A barrier island spans the image diagonally, with the Gulf of Mexico at the top and inland water at the bottom. The strip of land is almost entirely beige sand, however the Gulf side has some vegetation creating dark patches and affecting the topography as well as a patchy dark shade sweeping through the more central part of the island. Splitting the island is a dredged channel and jetty with the dredged sand being left in the inland waterway to create small islands of its own.

NASA Returns to the Beach: Sands and Mats at Padre Island

The barrier island in Texas has much to teach about barrier islands and Martian life. View the full story

Credits: NASA / Expedition 63 crew

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Earth Observatory Image of the Day

TakenAugust 20, 2020

Image CreditNASA / Expedition 63 crew

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