• The Water Planet: Viewed from space, the most striking feature of our planet is the water, covering 75% of the Earth’s surface. This detailed, photo-like view of Earth is based largely on observations from MODIS, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer, on NASA’s Terra satellite, at an altitude of 440 miles (709 kilometers).
• Image Credit: NASA Last Updated: Aug 7, 2017 Editor: NASA Content Administrator

Blue Planet (for Earth Day)

Look how blue our planet appears,
four hundred forty miles in space.
But viewing it up close it seems,
like an entirely different place.

All oceans look blue that far away,
giving Earth its Blue Planet name.
Unfortunately, when zooming in,
reality is not always the same.

Algal blooms of red and green,
are visible around the globe.
Although they add a splash of color,
theirs is a grizzly tale foretold.

Everything runs downstream,
with oceans the end of the line.
Phosphorus and chemicals enter
via the river highways all the time.

Exponential growth of cyanobacteria,
uses all available oxygen as its grows.
Resulting in death below the surface,
the total impact – no one knows.

Although the surface is 75% water,
it couldn’t dissolve the crap that came.
Each year Earth’s situation worsens,
only its inhabitants are to blame.

Water is necessary for all life forms–
yours, and mine, and others.
Let’s take care of our supply,
before all life is smothered.

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• Lake Erie Algal Bloom: Seen from space, large numbers of cyanobacteria look like swaths or patches of green in a body of water – like this algal bloom in Lake Erie captured by Landsat 8 on Sep. 26, 2017.
• Image Credit: Joshua Stevens / NASA Earth Observatory using Landsat 8 data from the U.S. Geological Survey

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Shared with the earthweal Earth Day challenge