Image:Global Surface Map July.jpg

From Global Warming Art

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Description

Comparison figure for January 2004.

True color composite satellite map of the Earth's surface in July 2004 from NASA's Blue Marble: Next Generation Project. Each pixel appears as it would from directly overhead in the absense of cloud cover. This image and the comparison to January (shown at right) illustrates the significance of seasonal snowfall in affecting the Earth's albedo. Snow covered regions effectively cool the Earth by reflecting sunlight back into space, and hence changes in the range of snow cover can serve to amplify climate changes.

Source: http://visibleearth.nasa.gov/view_rec.php?id=7130

Note: Deep ocean pixels are all filled with a single representative color and most sea ice has been removed.

Copyright

This file is in the public domain because it was created by NASA. NASA copyright policy states that "NASA material is not protected by copyright unless noted". (NASA copyright policy page).