Bikini Atoll RM - Great Dive Destination If You Don't Mind The Glow
Bikini Atoll - LIIM N-58-10 (1:200,000)
I decided to digitize this atoll because the Landsat Island Image Mosaic is cloud-free and it has a certain amount of notiriety connected with nuclear weapons testing and population displacement. As a youngster, I watched rebroadcasts of one of the blasts on TV. It was probably the Bravo blast, the one that left the big hole in the northwest portion of the reef.
The islanders are still displaced. It seems they tried to reestablish themselves back in the 70's. After awhile they were beginning to glow (figuratively speaking). They were taken off of their home and scattered onto other islands. Now, tourists are allowed to visit, along with divers and fishermen. The island and it's waters have been deemed safe for short stays. Just don't drink the groundwater, eat the coconuts, land crabs or fish. One advantage if you stay for a long time - you won't need a lantern at night, your radioactive glow will provide sufficient illumination. Just a joke. I know that folks earning their livelihood from tourists, divers and fishermen will resent my "glow" remarks. I apologize to them. But, the U.S. military screwed up when they blasted holes in this atoll. 60-years later, I still say, "Shame on you."
Bikini Atoll - EVS Precision Map (1:200,000)
Enough about my personal gripes. The EVS precision map of Bikini Atoll was a fairly fast project to complete. The digitizing took 8-hours over a period of 2 days. The map assembly and posting has taken another 2-hours. 10-hours from start to finish for an island of this size is good. The reef, thank goodness, was relatively simple to digitize. Some reefs are quite complex and require many layers of information. This reef consists primarily of three layers - EVS Reef Shallow, EVS Reef Middle and EVS Reef Deep. They are distinguished by their respective shades of blue. The majority of the lagoon is classified as EVS Reef Deep. I used only a single vegetation layer, EVS Vegetation Mixed (Hi-Lo). I use this classification on most Landsat imaged islands with a mixture of palms and other trees along with shrubs and low-lying plants. When I am able to study a DigitalGlobe hi-res image along with the Landsat, I am able to make better vegetation layer classifications.
I still have work remaining on this project - EVS Reef Awash where visible waves appear along the outer reef and confirmation of individual motu names When I am satisfied with the outcome, I will repost the map. Until then...
Enjoy!
Labels: DigitalGlobe, EVS Precision, Global Mapper, Landsat ETM+, LIIM
love your sight, info is well thought out and very useful.
too bad you often inject your political rants - you site, your business - but "Shame on you."
Posted by
Anonymous |
1/11/2009 04:37:00 PM
Dear Anonymous,
You are right "My site, my business." However, I disagree with the "Shame on you" comment.
In my study of islands, I frequently encounter situations concerning the well-being of islands and their population. Not always, but occasionally I comment. In my opinion, Bikini Atoll's circumstance is especially onerous. To test a weapon system at the expense of an island and it's population is wrong. To consider the home of the Bikini islanders less important than the refinement of nuclear weapons that we never want to use again, seems to have been a poor decision. Less harmful, but still objectionable, would have been to conduct all nuclear tests underground at our Nevada proving grounds.
And what did we learn from these island destroying tests? That we never what to use these awesome weapons carelessly. That blasting them above ground creates a long-term, highly dangerous consequence. Bikini Atoll's nuclear tests were a terrible price to pay to discover the obvious, that these weapons are bad news.
Thanks for visiting my site and I'll try to keep my rants to a minimum.
Posted by
Mr Minton |
1/11/2009 05:15:00 PM