From ASTER Images
College Fjord is located in Prince Williams Sound, east of Seward Alaska. In this 20 by 24 km (12 by 15 miles) sub-scene, acquired June 24, 2000, the northern end of the fjord is depicted in visible and near infrared bands. Vegetation is in red, and snow and ice are white and blue. Icebergs calved off of the glaciers can be seen as white dots in the water. At the head of the fjord Harvard Glacier (left) is one of the few advancing glaciers in the area, dark streaks on the glacier are medial moraines: rock and dirt that indicate the incorporated margins of merging glaciers. Yale Glacier to the right is retreating, exposing (now vegetated) bedrock where once there was ice. On the west edge of the fjord, several small glaciers enter the water. This fjord is a favorite stop for cruise ships plying Alaska's inland passage.
The 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. 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.
Image Title: ASTER Views College Fjord, AK
Target Name: Earth
Spacecraft: ASTER
Credit: NASA/GSFC/MITI/ERSDAC/JAROS and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team
Back to Earth photographs index.
Last Modified On: Saturday, December 16, 2000