Despite the bay’s calm waters, constant reminders of the city break through.
Published Oct 5, 2017
The historical oasis on the coast of the Arabian Gulf is now an oil industry oasis.
Published Jun 3, 2013
Wild patterns on the water's surface are evidence of the fluid dynamics that occur when fresh river water meets sea water.
Published Aug 20, 2018
Muddy brown water fills Sandusky Bay, just south of Lake Erie in this astronaut photograph. The small city of Sandusky occupies the southeastern shore of the bay. The most striking aspect of this image is the flow of the brown water in and out of the mouth of the bay. Slight movement of lake surface water, driven mainly by wind, causes a small ebb and flow of bay water. Sediment-charged water is derived from agricultural fields along the Sandusky River upstream. Mud plumes in Lake Erie originate from prior pulses of muddy water from the bay. When this image was taken, some clear, lake water (blue-green strip) appeared to be flowing into the bay.
Published Feb 20, 2006
Rising and falling seas and ancient rivers formed a bay lined with the whitest sands in the world.
Published May 11, 2013
Once an important port during World War II, the bay is comprised of a complex delta system that makes it a very scenic and popular tourist destination in Australia.
Published May 30, 2020
An ambitious project in South San Francisco Bay is designed to restore wetlands and marshes, as well as the species that go with them.
Published Feb 11, 2016
While the amount of pollution that wastewater treatment plants contribute to the Bay is declining, the spread of asphalt, pavement, and other impervious surfaces in suburbs and cities is increasing stormwater pollution.
Published Sep 20, 2016
Dissolved organic matter from forests and wetlands stained the water dark brown near Rupert Bay. A similar process darkens tea.
Published Oct 1, 2016
High tides in the funnel-shaped bay are anything but a bore when they collide with river water flowing in the opposite direction.
Published Oct 28, 2019
The stunning scenery in this bay in Montenegro has made it a popular destination for cruises ships.
Published Sep 17, 2017
This satellite image of Tampa Bay on the western coast of Florida, shows just how close people have come to living on the “ends of the Earth.”
Published Aug 14, 2004
Ships, airplanes, and satellites all play a role in monitoring Chesapeake water quality, algae blooms, and dead zones.
Published Nov 2, 2016
Seven Island Bay (left side of the image) is one of the largest and best-protected harbors on Quebec’s north shore of the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Because this is both a deep-water port and ice-free year round, Sept-Îles is one of Quebec’s busiest ports. Locally produced materials (iron ore, alumina) comprise the bulk of port traffic, but Sept-Îles also acts as a trans-shipment point for goods moving to Europe, the Far East, and South America.
Published Jun 27, 2005
Galveston Island has alternately been a home to Native Americans, a base for Mexico’s rebellion against Spain, a pirate kingdom, a sea port, and even the capital of the Republic of Texas. In September 1900, the city was largely destroyed by a powerful hurricane. This storm damage, combined with construction of the Houston Ship Channel and discovery of oil in eastern Texas, shifted the center of trade northwest to Houston. This astronaut photograph shows some of the human impacts in Galveston that are easily observed from the vantage point of low-Earth orbit. The city of Galveston dominates the eastern half of Galveston Island, appearing as the gray-white region at center right. A large seawall along the Gulf of Mexico—shown here along the southern coastline of Galveston Island—protects most of the city. To the west of Galveston, coastal wetlands are largely submerged by regional subsidence—sinking of the land as a result of ground water withdrawal by the petrochemical industry of Houston and Texas City.
Published Nov 27, 2006
