Howland Island, Pacific Ocean

Credit: NASA/JSC, Posted on: Wednesday, 5 January 2005, 07:56 CST Download full size image

Howland Island is a United States possession located in the north Pacific between Australia and the Hawaiian Islands. Prior to 1890, organic nitrate (guano) was mined from the island by both the United States and the British. This tiny island (1.6 km2) is currently part of the U.S. National Wildlife Refuge system, and provides nesting areas and forage for a variety of birds and marine wildlife. The island is composed of coral fragments and is surrounded by an active fringing reef. White breakers encircling the island indicate the position of the reef. Astronauts aboard the International Space Station photograph numerous reefs around the world as part of a global mapping and monitoring program. High-resolution images such as this one are used to update geographic maps of reefs and islands, assess the health of reef ecosystems, and calculate bathymetry of the surrounding ocean bottom.

More Images

Mars
Gullies and Flow Features on Crater Wall.This HiRISE image shows a sample of the variety and complexity of processes that may occur on the wa...

---

Universe
The Star Cluster Terzan 5.Peering through the thick dust clouds of our galaxy's central parts (the "bulge") with an amazing am...

---