ing left extensive damage to Nauru’s surface and ecology, but in recent years there have been efforts to rehabilitate the affected areas.
These two Landsat images are false-color composites. The red tones indicate a strong signal from Landsat's near-infrared (NIR) band, which is used by landscape scientists to monitor the presence and condition of vegetation and forested areas. In this type of image, a deep red color indicates actively growing vegetation and forest, while non-vegetated or poorly vegetated areas will have less red tone.
The 1999 Landsat image (left) shows the bright mine scars along with dull, mixed color tones across the landscape, indicating a generally poor condition for the island’s vegetation. The deep red colors throughout the 2015 image (right) suggest an overall increase in vegetation and forest cover.
Landsat imagery can be a valuable tool to help document the history of the mining impacts and track the progress of restoration activities as Nauru works to revitalize their island nation.
Old Name, New Elevation for North America’s Highest Peak September 2, 2015
Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell recently announced that the highest point in North America, formerly known as Mount McKinley, will be designated by the name Denali in all federal records. Later, U.S. Geological Survey acting Director Suzette Kimball announced that the Denali summit has a new, official elevation of 20,310 feet.
Using the latest methods of satellite-based surveying technology (GPS), a team of mountaineering surveyors under the direction of the U.S. Geological Survey, NOAA’s National Geodetic Survey (NGS), the National Park Service, and the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute re-measured the height of the mountain this summer. The last official survey of the summit had been conducted in 1953.
Scientists from NOAA’s NGS, Dewberry, CompassData, the University of Alaska Fairbanks, and the USGS carefully analyzed the raw data acquired by the survey party to arrive at the final elevation number. The exceptional circumstances for this surveying challenge, such as making allowances for the variable depth of the snow pack and establishing the appropriate surface that coincides with mean sea level, were judiciously considered before the new apex elevation was finally determined.
The Landsat 8 image from June 15, 2015, shows a clear view of the perennially snow-covered summit. Glaciers stream down the mountain to lower elevations.
Burned Area Analysis for the Soda Fire, Idaho August 28, 2015
On August 10, 2015, the Soda Fire began burning about 8 miles northeast of Jordan Valley, OR. It spread rapidly because of high winds, parched fuels, triple digit heat, and low humidity. Over 283,000 acres had burned by August 20.
On the morning of August 22, Landsat 7 captured a postfire image (left) of the Soda Fire burn scar. This image was used along with a prefire image from Landsat 8 to derive a Burned Area Reflectance Classification (BARC) map.
The BARC map (right) was created using digital image analysis techniques developed by USGS, USFS, and other scientists, and it allows a synoptic view of fire extent and severity. The map is preliminary and has not yet been field-validated.
This type of detailed information would be difficult to obtain in a timely manner based on ground observations alone. Reflecting the amount of vegetation loss caused by the fire, the colors on this map show that the Soda Fire was mostly classified as low and moderate severity (light green and yellow), with few high severity areas (red).
EROS scientists respond to dozens of requests for burn mapping support each year. It would not be possible to obtain a rapid and complete assessment without satellite imagery, and Landsat’s 30-meter resolution provides the detail needed for rapid landscape-scale wildland fire mapping.
Expansion of the Suez Canal, Egypt August 20, 2015
The Suez Canal is a man-made waterway connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. It is one of the world's most important waterways for trade, but the main channel was previ