Lake Erie algal bloom in July 2015 (left) and wildfires at night (right). The photos are competing against each other in the first round of NASA’s Tournament Earth this year. Images: NASA
By Morgan Linn
Two satellite images from the Great Lakes region are competing in NASA’s annual Tournament Earth competition this year.
Each year, 32 of the top images taken by the Earth Observatory are pitted against each other in a national bracket-style competition. Public votes decide which image will be victorious.
There are four categories: data, art, event and photograph. The two Great Lakes images are facing off in the event bracket. Both images were taken by NASA’s satellite Landsat 8 last year.
The first competitor, titled “Baby, It’s Cold Outside“, is a picture of Lake Erie and Lake Ontario that shows the effects of the deep freeze that swept over the eastern half of the United States in February 2015.
“Baby, It’s Cold Outside” (left) and its competitor “Trio of Hurricanes Over the Pacific Ocean” (right). Images: NASA
The second displays an “Algal Bloom in Lake Erie” that spread across the lake last July. The bloom was much like the harmful bloom that occurred in 2011, posing a threat to fish and drinking water.
The algal bloom image also includes a related picture of Lake St.Clair, but the one of Lake Erie is what people can vote for.
The competition began Feb. 29 and the field will be narrowed down each week until a winner is declared at the beginning of April. You can vote for your favorite images each week and make your own bracket to predict which picture will be the champion.