Tampa Bay, Florida

Credit: NASA Image by Robert Simmon, based on Landsat data provided by the UMD, Posted on: Saturday, 14 August 2004, 06:00 CDT Download full size image

In many low-lying coastal cities around the world, people have pushed development right out to the water’s edge. On most days, such closeness to the water is a pleasure, even a luxury. But when hurricanes and tropical storms approach, it’s a different story. People can evacuate themselves, but they can’t take their homes, airports, or roadways with them. The damage to development by flooding, winds, and storm surges can be severe. This Landsat satellite image of Tampa Bay on the western coast of Florida, shows just how close people have come to the ends of the Earth. A cluster of cities encircles the western and northern portions of the Bay in a mosaic of gray, green and white. The peninsula in the left half of the scene is covered by St. Petersburg (southern portion) and Clearwater (northern portion) and their suburbs, which appear to have merged the entire area into one large city.

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