MISR images of tropical northern Australia acquired on June 1, 2000
(Terra orbit 2413) during the long dry season. Left: color composite of
vertical (nadir) camera blue, green, and red band data. Right: multi-angle
composite of red band data only from the cameras viewing 60 degrees
aft, 60 degrees forward, and nadir. Color and contrast have been
enhanced to accentuate subtle details. In the left image, color variations
indicate how different parts of the scene reflect light differently at blue,
green, and red wavelengths; in the right image color variations show
how these same scene elements reflect light differently at different
angles of view. Water appears in blue shades in the right image, for
example, because glitter makes the water look brighter at the aft
camera's view angle. The prominent inland water body is Lake Argyle,
the largest human-made lake in Australia, which supplies water for the
Ord River Irrigation Area and the town of Kununurra (pop. 6500) just to
the north. At the top is the southern edge of Joseph Bonaparte Gulf; the
major inlet at the left is Cambridge Gulf, the location of the town of
Wyndham (pop. 850), the port for this region. This area is sparsely
populated, and is known for its remote, spectacular mountains and
gorges. Visible along much of the coastline are intertidal mudflats of
mangroves and low shrubs; to the south the terrain is covered by open
woodland merging into open grassland in the lower half of the pictures.
Image Credit: NASA/GSFC/JPL, MISR Science Team
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