File:ISS-30 Agricultural fields in the Wadi As-Sirhan Basin in Saudi Arabia.jpg

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* As recently as 1986 there was little to no agricultural activity in the area, but over the subsequent 26 years agricultural fields have been steadily developed, largely as a result of investment of oil industry revenues by the Saudi government. The fields use water pumped from subsurface aquifers and is distributed in rotation about a center point within a circular field – a technique known as center-pivot agriculture. This technique affords certain benefits relative to more traditional surface irrigation such as better control of water use and application of fertilizers. The use of this so-called "precision agriculture" is particularly important in regions subject to high evaporative water loss; by better controlling the amount and timing of water application, evaporative losses can be minimized. Crops grown in the area include fruits, vegetables, and wheat.
 
* As recently as 1986 there was little to no agricultural activity in the area, but over the subsequent 26 years agricultural fields have been steadily developed, largely as a result of investment of oil industry revenues by the Saudi government. The fields use water pumped from subsurface aquifers and is distributed in rotation about a center point within a circular field – a technique known as center-pivot agriculture. This technique affords certain benefits relative to more traditional surface irrigation such as better control of water use and application of fertilizers. The use of this so-called "precision agriculture" is particularly important in regions subject to high evaporative water loss; by better controlling the amount and timing of water application, evaporative losses can be minimized. Crops grown in the area include fruits, vegetables, and wheat.
 
* For a sense of scale, agricultural fields in active use (dark green) and fallow (brown to tan), are approximately one kilometer in diameter. While much of the Wadi As-Sirhan Basin shown here is sandy (light tan to brown surfaces) and relatively flat, low hills and rocky outcrops (dark gray) of underlying sedimentary rocks are visible at left and right.}}
 
* For a sense of scale, agricultural fields in active use (dark green) and fallow (brown to tan), are approximately one kilometer in diameter. While much of the Wadi As-Sirhan Basin shown here is sandy (light tan to brown surfaces) and relatively flat, low hills and rocky outcrops (dark gray) of underlying sedimentary rocks are visible at left and right.}}
 
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{{ISS Crew Earth Observations
 
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|mission= ISS030
 
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|roll= E
 
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|frame= 90918
 
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|geoname= Saudi Arabia
 
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|features= WADI AS-SIRHAN, CENTER PIVOT AGRICULTURE, TUBARJAL
 
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|cp-lat= 30.0
 
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|cp-long= 38.5
 
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|camera-tilt= 40
 
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|camera-fl= 65
 
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|camera= Nikon D2Xs
 
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|film= 4288 x 2848 pixel CMOS sensor, RGBG imager color filter.
 
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|exposure=
 
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|cloudcover= 10
 
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|date= 2012-02-21
 
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|time= 12:10:21
 
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|nadirlat= 30.4
 
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|nadirlong= 41.3
 
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|nadirdirection= West
 
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|azimuth= 230
 
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|issalt= 202
 
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|sunelevation= 34
 
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|orbitnumber=
 
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|caption= }}
 
|Source=http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/station/crew-30/html/iss030e090918.html
 
|Source=http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/station/crew-30/html/iss030e090918.html
 
|Date=2012-02-21
 
|Date=2012-02-21
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[[Category:ISS Expedition 30]]
 
[[Category:ISS Expedition 30]]
 
[[Category:Satellite pictures of Saudi Arabia]]
 
[[Category:Satellite pictures of Saudi Arabia]]
 
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== {{int:license-header}} ==
 
== {{int:license-header}} ==
 
{{PD-USGov-NASA}}
 
{{PD-USGov-NASA}}

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