Displaying Alaska's Unique Features as Art
The idea is to show the power of satellite images in understanding a landform, event, or changes on earth surface.
Introduction
We have identified geologic features from Alaska and used satellite/airborne images to turn them into art. The goal is to raise awareness of Alaska’s dynamic landforms, the climatic and geologic processes that continue to shape the landform, and use of satellite earth observation in monitoring and understanding the landform processes and climate change risks and effects. Satellite images of dynamic landforms are instructive and generally beautiful to look at so they offer an aesthetic engagement. False-color satellite images portray the landforms as a tapestry of evocative shapes, forms and textures, and when fused with a hillshade model they accentuate a landform’s grandeur and uniqueness. We have identified images depicting eight unique geologic landforms of Alaska, and edited and fused those images with hillshade models to enhance the color, texture and 3D perspective of the landforms to turn the images into beautiful educational art.
Objectives
- Promote the use of publicly available satellite images for education and art.
- Help our audience grasp the geologic concepts like volcanic landforms, glacier recession, permafrost polygonal ground, river and coastal erosion, and wind deposition in Alaska.
- Spread awareness of satellite remote sensing technology and its applications in earth observation, applied research, and societal well-being.
- Reach diverse audiences through A3 exhibition to raise awareness of climate change risks and effects on ecosystem health and societal well-being.
Outreach to public
The Yukon River is the longest river in Alaska: 1,980 miles (3,190 km) long. From its source in British Columbia, Canada, it flows through Canada’s territory of Yukon and continues westwards through Alaska. It empties into the Bering Sea at the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta.
- Landsat 8 Satellite Image (Source: USGS)
- Image Acquisition Date: 29 July 2014
Thermokarst lakes in the Alaskan coastal plain. A thermokarst lake also called tundra lake refers to a body of freshwater, usually shallow, that is formed in a depression formed by thawing ice-rich permafrost. Thermokarst lakes tend to form and disappear in a cyclical manner, resulting in a predictable life cycle. Continued thawing of the permafrost substrate can lead to the drainage and eventual disappearance of thermokarst lakes, formed in response to a warming climate.
- Landsat 8 Satellite Image (Source: USGS)
- Image Acquisition Date: 27 August 2020
The tongue of the Malaspina Glacier, the largest glacier in Alaska, fills most of this image. The Malaspina lies west of Yakutat Bay and covers 1,500 sq mi (3,880 sq km).
- Landsat 7 Satellite Image (Source: USGS)
- Image Acquisition Date:
Augustine is a 1260 meter tall, cone shaped volcano built from alternating layers of ash, lava and rock fragments. It has historically been the most active volcano in the Cook Inlet area experiencing eruptions throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. This volcano experienced some unrest in December 2005.
- Landsat 8 Satellite Image (Source: USGS)
- Image Acquisition Date: 26 September 2021
The st. Michael volcanic field (elevation 715 m) is located on St. Michael and Stuart Islands in western Alaska. It contains 55 cones and craters including low broad shield volcanoes. It is considered part of the Bering sea volcanic province. Mountains in this volcanic field erupted sometime within the last 3000 years.
- Sentinel 2 Satellite Image (Source: USGS)
- Image Acquisition Date: 8 July 2022
Sea ice is frozen ocean water which could survive through several melt seasons. Thickness of sea ice depends upon weather condition. New sea ice grows faster but are vulnerable to climate change. More than 70 percent of Arctic sea ice is now seasonal. This grows in the winter and melts in the summer, but doesn't last from year to year. Due to global warming, thickness of sea ice is decreasing leading to rise of sea level which is a serious matter of concern.
- Sentinel 2 Satellite Image (Source: USGS)
- Image Acquisition Date:
Location Map
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Project Members
Dr. Santosh Panda, Dr. Nibedita Sinha, Cherissa Duckelow, Sumona Sahoo, Anushree Badola
Acknowledgement
This material is based upon work supported by the U.S. Geological Survey under Grant/Cooperative agreement No. G18AP00077.
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