Earth from Space: North Channel | Space

The North Channel, between Northern Ireland and Scotland, is featured in this false-colour radar image from the Copernicus Sentinel-1 mission.

Zoom in to explore this image at its full resolution or click on the circles to learn more.

The North Channel is a strait linking the Irish Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean and spans a width of about 22 km at its narrowest point.

This dual-polarisation image combines information from horizontal and vertical radar pulses. This processing technique helps to distinguish different types of surface, thereby providing detailed information.

Here, most of the land is shown in vibrant shades of green and yellow, with built-up areas appearing much lighter than the surroundings. Water is clearly reflected in various shades of blue.

The rugged Scottish coastline on the right is indented by several inlets, including the large Firth of Clyde with the tiny Ailsa Craig islet at its mouth and the large island of Arran in the middle.

Visible as a brighter area in the top right corner of the image, Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland. It lies on the River Clyde, about 30 km from the mouth of the river on the west Atlantic coast. The Highlands are partly pictured at the top of the image.

Numerous lakes speckle the image in electric blue, both in Scotland and in Northern Ireland. With an area of almost 400 sq km, the largest lake in the image is Lough Neagh, some 30 km west of Northern Ireland’s capital Belfast. The city lies on the River Lagan, at its entrance to Belfast Lough, the largest inlet visible here on the Irish coastline.

In the bottom right corner, the Isle of Man stands out in the blue waters of the Irish Sea. 

Distinct wave patterns can be seen easily since the radar signal is highly sensitive to changes in the roughness on the water. In this image, calm waters appear darker, while rough seas appear brighter.

Since measurements of waves from buoys and ships are limited, radar images from satellites can be used to help…