June 25 is the Day of the Seafarer, a global event highlighting how much we rely on the maritime industry. Turns out, it’s a whole lot, as ships transport more than 80 percent of global trade. In honor of this occasion, we’re showing a NASA satellite view of ship tracks over the Pacific. And what are ship tracks, you ask? They’re clouds that form around particles in ship exhaust when it hits the damp ocean air. These clouds often stretch in narrow paths as in this image, reflecting ships’ courses. To the seafarers out there (1.5 million, according to the International Maritime Organization), we wish you smooth sailing and a good day at sea.
Tracking ships on the Day of the Seafarer
Today in History
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Sutherland Falls in Fiordland National Park
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Hoisting a flag for seafarers
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Birds and bees, and why they re so important
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Brown bears, Katmai National Park and Preserve, Alaska
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Al-Khazneh in Petra, Jordan
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Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada
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Glastonbury Festival begins
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Buildings on Grand-Place Square in Brussels, Belgium
More Desktop Wallpapers:
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International Day for Biological Diversity
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Commemorating the life of a famous railroad conductor
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The dancing trees of Sumba Island
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Glowworm caves in Australia
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The parenting of a piping plover
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Silbury Hill for International Archaeology Day
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Happy Mother s Day
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Bear Hole Brook, Catskill Mountains, New York
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World Lake Day in the Faroe Islands
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Celebrating Helsinki’s birthday at the Kiasma Museum
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California sea lions, offshore Mexico, Pacific Ocean
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Hyalite Creek at Custer Gallatin National Forest, Montana
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Celebrating World Wildlife Day
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Pegadung Rock, Lampung, Sumatra, Indonesia
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Ski touring in Austria
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Horse Head Rock, New South Wales, Australia
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Pups of the prairie
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Brown-throated three-toed sloth in cecropia tree, Costa Rica
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World Oceans Day
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Squirrel Appreciation Day
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European hedgehog, France
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Collared aracari in Costa Rica
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The buzz about bees
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Making it work—in Norway
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International Day for the Conservation of the Mangrove Ecosystem
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Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Bavaria, Germany
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Short-eared owl
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World Rainforest Day
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What happened to these clouds?
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Groundhog Day
Bing Wallpaper Gallery

