Credit: NASA/GSFC/MITI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team
This ASTER images was acquired on May 2, 2000 over the North Patagonia Ice Sheet,
Chile near latitude 47 degrees south, longitude 73 degrees west. The image covers 36 x 30 km.
The false color composite displays vegetation in red. The image dramatically shows a single
large glacier, covered with crevasses. A semi-circular terminal moraine indicates that the
glacier was once more extensive than at present. ASTER data are being acquired over hundreds of
glaciers worldwide to measure their changes over time. Since glaciers are sensitive indicators
of warming or cooling, this program can provide global data set critical to understand climate
change.
Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (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 International Trade and Industry. A joint
U.S./Japan science team is responsible for validation and calibration of the instrument
and the data products. Dr. Anne Kahle at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.,
is the U.S. Science team leader; Moshe Pniel of JPL is the project manager. ASTER is the only
high resolution imaging sensor on Terra. The primary goal of the ASTER mission is to obtain
high-resolution image data in 14 channels over the entire land surface, as well as black and
white stereo images. With revisit time of between 4 and 16 days, ASTER will provide the
capability for repeat coverage of changing areas on Earth's surface.
The broad spectral coverage and high spectral resolution of ASTER will provide scientists
in numerous disciplines with critical information for surface mapping, and monitoring 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.
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