Issue 130: Coral Reefs + Steel Motherboard + Wildfires + Blue Holes + Plumes + Salt Lake
In this week’s issue:
- Coral reefs from orbit
- A steel factory in South Korea
- Wildfires in California
- Blue holes from the past
- Sediment plumes in Indonesia
- Salt lake in Argentina
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Feature Story: Coral Reefs
There’s only one thing more frightening than an ocean filled with large predators, and it’s an ocean filled with nothing living at all. Just because we may not like everything that swims in the deep (we’re looking at you, blobfish) doesn’t mean we don’t support every being that calls the ocean their home. Unfortunately, warmer temperatures are bleaching Earth’s corals at an alarming rate and placing these aquatic bio-hotspots in danger.
Coral reefs show up in satellite imagery as bright spots in contrast to the deeper, darker water around them. They’re living structures that support 25% of marine life despite covering less than 1% of Earth’s surface. Coral reefs are like the rainforests of the ocean: biodiverse, critically important for global ecosystems, and overall rather wet. And satellites provide a key dataset that helps protect them both. Check that out if you’re interested or simply enjoy the pleasing hues and striking blues of a few coral reefs across the Earth.
What in the World: Steel Factory
South Korea has given the phrase “give ’em steel” a whole new meaning. Gwangyang Steel Works is the largest steel facility in the world with a jaw dropping view from space. As one Redditor pointed out, it looks like a computer chip or circuit board.
In the News: California Wildfire
A series of wildfires fueled by summer heat and dry winds broke out across 20,000 acres of California this past weekend. The Post Fire, imaged here on June 16th, is the largest and located just 60 miles northwest of Los Angeles.
The red line seen in the image above isn’t actually the wildfire but fire retardant: a chemical trail designed to slow the spread of fire that’s often applied aerially ahead of its movement. The image below from the Willow Fire in 2021 shows recently applied retardant and the plane that likely dropped it flying away.
Remote Sensations: Blue Holes
It turns out digging holes at the beach is a universal pastime. And not just a recent one either. As ice caps expanded and sea level fell during the last ice age, freshwater eroded cavities over limestone surfaces. Some of these expanded to incredible size and carved out cave systems and caverns — until the ice age ended and filled the sinkholes with sea water. The contrast between the dark and lighter blues reveals just how deep the water goes.
Remote Sensations: Sediment Plumes
Ever seen a river that reminded you of a factory? Us neither. But these plumes of sediment emerging from different waterways in Borneo are fairly reminiscent of smokestacks.
Snap of the Week: Salt Lake
One of our favorite games here at Snapshots is scrolling around the Atacama’s salt lakes and sharing what we find. It’s especially fun because you can’t lose, so here’s a new favorite spot.
All imagery Ⓒ 2024 Planet Labs PBC
Editor: Ryder Kimball | Images: Ryder Kimball, Max Borrmann, Julian Peschel, and Maarten Lambrechts
