Internal waves are waves that travel within the interior of a fluid. The
waves propagate at the interface or boundary between two layers with sharp
density differences, such as temperature. They occur wherever strong tides
or currents and stratification occur in the neighborhood of irregular
topography. They can propagate for several hundred kilometers. The ASTER
false-color VNIR image off the island of Tsushima in the Korea Strait
shows the signatures of several internal wave packets, indicating a
northern propagation direction.
With its 14 spectral bands from the visible to the thermal infrared
wavelength region, and its high spatial resolution of 15 to 90 meters
(about 50 to 300 feet), ASTER images Earth to map and monitor the changing
surface of our planet.
ASTER is one of five Earth-observing instruments launched December 18,
1999, on NASA's Terra satellite. The instrument was built by Japan's
Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. A joint U.S./Japan science team
is responsible for validation and calibration of the instrument and the
data products.
The broad spectral coverage and high spectral resolution of ASTER provides
scientists in numerous disciplines with critical information for surface
mapping, and monitoring of dynamic conditions and temporal change. Example
applications are: monitoring glacial advances and retreats; monitoring
potentially active volcanoes; identifying crop stress; determining cloud
morphology and physical properties; wetlands evaluation; thermal pollution
monitoring; coral reef degradation; surface temperature mapping of soils
and geology; and measuring surface heat balance.
The U.S. science team is located at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory,
Pasadena, Calif. The Terra mission is part of NASA's Science Mission
Directorate.
Size: 60 by 120 kilometers (37.2 by 74.4 miles)
Location: 34.6 degrees North latitude, 129.5 degrees East longitude
Orientation: North at top
Image Data: ASTER bands 3, 2, and 1
Original Data Resolution: 90 meters (295 feet)
Dates Acquired: July 4, 2000
