Earth Observations taken by the Expedition 16 Crew

ISS016-E-022772 (11 Jan. 2008) --- Perth, Australia is featured in this image photographed by an Expedition 16 crewmember on the International Space Station (ISS). Perth is the capital of the state of Western Australia, and the largest city of the southwestern continent of Australia with an estimated population of over 1.5 million (December 2006). The downtown area of Perth and the surrounding suburbs are located on flood plain deposits of the Swan and Canning Rivers that flow through the center of the metropolitan area. Perth enjoys a Mediterranean climate, where the summers are hot and dry and winters are cool and moist. Wildfires can develop during the summer months; several large fires threatened the eastern portion of the metropolitan area in 2005. This view captures variations in urban land cover in the visible wavelengths to which the human eye is sensitive (visible red, green, and blue). The downtown center of Perth at left is characterized by large buildings (such as skyscrapers) with white reflective rooftops. Suburbs to the south (across the Swan River) are characterized by higher density of small buildings with predominantly reddish-purple roofs. Several areas of green vegetation are visible in the image. Parks and golf courses comprised mainly of grass present an even green coloration, while the dense tree canopy of Kings Park appears dark green. Variations in the coloration of the Swan and Canning Rivers is due to sunglint, or light reflected off the water surface back to the observer (in this case, a crewmember onboard the ISS).