Why NASA’s Latest Photo of Alaska is Freaking People Out

[Coyotl]

Rare Clear View of Alaska On most days, relentless rivers of clouds wash over Alaska, obscuring most of the state's 6,640 miles (10,690 kilometers) of coastline and 586,000 square miles (1,518,000 square kilometers) of land. The south coast of Alaska even has the dubious distinction of being the cloudiest region of the United States, with some locations averaging more than 340 cloudy days per year. That was certainly not the case on June 17, 2013, the date that the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA's Terra satellite acquired this rare, nearly cloud-free view of the state. The absence of clouds exposed a striking tapestry of water, ice, land, forests, and even wildfires. Snow-covered mountains such as the Alaska Range and Chugach Mountains were visible in southern Alaska, while the arc of mountains that make up the Brooks Range dominated the northern part of the state. The Yukon River -- the longest in Alaska and the third longest in the United States -- wound its way through the green boreal forests that inhabit the interior of the state. Plumes of sediment and glacial dust poured into the Gulf of Alaska from the Copper River. And Iliamna Lake, the largest in Alaska, was ice free ....

http://www.commondreams.org/view/2013/06/23-1

[daleanime]

1. ........

[bemildred]

2. I understand land is pretty cheap up there still. Won't be for long.

[NoMoreWarNow]

4. yes, should be a much more hospitable place to live in the future

too bad for the wildlife and the planet in general

[NoMoreWarNow]

3. would have been good in the OP to point out exactly why people are freaking out--

GLOBAL WARMING

[Botany]

5. 95 degrees in Fairbanks, AK

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023100120