SPACEPHOTOS

This near-vertical photograph of southern Kuwait, taken 9 months after the oil well fires of Desert Storm were ignited, shows the environmental devastation in the area immediately south of Kuwait City. The black and dark gray areas of the Alburoan Oil Field (large oil field in the center of the photograph) and the smaller Umm Gudair Oil Field to the west show the extent and pattern of environmental degradation caused by the smoke residue from the oil well fires. The interconnected roads and tiny, highly reflective, circular well heads within the Alburoan Field are easily discernible. The prevailing northwest wind direction is easily determined by the orientation of the oil residue stain on the desert and the alignment of the dual airport runways of Kuwait International Airport north of Alburoan and south of Kuwait City. Ground transportation features, such as roads, highways, and grid street patterns, are visible in Kuwait City along the northern edge of the photograph.