Landsat Image Mosaic Of Antarctica (LIMA)
We all know Santa lives in the North Pole, but now we can see his polar opposite (pardon the pun) as NASA introduces LIMA. The new Landsat Image Mosaic Of Antarctica can be viewed at lima.usgs.gov so everyone can enjoy a shot at the Earth’s bottom.
Working together on this joint effort, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the British Antarctic Survey (BAS), and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), with funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF), created LIMA from more than 1,000 Landsat ETM+ scenes. And let me tell you this place looks icy. Could be a fun ride for snow mobiles or cross country skiers, but I would bundle up if I were you. As you cannot tell from this Earth Satellite Map or even Google Maps, it is cold down there!
Antarctica, or the South Pole, reaches temperatures on the Polar Plateau ranging from -115°F to +6°F; the mean temperature is -56°F. Winter wind-chills can plummet to -148°F. Besides this frigid cold, Antarctica only has precipitation averages of less than 1″ annually. So you won’t need an umbrella! Arctic explorer Ernest Shackleton proclaimed in 1909 “A blinding, shrieking blizzard all day, with the temperature ranging from -60 to -70°F.”
Anywho, on the website you can View LIMA, Download Mosaics and Lansat Scenes, Order USGS Maps, Posters, and Wall Art, Download LIMA Posters, Maps, Browse the Digital Library, Use Interactive Atlas of Antarctic Research, and even locate GIS Resources. As they find out more check out their Newsroom.
