical Name: | CHINA |
|
Features: | WIND FARMS, MAJIAMIAO, AGR., GOBI DES., DRAINAGE PATTERNS |
|
Center Lat x Lon: | 40.7N x 95.3E |
|
Film Exposure: | N=Normal exposure, U=Under exposed, O=Over exposed, F=out of Focus |
|
Percentage of Cloud Cover-CLDP: | 10 |
|
Camera:: | N6 |
|
Camera Tilt: | 10 | LO=Low Oblique, HO=High Oblique, NV=Near Vertical |
Camera Focal Length: | 240 |
|
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 |
|
Orbit Number: | |
|
Date: | 20161229 | YYYYMMDD |
Time: | 071143 | GMT HHMMSS |
Nadir Lat: | 41.3N |
Latitude of suborbital point of spacecraft |
Nadir Lon: | 95.4E |
Longitude of suborbital point of spacecraft |
Sun Azimuth: | 203 | Clockwise angle in degrees from north to the sun measured at the nadir point |
Space Craft Altitude: | 216 | nautical miles |
Sun Elevation: | 22 | Angle in degrees between the horizon and the sun, measured at the nadir point |
Land Views: | |
|
Water Views: | |
|
Atmosphere Views: | |
|
Man Made Views: | |
|
City Views: | |
|
Photo is not associated with any sequences |
NASA Home Page |
JSC Home Page |
JSC Digital Image Collection |
Earth Science & Remote Sensing |
|