Are we seeing and feeling changes around us? Are glaciers really melting? Will coral reefs recover soon? These pressing questions should lead us to think that our beautiful Earth, the only home we know of, needs care and love. Our pursuit of happiness should be in sync with the givings of nature. We need to nurture and restore the beauty of the flowing rivers and glaciers, the vibrant shades of life, the picturesque landscape, all of which we can and our future generations can cherish.
Slessor Glacier in Antarctica flows between the angular promontory Parry Point on the top left of the image and the Shackleton Range on the lower right. The purple highlights are exposed ice. Strong winds blow away the snow cover and expose lines that indicate the glacier flow direction. Rock outcrops next to the glacier also exhibit some of this bare ice.
Himalayas – Soaring, snow-capped peaks and ridges of the eastern Himalaya Mountains create an irregular white-on-red patchwork between major rivers in southwestern China. The Himalayas are made up of three parallel mountain ranges that together extend more than 2,900 kilometers.
Great Barrier Reef – What might be mistaken for dinosaur bones being unearthed at a paleontological dig are some of the individual reefs that make up the Great Barrier Reef, the world’s largest tropical coral reef system. The reef stretches more than 2,000 kilometers (1,240 miles) along the coast of Queensland, Australia. It supports astoundingly complex and diverse communities of marine life and is the largest structure on the planet built by living organisms.
The Sea in Bloom – Algae on Florida’s Coast – The red tide, produced by the harmful algal blooms, are returning more often now, engulfing the beautiful creatures of the waters.
Bolivian Deforestation – Once a vast carpet of healthy vegetation, the Amazon rainforest is changing rapidly. This image of Bolivia shows dramatic deforestation in the Amazon Basin. Loggers have cut long paths into the forest, while ranchers have cleared large blocks for their herds. Fanning out from these clear-cut areas are settlements built in radial arrangements of fields and farms. Healthy vegetation appears bright red in this image.
Embracing the Sun – The beautiful picture shows the solar panels covering the land of Butler, Georgia where people are preparing to embrace the future of clean, renewable energy.
Earth Selfie – The tendency to recognize human faces in things that are not human is common. Can you see the eye, nose, and mouth in this satellite image of Morocco? The face captured in this “Earth Selfie” appears to be quietly watching over the waters just off its coast. The city of Agadir is underneath the chin, and the irrigated farms of the Souss Valley appear in red.
