The devastating effect humans are having on the planet laid bare by these shocking before and after pictures compiled by NASA
It's hard to believe that in just a few decades, the Aral Sea went from being one of the largest lakes in the world to a mere sliver of its former self.
A series of photos shows how quickly the Earth is changing, including before-and-after pictures of the parched Aral Sea, Alaska's melting Muir glacier and the urban sprawl of Beijing.
NASA has been curating these photos since 2009, in a series called Images of Change.
While many of the photos show the devastating effects of climate change, some of the photos reflect positive changes like the regrowth of forests in Uganda.
'Climate change is kind of an abstract concept for most people, or it feels like it's something that happens invisibly or it's going to happen in the future,' Randal Jackson, Internet manager for NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, told Fast Company. 'The Images of Change gallery gives us an opportunity to make it feel a little bit more real.'
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Melting: The Muir Glacier in Alaska is seen on the left in the 1890s. The right image was taken in 2005 and shows the landscape completely changed following the glacier's rapid melt
The incredible shrinking lake: In just a few decades, the Aral Sea in Kazakhstan has dried up drastically. It used to be the fourth largest lake in the world, but has been shrinking ever since the former Soviet Union started diverting water from it in 1960 for agricultural purposes. the black outline on both images shows the lake's approximate shores in 1960
Frozen: Myrdalsjökull, Iceland's fourth largest ice cap, is seen on the left in 1986 and on the right in 2014. The ice cap covers the Katla volcano and has been shrinking due to geothermal heat
Booming: Nairobi, Kenya was only founded in 1906 but it has quickly grown to be a booming metropolis. The above satellite images shows the city in 1976 on the left and in 2005 on the right
Receding: The above satellite images show the shrinking Mar Chiquita in Argentina. Mar Chiquita is one of the largest natural saline lakes in the world, but has been shrinking due to irrigation and drought
The big thaw: The Arapaho Glacier in Colorado has thinned by at least 40 meters between 1898 and 1960. Seen on the left in 1898 and on the right in 2003
Cover up: A dust storm sweeps across the Liaoning region of China in 2002. On the left, a relatively clear day on March 23, 2002, and on the right obscured by dust on April 8, 2002. Dust storms in Asia influences marine phytoplankton production and have a cooling effect on the climate
Ice: Alaska's Columbia Glacier has been shrinking dramatically since about 1980. Seen on the left in July 1986 and on the right in July 2014
Dried up: Lake Powell on the Arizona-Utah border has been drying up due to prolonged drought coupled with water withdrawls
Washed out: Hamburg, Iowa is seen above in September 2010 (left) and August 2011 (right), after levee failure caused extreme flooding in the area
Disappearing lake: Lake Chad in Africa is seen in 1972 (left), 1987 (center), and 2002 (right). The lake has been drying up due to drought. It was once the world's sixth largest lake. It is now about one-twentieth the size it was in the 1960s.
Modern city: Beijing, China has been growing rapidly since the 1970s. The blue tones above represent buildings and pavement, while red tones signify agricultural vegetation. The city on the left in 1977 and on the right in 2011
Arabian capital: Riyadah, Saudi Arabia is seen in 1972 on the left, in 1990 in the center and in 2000 on the right.
Silicon desert: A tech boom in Tucson, Arizona has led to a period of rapid growth in the southwestern city. Seen on the left in 1984 and on the right in 2011
Artificial additions: City-state Singapore has been expanding it's borders with satellite islands. Pictured on the left in 1973 and on the right in 2009
Scorcher: A series of wildfire in Idaho burned over 200,000 of acres in a single day on August 23, 2010. Pictured on the left on July 24, 2010 and on the right on August 25, 2010
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2996485/The-devastating-effect-humans-having-planet-laid-bare-stunning-pictures.html#ixzz3UXRPxRaA
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