Bahamas from the ISSAstronaut Scott Kelly took this striking photo from the International Space Stat
Bahamas from the ISSAstronaut Scott Kelly took this striking photo from the International Space Station in July. The photo shows part of the coral-based archipelago that makes up The Commonwealth of The Bahamas; it also shows the way currents and sediments move in the area.See those darker streaks of blue water going in between the islands and cays? Those areas are darker because the water channel is deeper than the surrounding area. Strong currents between the islands have helped cut those channels. The Bahamas are influenced by the Antilles Current – a warm water current in the northern hemisphere that flows to the northwest.In the lower right of the photo, sea floor ripples are visible. They show bedload sediment transport - how sediment is moving below the surface of the water. This sediment actually increases flow resistance and turbulence in the water just above the sea floor.REPhoto Credit: NASA Astronaut Scott Kellyhttp://bit.ly/1P1126YReferences: http://bit.ly/1DnGJiPhttp://bit.ly/1KMfwt0http://on.doi.gov/1hg2V4G -- source link
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