Natural and Artificial Habitat: Habitat From Space Slideshow Main topics: Reading satellite and aerial images Artificial vs. natural habitats

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!

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!

Here is one good clue for recognizing artificial habitat: simple 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!

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?

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?

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?

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!

So, we have seen a very artificial place and a very natural one. This picture is in between. It is 50 miles across, and plants look red. What is it? Do those look like natural patterns?

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.

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?

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?

Here is 17 years of deforestation in nearby Brazil; watch the roads, farms, and cities move into forest.

Here is a different scene, about 4.5 miles across. Again, plants look red. What do you make of it?

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.

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?

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.

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?

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.

The last picture is a very different one! You know where this is! But what does it show?

This was taken at night to look at artificial lights. Look closer at the continental United States; you can see cities, and even major roads. This is just about the clearest sign of civilization.

OK, that's it! Thanks for sharing! See you soo-oon! Credits >>

USGS ISS NASA DOE NSF Photo Credits