Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Hurricane Irma turns lush green Caribbean Islands brown
NASA Earth Observatory ^ | 9/12/2017

Posted on 09/12/2017 9:44:45 AM PDT by cll

Hurricane Irma churned across the Atlantic Ocean in September 2017, battering several Caribbean islands before moving on to the Florida Keys and the U.S. mainland. As the clouds cleared over places like the Virgin Islands, the destruction became obvious even from space.

These natural-color images, captured by the Operational Land Imager (OLI) on the Landsat 8 satellite, show some of Irma’s effect on the British and U.S. Virgin Islands. The views were acquired on August 25 and September 10, 2017, before and after the storm passed. They are among the few relatively cloud-free satellite images of the area so far.

The most obvious change is the widespread browning of the landscape. There are a number of possible reasons for this. Lush green tropical vegetation can be ripped away by a storm’s strong winds, leaving the satellite with a view of more bare ground. Also, salt spray whipped up by the hurricane can coat and desiccate leaves while they are still on the trees.

Irma passed the northernmost Virgin Islands on the afternoon of September 6. At the time, Irma was a category 5 storm with maximum sustained winds of 185 miles (295 kilometers) per hour. According to news reports, the islands saw “significant devastation.”


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: bvi; hurricane; irma; puertorico; usvi; virginislands
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-48 next last
To: knittnmom

St Martin was always Third World, outside of the ports and resorts.


21 posted on 09/12/2017 10:14:30 AM PDT by dfwgator
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 18 | View Replies]

To: Rebelbase

Yep, its a given.


22 posted on 09/12/2017 10:14:50 AM PDT by Jolla
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 13 | View Replies]

To: factoryrat

It was stripped, but the good news is it’ll come back fairly rapidly outside of those areas that were submerged due to overwash and storm surge. All the native coastal plants tend to be very salt and wind-hardy, but they don’t survive submersion in salt water. In a year, you’ll see the wrack line from overwash as dead vegetation, and won’t see much difference at all further inland.


23 posted on 09/12/2017 10:15:16 AM PDT by RegulatorCountry
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 19 | View Replies]

To: cll
"...battering several Caribbean islands before moving on to the Florida Keys and the U.S. mainland."

Perhaps thief slut hillary will donate to the peoples down there some funds for food relief. I'm just positive she can donate the same about that -she donated to ……....Haiti!!!
[...filthy conniving animal she is!!]

24 posted on 09/12/2017 10:15:29 AM PDT by Mr Apple (Bill Clinton and Bernard Schwartz: Missile launches in N Korea....with loral guidance at the ready)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: 2banana

My estimation of such weather catastrophes is that people and the environment is resilient and usually come back stronger. Hurricanes are a very natural cycle of our climate.


25 posted on 09/12/2017 10:16:28 AM PDT by shanover (...To disarm the people is the best and most effectual way to enslave them.-S.Adams)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: Rebelbase

It’s not like they’ve never had hurricanes or that nothing will ever grow back.


26 posted on 09/12/2017 10:17:33 AM PDT by bgill (CDC site, "We don't know how people are infected with Ebola.")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: factoryrat

I agree cannot imagine living in a tropic paradise that looks like west Texas with not a tree in site; lets see pictures in 6 months, bet it is green and lush as can be. Mother earth heals quickly.


27 posted on 09/12/2017 10:17:35 AM PDT by Jolla
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 19 | View Replies]

To: Rebelbase

These are terrible images for comparrison!

The scale and crop is the same, but the light levels and shadow angles are way too far off to compare.

Guess what else looks different. OMG, the water is bluer after Hurricane Irma! How’d it do that???


28 posted on 09/12/2017 10:21:11 AM PDT by z3n
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: Rebelbase

“How do you prepare for brown”

America endured 8 years of a brown mood.


29 posted on 09/12/2017 10:22:32 AM PDT by Bonemaker
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: Mr Apple

If the filthy bitch weren’t too damned stupid, she would show up in devastated areas spending Clinton Foundation money like water for disaster relief and rebuilding.

That might help her in a 2010 run.

But her blind ambition always bangs its head against the iron wall of her boundless greed.


30 posted on 09/12/2017 10:24:06 AM PDT by MrEdd (Caveat Emptor)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 24 | View Replies]

To: dfwgator
St Martin was always Third World, outside of the ports and resorts.

You're not kidding! Our cruise ship had a stop there and after we got off and walked around a bit, I looked around and saw that just a block and a half or so away from the main tourist areas, it looked like a raging violent ghetto. Very sad! So strange to get back to that ship and think about all those poor souls who haven't much food or even happy days and good times. :(

31 posted on 09/12/2017 10:24:52 AM PDT by Mr Apple (Bill Clinton and Bernard Schwartz: Missile launches in N Korea....with loral guidance at the ready)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 21 | View Replies]

To: Mr Apple

Of course this is true of the Caribbean in general, I really have no desire to go back there anytime soon.


32 posted on 09/12/2017 10:26:38 AM PDT by dfwgator
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 31 | View Replies]

To: Rebelbase

“How do you prepare for brown”

America endured 8 years of a brown mood.


33 posted on 09/12/2017 10:29:47 AM PDT by Bonemaker
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: 2banana

“Hurricanes are a fact of life in the Caribbean.

Learn to deal with it and prepare”

I wonder if one could be steered to Chicago?


34 posted on 09/12/2017 10:33:20 AM PDT by Bonemaker
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: firebrand

Wow.

And just sad pictures.

Glad it didn’t hit florida at this strength.


35 posted on 09/12/2017 10:38:03 AM PDT by Black Agnes
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 17 | View Replies]

To: Rebelbase; cll

Wow—that is incredible before and after images.


36 posted on 09/12/2017 10:39:26 AM PDT by NautiNurse (Tear down the Mexican Carrier plant and use the materials to build the wall)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: Rebelbase

It will be back to green again soon ,it always does ,unless they sink


37 posted on 09/12/2017 10:53:35 AM PDT by butlerweave (it's the children are)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: butlerweave

Or tip over.

Snicker.


38 posted on 09/12/2017 10:58:38 AM PDT by LesbianThespianGymnasticMidget (God punishes Conservatives by making them argue with fools. Go Trump!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 37 | View Replies]

To: Rebelbase

yes - and un-naturally!


39 posted on 09/12/2017 11:32:37 AM PDT by smokingfrog ( sleep with one eye open (<o>P ---)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 13 | View Replies]

To: dfwgator
Of course this is true of the Caribbean in general, I really have no desire to go back there anytime soon.

My wife and her two sisters are flying to Spain on Oct. 3rd and getting on a cruise ship for two weeks. I've been trying to tell her that in these times it isn't safe for anyone, let alone an American woman to be in Spain, Italy or France. Just this past week two women at one of the beaches in Spain were beaten and raped right there on the beach...in the day time. Same thing happened to a women visiting a beach in Italy last week. Beat and raped her right there on the beach in broad daylight. Most likely by slippery, slimy nasty arabs. My wife said she and her two sisters would be back on board their ship at each port -by nightfall. [I ask - - -what is she not hearing- - - when I stipulated "…..in broad daylight!"] Whatever…she and her two sisters won't hear a word of it. :( !!!

40 posted on 09/12/2017 11:32:46 AM PDT by Mr Apple (Bill Clinton and Bernard Schwartz: Missile launches in N Korea....with loral guidance at the ready)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 32 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-48 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson