May, 2007
July, 2007
Figure 1: Alaskan moutain range around Mt. McKinley.
Figure 3: Mountain glaciers from Mt. McKinley. Click to see the larger image (400kB). The actual size of this image from top to bottom is nearly 26km.
Satellite: ALOS
Sensor: AVNIR-2
Observation date: September, 6, 2006
Color: 0.61-0.69ƒÊm as Red, 0.52-0.60ƒÊm as Green, 0.42-0.50ƒÊm as Blue.
Figure 4: The birds-eye view of Figure 1.
Figure 1 shows Alaskan mountain range including Mt. McKinley (red arrow, elevation: 6194m). Figure 2 below is a map of approximately the same area.
Figure 2: Map of the area around Mt. McKinley
The picture was taken by the Advanced Visible and Near Infrared Radiometer-2 (AVNIR-2) on the Advanced Land Observing Satellite (ALOS) "Daichi" on September 6, 2006.
In Figure 3, the enlarged view of the area enclosed by the red square in Figure 1, we can see three great moutain glaciers from Mt. McKinley, whose names are Yentna (left), Lacuna (middle), and Kahiltna (right). The total stream length of the Kahiltna glacier is about 65km. The width of the widest part of the glaciers is about 4km. Alpine plants between the glaciers appear to be brownish in this fall season.
Over an extended period of time, they have run through the Denali National Park, grinding down rocks and the ground. Those fragments painted parallel stripes on the surface of glaciers. It is said that global warming is melting down glaciers in the world. These McKinley glaciers are no exception.
Figure 4 is a birds-eye view of Figure 1, which is created from the image and digital elevation data (GTOPO30). The elevation is amplified by doubling actual numbers.
Majestic mountains in the Denali National Park and glaciers snaking through them are expressed clearly.
