June 21st, 2012 Category: Mountains

China - January 9th, 2012

This wide-swath ASAR image shows Hainan (below, right), the smallest province of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). The name “Hainan” also refers to Hainan Island, the main island of the province. Hainan is located in the South China Sea, separated from Guangdong’s Leizhou Peninsula to the north by the shallow and narrow Qiongzhou Strait. The size of Hainan Island (32,900 km2 (12,700 sq mi) constitutes 97% of the entire province. To the west of Hainan Island is the Gulf of Tonkin. Wuzhi Mountain (1,840 m) is the highest mountain on the island.

Tags: China Gulf of Tonkin Hainan Hainan Island Leizhou Peninsula Qiongzhou Strait Wuzhi Mountain | Comments |

December 14th, 2011 Category: Image of the day, Vegetation Index

Southeast Asia - December 12th, 2011

This FAPAR image shows the vegetation of Southeast Asia, including parts of China and China’s Hainan Island, Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Myanmar. Photosynthetic activity is generally good (green) throughout the image.

The vegetation index is highest (rusty red) at the base of the Malay Peninsula at in the lower left corner and in the mountainous region in the upper left quadrant. It is lowest (yellow) in central and eastern Thailand.

Tags: Cambodia China FAPAR Hainan Laos Malay Peninsula Myanmar Thailand Vietnam | Comments |

October 5th, 2011 Category: Tropical Storms

Tropical Depression Nalgae (22W) - October 5th, 2011

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Track of TD 22W

Tropical Depression Nalgae (22W), located approximately 180 nautical miles southeast of Hanoi, Vietnam, has tracked southwest at 6
knots over the past six hours.

Maximum significant wave height is 14 feet. Since passing the Philippines, the system has posed a threat to Vietnam and southeastern China.

On October 3, the National Marine Environmental Forecasting Center of China upgraded the rainstorm alert for Typhoon Nalgae to the orange level, the second-highest alert level in the country’s four-level rainstorm alert system, reporting that a number of tidal stations off the provinces of Hainan, Guangdong and Fujian would experience tides beyond the ordinary safety levels.

According to the agency, Nalgae, the third tropical cyclone to have affected the region in a short span of just 10 days, can bring about many problems, as strong winds and heavy rain had caused severe damage to some water projects in those regions and consumed large quantities of flood control materials.

Tags: 22W China Fujian Guangdong Hainan Hanoi Nalgae Quiel Tropical Depression Vietnam | Comments |

October 3rd, 2011 Category: Image of the day, Tropical Storms

Typhoon Nalgae (22W) - October 3rd, 2011

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Track of TY 22W

Typhoon Nalgae (22W),
(PAGASA name: Quiel) is an active tropical cyclone that affected the Philippines and poses a threat to Hainan, China and later Vietnam. Nalgae was the ninth typhoon and the fourth super typhoon in 2011.

The system has since weakened to a tropical storm, and is currently located approximately 495 nm east-southeast of Hanoi, Vietnam, has tracked west-northwestward at 07 knots over the past six hours. Maximum significant wave height is 25 feet.

Tags: 22W China Hainan Hanoi Nalgae Philippines Tropical Storm Typhoon Vietnam | Comments |