EarthView–Earth Science Beauty Revealed Within Great Smoky Mountains
USGS EarthView of the Week
Four Seasons, Four Beautiful Views of Great Smoky Mountains National Park
EarthViews is a continuing series in which we share a USGS Image of the Week featuring the USGS/NASA Landsat program. From the artistry of Earth imagery to natural and human-caused land change over time, check back every Friday to finish your week with a visual flourish!
The EarthView: Beauty of Earth Science Revealed Within Great Smoky Mountains
Description:
Earth Science reminds us that the study of Earth and its biological processes can occur anywhere—whether we realize it or not. An easy way to appreciate science is illustrated in these images vividly portraying the life cycle of vegetation and displaying seasonal change at an area within the Great Smoky Mountains National Park along the Tennessee—North Carolina border.
Earth's constant biological changing resonates in a revolving gallery of seasonal brushstrokes across the park's landscape. The vibrant green of forest life explodes as trees still dormant in April awaken and reach full bloom by the time summer stretches into September in these false-color images from Landsat 8's Operational Land Imager.
By late October, senescence has begun—trees brushed in autumn colors start to shed their leaves. While the dark green of coniferous forests remains constant, as it does all year, the start of winter in December ushers back the pink hues of nature in slumber, surrounded by leafless, dormant deciduous trees.
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