SPACEPHOTOS

Pamlico Sound, North Carolina, USA June 1996 Pamlico Sound, partly visible in this near vertical picture, is a large inlet (dark blue feature) of the Atlantic Ocean that is located along the east coast of North Carolina. The wide mouth of the Pamlico River and the Pungo Estuary are visible near the western edge of the image. The color infrared quality (green vegetation is shown as reddish colors/hues) accentuates landscape features and also helps to map changes in the land-water boundary. The ability to discriminate cultivated field patterns is also enhanced by the color infrared image. Several specific features can be identified: Lake Mattamuskeet (large dark body of water—bottom middle) which is a National Wildlife Refuge and a state highway bridge that crosses the lake; Alligator Lake (smaller, roughly oval-shaped dark feature—bottom right); and the Alligator-Pungo Canal (dark, linear feature—bottom right). A few cumulus clouds (lower right corner) are not to be confused with the lighter-colored cultivated fields (angular patterns).