Natural and Artificial Habitat: Habitat From Space Slideshow

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Natural and Artificial HabitatHabitat From
Space Slideshow
Main topics Reading satellite and aerial
images Artificial vs. natural habitats
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Hi, kids!As I watch the Earth, one of the
things I notice most is humans changing the
Earth's surface. I think about this a lot, and
I'd like your opinion on it!
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How about this-- I'll show you a part of the
Earth, and you tell me if you think it
looks Very natural, Fairly natural,
Fairly artificial, or Very artificial.Then
I'll tell you what I think-- maybe we'll agree!
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Here is one good clue for recognizing artificial
habitatsimple geometry.Straight lines,
squares, and circles are usually made by
people.And remember, I have infrared vision,
so I sometimes see things differently from
you!OK, let's look at some places!
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Here I was looking very closely. This picture
is only about 4.25 miles across, and plants
look red.How natural or artificial does this
look to you?And what is that unusual shape on
the left?
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That was Washington D.C., a very artificial
habitat for humans.  The building on the left is
the Pentagon, which is near an airport. 
What else can you find in the picture? Can you
find this reflecting pool?How about this tower?
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OK, let's look at a very different area.  This
picture is about about 38 miles across, and
plants look red again. What in the world is
this?
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There are no plants!  This is the Lambert Glacier
in Antarctica.  The bulge in the middle is ice
flowing downward like a slow river. This is very
natural.
Antarctica is the most natural continent we have
left. It changes constantly, but mostly not
because of people. And not from plants-- it is
a giant desert!
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So, we haveseen a very artificialplace anda
verynatural one.This pictureis in between.It
is 50 milesacross, andplants lookred. What
is it? Do those look like natural patterns?
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This is forest in Bolivia which has been cleared
for farms and ranches.  The red is forest.  The
white is cleared land.  The pink is where some
plants have started growing back-- maybe crops or
grass.This is not as artificial as Washington,
D.C., but it is very shaped by humans.  Fairly or
very artificial.
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An International Space Station astronaut took
this photo with a regular camera, so plants look
green.  It is about 12.5 miles across. What are
those patterns?
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This is almost the same as the last photo!It's
Bolivian forest cleared for agriculture.The
middle of each "pie" is a village, where people
live each "slice" belongs to a different
farmer. The villages are 5 km apart, connected
by roads.
Doesn't this seem more artificial than the last
one?
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Here is 17 years of deforestation in nearby
Brazilwatch the roads, farms, and cities move
into forest.
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Here is a different scene, about 4.5 miles
across.Again, plants look red. What do you make
of it?
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This is western Kansas, where underground water
is pumped through huge sprinklers watering
crops.  Each sprinkler circles around a "center
pivot," making a round field. 
This is one of the most artificial forms of
agriculture.  There are also many roads and
oilwells here, and towns nearby. So it is very
artificial.
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This pretty picture is about 55 miles across. 
Don't worry about the colors.  What do you
think it is?  How would you rate it?
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This is the Dasht-e Kevir, or the Great Salt
Desert, in Iran. Much of it is covered with a
salty crust, and it is almost uninhabited.This
is almost as natural as Antarctica, the other
desert we saw.
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OK, one last desert.  This image has a scale bar
you can see, and plants are red.  Can you find
all three artificial habitats we talked about?
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This is Al Kharj, a city of 250,000 people near
Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia.  Al Kharj
always had a small oasis, but now also has many
center-pivot sprinklers.  Without this artificial
agriculture, this area could not support nearly
so many people.  
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The last picture is a very different one!You
know where this is! But what does it show?
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This was taken at night to look at artificial
lights.Look closer at the continental United
Statesyou can see cities, and even major
roads.This is just about the clearest sign of
civilization.
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OK, that's it!Thanks for sharing!See you
soo-oon!
Credits gtgt
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Photo Credits
USGSISSNASADOENSF