Latest news with #Landsat8OperationalLandImager
Newsweek
23-04-2025
- Science
- Newsweek
NASA Image Reveals Boston Feature That's 'One of Only Three in the World'
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. NASA Earth Observatory has unveiled a new image of Boston Harbor's drumlin islands, highlighting these rare geological formations—one of only three worldwide—that were carved out by glaciers more than 20,000 years ago. Captured by the Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager on 19 July 2024, the photograph shows an aerial view of the harbor, and the 34 islands and peninsulas that form the National and State park, drawing attention to its historical and cultural importance. The space agency explains that during the Wisconsin Glaciation—which began between 100,000–75,000 years ago and ended about 11,000 years ago—a massive ice sheet, more than one mile thick in places, entirely covered the land that is now occupied by the small islands. As the icy coat melted away, it left behind piles of sediment and glacial debris in hundreds of elongated, streamlined hills known as drumlins, which were later partially submerged by rising sea levels and turned into tiny islands. Today, several of these drumlin islands make up part of the Boston Harbor Islands National and State Park, which works to preserve many distinctive geological, historical, and natural resources in the area. Aerial view of the Boston Harbour drumlins shared by NASA. Aerial view of the Boston Harbour drumlins shared by NASA. NASA Earth Observatory image by Wanmei Liang, using Landsat 8 - OLI According to NASA, these little glacial islands are the only partially submerged drumlin field in North America and one of only three in the world. A similar example can be spotted in Clew Bay, Ireland. According to local folklore, there are about 365 drumlin islands in the Irish site, one for every day of the year. Studying the formation of these islands has given scientists new insights into the role that glaciers have played in shaping many existing land-forms. Jasper Knight, a geoscientist at the University of Witwatersrand, in South Africa, told NASA back in 2016: "Previous ideas of slow, steady advance, or retreat, really don't hold. Glaciers are dynamic." Only four of the Boston Harbor drumlin islands, Deer Island, Nut Island, World's End and Webb Memorial, are accessible by car, while four others, including Spectacle Island, Georges Island, Peddocks Island and Thompson Island are served by seasonal ferries, and several more are accessible by private boat. The drumlin islands feature diverse ecosystems including salt marshes, sandy beaches, sea-grass beds, tidal pools, mudflats, grasslands and hardwood forests—alongside a wide range of wild animals and marine life, including mussels, barnacles and dozens of mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians. They also boast several historical landmarks, including the Boston Lights, America's oldest operating lighthouse, located on Little Brewster Island, open since 1716, and Fort Warren, a civil-war-era fortress on Georges Island. The fort was used as a prison for confederate officers and government officials during the civil war, and it's known for housing confederate vice president Alexander Stephens. Another major historical landmark is Long Wharf, opened in the 1720s, which once served as a hub for Boston's maritime trade, and is now used by recreational boats. Do you have a tip on a science story that Newsweek should be covering? Do you have a question about glacial landforms? Let us know via science@
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Pics show grim reality of devastating floods
Footage from NASA's Earth Observatory has shown the widespread and ongoing flooding affecting Queensland's Channel Country that has ballooned twice the size of Victoria. Triggered by heavy rainfall throughout March, some regions of the state have been inundated with more than a year's worth of rain in the span of one week, leaving small towns submerged and land decimated by extreme flooding. The NASA false-colour imagery shows the impact of the devastating floodwaters between the start and end of March, with Cooper Creek, near the town of Windorah, becoming inundated with intense rain. Images of the widespread damage were first captured by the Landsat 9 Operational Land Imager on March 5, then later by the Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager on March 29. 'In this false-colour image, water appears dark and light blue, bare ground is brown, and vegetation is bright green,' the NASA Earth Observatory website explained. In the week ending March 29, up to 400mm of rain smashed pockets of the state, resulting in some of the highest rain totals in more than 50 years. Leaving a path of destruction, the intense flooding smashed the outback region, leaving residents stranded while they waited for the water levels to recede. In Thargomindah, located in the Shire of Bulloo, the town's temporary levee burst, and 200 residents were forced to sleep in their cars at the town's airstrip. 'It takes long time for (flood levels) to go away, but it is receding,' Alex Edwards, who farms between Quilpie and Thargomindah, told 9News. 'I just feel sorry for those people up the river. 'There's been some devastation and what I've seen, there's fences, there's dams, there's people's livelihoods just been washed down in a matter of days.' While most farmers are yet to survey the damage caused by the intense rainfall and flooding, there has been an estimated 100,000 livestock and animals either missing or dead from the floods. More rain is forecast to be on the way, though the majority of the wet weather will move away from the Channel Country towards the east and the tropics. 'In eastern Queensland, showers and storms have streamed through again in the last 24 hours,' Sky News Weather meteorologist Rob Sharpe said. 'We'll continue to see showers and storms mainly in central and tropical Queensland.' The Bureau of Meteorology has issued major flood warnings for the Cape, Diamantina, Flinders, Georgina, Paroo, Thomson, Barcoo and Warrego rivers. A major flood warning has been issued for the Bulloo river, which was experiencing water levels 'well above' the 1974 records, the bureau said. The floodwater is expected to drain towards Lake Eyre, about 600km southwest of Windorah, over the coming weeks.
