Our Green Marble
June 21, 2013 9:45 AM Subscribe
NOAA and NASA visualize a green planet. The amazing maps of Earth's vegetation highlight areas where plant life is the densest and barest... (Space.com). They have an interactive map too!
Courtesy of the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership satellite (photos).
Bonus link: the Black Marble, a December 2012 Suomi NPP visualization of the Earth at night (previously).
Courtesy of the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership satellite (photos).
Bonus link: the Black Marble, a December 2012 Suomi NPP visualization of the Earth at night (previously).
Any idea how much of that "vegitation" is agricultural and how much is forest/jungle/wilds?
Not exactly what you're looking for, since obviously this isn't counting new wild-grown spaces, but...
Not exactly what you're looking for, since obviously this isn't counting new wild-grown spaces, but...
According to the World Resources Institute, as of January 2009, only 21% of the original old-growth forests that once existed on earth are remaining. It is estimated that one half of Western Europe's forests were cleared before the Middle Age, and that 90% of the old-growth forests that existed in the contiguous United States in the 1600s have been cleared. [wikipedia]posted by phunniemee at 10:12 AM on June 21, 2013
they missed the phytoplankton
posted by wikipedia brown boy detective at 10:20 AM on June 21, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by wikipedia brown boy detective at 10:20 AM on June 21, 2013 [2 favorites]
Not exactly what you're looking for
Sorry, to clarify, the colors don't seem to distinguish between lush agricultural lands and lush wildlands. The seasonal changes could be intensity of agriculture or deciduous trees. I was just wondering how much wilds there are left.
posted by The 10th Regiment of Foot at 10:38 AM on June 21, 2013
Sorry, to clarify, the colors don't seem to distinguish between lush agricultural lands and lush wildlands. The seasonal changes could be intensity of agriculture or deciduous trees. I was just wondering how much wilds there are left.
posted by The 10th Regiment of Foot at 10:38 AM on June 21, 2013
Can't link to the views directly, but, for example, centre the map on the Mississippi up to Chicago. There's a notable depletion of green all up and down the valley, at the end of lake Michigan and again in the Detroit areas.
Similarly, in China, there are much, much lighter spots all around the Bohai Sea (Beijing and surrounds) and near Guangzho/Hong Kong. Shanghai is reduced as well.
posted by bonehead at 10:50 AM on June 21, 2013
Similarly, in China, there are much, much lighter spots all around the Bohai Sea (Beijing and surrounds) and near Guangzho/Hong Kong. Shanghai is reduced as well.
posted by bonehead at 10:50 AM on June 21, 2013
Sugarcane is the world's largest crop. In 2010, FAO estimates it was cultivated on about 23.8 million hectares, in more than 90 countries, with a worldwide harvest of 1.69 billion tons.
posted by sneebler at 12:08 PM on June 21, 2013
posted by sneebler at 12:08 PM on June 21, 2013
With regard to the night visualization of North America, could someone help me out with something?
Despite the fact that I lived in Austin for eight years, I cannot figure out what that arc of lights just south of San Antonio is. It looks like it runs roughly from Carrizo Springs to Yoakum. I can identify all the cities to the west, south, and east of it (Piedras Negras, Laredo, Corpus Christi, Victoria) and it's not them. On the map, there's not really any towns there — nothing like that density of lights, anyway.
posted by Ivan Fyodorovich at 2:33 PM on June 21, 2013
Despite the fact that I lived in Austin for eight years, I cannot figure out what that arc of lights just south of San Antonio is. It looks like it runs roughly from Carrizo Springs to Yoakum. I can identify all the cities to the west, south, and east of it (Piedras Negras, Laredo, Corpus Christi, Victoria) and it's not them. On the map, there's not really any towns there — nothing like that density of lights, anyway.
posted by Ivan Fyodorovich at 2:33 PM on June 21, 2013
"Ivan, something to do with the arc of active oil wells that this map shows?"
There is a similarity/overlap. Thanks!
posted by Ivan Fyodorovich at 5:10 PM on June 21, 2013
There is a similarity/overlap. Thanks!
posted by Ivan Fyodorovich at 5:10 PM on June 21, 2013
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posted by The 10th Regiment of Foot at 10:00 AM on June 21, 2013 [1 favorite]