NASA Photos of National Parks from Space
OutdoorHub Reporters 06.10.12
You can find many scenic views in just about all American national and state parks. But what do they look like from space? This compilation shows off some of the most fascinating images of national parks across the globe.
Death Valley National Park is located east of the Sierra Nevada in California and Nevada. The park protects the Northwest corner of the Mojave Desert. Death Valley has become famous for being one of the hottest places on earth.
The above image was compiled from observations by the Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus sensor on the Landsat 7 satellite between June 11 and July 20, 2000. In this image, green indicates vegetation. Various shades of brown, beige, and rust indicate bare ground and the blue-green patches are salt pans that very limited amounts of moisture.
Isle Royale National Park is part of Michigan. The largest island in Lake Superior, it is over 45 miles long and 9 miles wide at it widest point. The park consists of Isle Royale itself and 400 smaller islands.
Jau National Park is located in Brazil and is the largest forest reserve in South America (over 5.6 million acres). Entry to the park is restricted and requires express permission from the Brazilian government. The park houses jaguars, Amazonian manatees, and Amazon river dolphins among many other species of plants and animals.
The above image was also compiled by the Landsat 7’s Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus sensor.
Tassili n’Ajjer National Park is a mountain range in the Algerian portion of the Sahara Desert. One long plateau covers an area of over 44,000 square miles.
The above image was also made in 2000 from observation of the Landsat 7 satellite. A combination of near infrared, infrared, and and visible light were used to distinguish between the many rock types in the park. Sand appears as yellow and tan. Granite rocks appear as brick red and blues are likely to be salts.
Torres del Paine National Park in Chile contains mountains, a lake, river-rich areas, and Grey Glacier shown above. Grey Glacier is located in the Southern Patagonian Ice Field and flows toward a lake.
