This photo was taken from the International Space Station by Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield, commander of Expedition 35. He posted several photos on May 5 to his Twitter account showing how the springtime water flows in the Great Lakes. Lakes Huron, Erie and Ontario are featured in the photo above.

The heavy flooding that struck Michigan this month is evident in these photos from NASA’s Earth Observatory. The photos, taken from NASA’s Terra satellite, show the Saginaw River on the east side of the state and the Grand River as it flows west from the center of the state toward Lake Michigan on April 5 and April 21. A comparison of the photos shows a much-widened Grand River and major flooding conditions on the Saginaw River near the city of Saginaw, according to the NASA report. The National Weather Service …

The Great Lakes appear through the clouds in this photo taken from the International Space Station by Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield. He posted it recently on his Twitter account  as part of a social media campaign to promote his team’s mission. Hadfield is the commander of Expedition 35, marking the first time a Canadian astronaut has been in command of the station, according to the Canadian Space Agency.

The Gulf of St. Lawrence, the outlet of the Great Lakes into the Atlantic Ocean, is building toward its annual peak accumulation of sea ice, according to a recent photograph captured from NASA’s Aqua satellite.
According to NASA, each year, the amount of frozen seawater, known as sea ice, in the Arctic Ocean builds from September through February or March as surface air temperatures drop below freezing. As it reaches the peak of its expansion, it begins to form in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
Sea ice typically forms in layers, with …

The drought plaguing the country continues to sap the groundwater and soil water of the Great Lakes region, according to new NASA satellite data.
The two maps, constructed using data from NASA’s Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment satellites, show low near-surface and subterranean water levels across the region between January 8 and 14, 2013. These satellites have been used to examine surface soil and ground water levels since they were launched in 2002.
While not as low as some areas of the southeast or west, much of the region remains below the …

 
A composite map of the Great Lakes produced by NOAA’s CoastWatch organization shows near-historic low ice coverage across the region.
The map, known as the Great Lakes Surface Environmental Analysis, is a composite of data taken from NOAA satellites orbiting the earth’s poles and radar scans of the lakes by the National Ice Center. The resulting image shows surface water temperature and ice coverage, important data for region scientists, fishermen and boaters. The map’s data is updated daily.
“Previously, the lowest ice coverage year was 2002,” CoastWatch manager George Leshkevich said. “2012 …

This map of the nation’s groundwater uses data from gravity-sensing satellites.

The unique characteristics of the Great Lakes region may throw it a bit off.

That makes it harder to explain – and even more fascinating.

Sun glints off the surface of Lake Ontario in the lower right corner of this image taken recently by astronauts on board the International Space Station.
The mirror-like effect is known appropriately as sunglint.
NASA’s Earth Observatory reports the picture was taken when the station was over southeast Nova Scotia and about 740 miles from the centerpoint of the image.
From this perspective you can see Lake Huron’s Saginaw and Georgian bays above and to the right of Lake Ontario, and the Finger Lakes of New York to its left.
Sunglint also highlights Lake …