PARKS FROM SPACE: ALTERNATIVE VIEWS OF AMERICA’S PARKLANDS USING REMOTE SENSING IMAGERY AND ASTRONAUT PHOTOGRAPHS

Remotely sensed imagery and astronaut photographs give a distinctly alternative and spectacular perspective of some of our continent's most recognizable landscapes – those in America's parklands. Views of National Parks from Space provide a clear link between local geologic setting and regional landscape formation. By coupling views of well known federal lands (i.e., Grand Canyon, Mt. St. Helens) from Space with those from closer to the ground and with maps and cross sections, we can readily distinguish North American physiographic / tectonic provinces (i.e., Colorado Plateau, Cascades) by their surface expression and characterize these regions geologically.

Views of parks from Space present the parklands at scales typically not seen in National Park Geology courses. These views are used to introduce the regional geology of a particular park or set of parks and to provide an effective regional backdrop after details of a park’s geologic setting have been discussed. Questions addressing views are also incorporated into park-specific homework exercises. Regional-scale landforms related to deformation and mountain-building, volcanism, deposition, and erosion are easily observed, interpreted, and contrasted. Associated geologic processes and their modern and ancient large-scale products are beautifully documented. Integrating these views with more typical air and ground photos provides a continuum of scales to observe and study Park geology. Many views are visually stunning as well as educational and, with their aesthetic appeal, serve to enhance student curiosity and interest in Park geology.

Space Shuttle and International Space Station crews supply photographs of Earth’s surface, whereas ASTER, MODIS, Landsat 7 and others provide remotely sensed imagery of the Earth. Increasingly, these alternative park views are being used in USGS websites such as the Cascades Volcano Observatory and published printed materials on parks. Visual resources that catalog views of parks from Space and make them available electronically include NASA’s “Earth Observatory” (http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov) and “The Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth” (http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov) and JPL’s ASTER website (http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov).