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Here are some Earth pollution pictures. You can make any of these images into your computer desktop wallpaper. Just click on an image to enlarge it, and then choose “Set as Desktop Background”.
Oil Spill Near Beirut
Here’s a picture of the effects of the oil spill along the coast of Beirut in Lebanon. This photo was taken by the GeoEye’s IKONOS sensor on on August 5, 2006. The oil spill was caused by the damage in the Jiyyeh Power Station which happened in mid-July 2006.
Mexico City, Mexico November 1985
This image of Mexico City, unlike the other satellite images featured in Universe Today, is not so much pleasing to the eye due to the pollution clearly depicted in the image. This image was taken during the STS-61B mission to the International Space Station on November 1985.
Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill Observed From the International Space Station
Here’s a view of the oil spill that occurred in the Gulf of Mexico on April 20, 2010. The crew member of the Expedition 23 mission took this photo on May 4, 2010 from the International Space Station. The oil spill was caused by the explosion of the oil rig Deepwater Horizon.
Pollution over China Blows out to Sea
Here’s an image of pollution in China’s atmosphere. This photo was taken by the Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFS). As seen in the photo, the haze from eastern China blows out towards Japan through the East China Sea and the Korean peninsula.
Three Gorges Dam, China
This image of the Three Gorges Dam located in the Yangtze River was taken on April 15, 2009 by an astronaut from the International Space Station during the Expedition 19 mission. Issues on water pollution were raised during the implementation of the dam project before it was completed in 2006.
We have written many articles about Earth pollution for Universe Today. Here’s an article about light pollution, and here’s an article about what air pollution is.
If you’d like more info on Earth pollution, check out NASA’s Oil Planet: Oil Pollution. And here’s a link to NASA’s Earth Observatory.
We’ve also recorded an episode of Astronomy Cast all about planet Earth. Listen here, Episode 51: Earth.
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