2007-06-21 Death Valley National Monument, California, 1998 Photograph by Len Jenshel Band members unload equipment before a show in the somewhat unlikely venue of Death Valley National Monument. The 5,210-square-mile (13,494-square-kilometer) park is the lowest, hottest, driest spot in the United States, and daytime temperatures there frequently reach 120℉(48.9℃) in the summer. (Photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Dual Track in a Dry Place," September/October 1998, National Geographic Traveler magazine) 一位乐队成员正卸下演出所用的设备,这场演唱会将在死亡谷国家公园这个不太靠谱的地方举行。这块5,210平方英里(13,494平方公里)的公园是美国最低,最热,最干的地方,夏季里的白天温度常常可以达到120℉(48.9℃)。
2007-06-22 St. Clair River, Michigan or Ontario, 2002 Photograph by Jay Dickman Falling water levels expose a sandbar in the Great Lakes' St. Clair River. The five Great Lakes, and the rivers, channels, and lesser lakes that connect to them, hold a fifth of the world's surface fresh water. But below-average precipitation, increased evaporation due to above-average temperatures, and mounting water consumption is driving water levels here to record lows.
(Text adapted from and photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Down the Drain: The Incredible Shrinking Great Lakes, " September 2002, National Geographic magazine)
2007-06-23 Alvord Desert, Oregon, 1997 Photograph by Sarah Leen A buck mule deer contrasts against the rye grasses of the Alvord Desert in southeastern Oregon. Few inhabit this bleak expanse; in fact, early settlers found it so inhospitable they called it "Malheur," or misfortune. Today's residents enjoy the desert's challenges. Few and far apart, they appreciate how its environment denies most features, such as congestion, of modern life. (Text adapted from and photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "A Special Place: Oregon's Outback," August 1997, National Geographic magazine) 在俄勒冈州东南的阿尔沃德沙漠,一头雄性黑尾鹿衬托在身后的黑麦牧草中。几乎没有人居住在这片开阔的不毛之地,实际上,早期殖民者把这片荒凉的土地称之为“马卢尔(Malheur)”,意指为不幸。 如今这里的居民已经乐于接受沙漠带来的挑战。虽然数量不多而且相距甚远,但令他们欣慰的是这里的环境完全没有现代生活的特色,如塞车。
2007-06-24 High Springs, Florida, 1999 Photograph by Wes C. Skiles Brown and blue blend as water from Ginnie Spring mixes with river water tinted by plant tannins. While this natural dye is harmless, man-made pollution clouds the future of these fountains—a fact Floridians must now confront. Florida's 320 natural springs gush out over eight billion gallons of drinkable water every day. How these springs work, where the water comes from, and the ways in which they are all connected remain mysterious, but scientists and underwater explorers are working to change that.
(Text adapted from and photograph shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Unlocking the Labyrinth of North Florida Springs," March 1999, National Geographic magazine)
2007-06-25 Jaipur, India, 1996 Photograph by Cary Wolinsky A pair of gaily painted domesticated elephants regard one another in a Jaipur park in India. Asian elephants have been domesticated for thousands of years. Used primarily for ornament and entertainment today, domesticated elephants have been used for moving cargo, felling trees, transporting caravans, and even waging war in centuries past.
(Photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, “The Quest for Color,” July 1999, National Geographic magazine)
2007-06-26 Big Sur, California, 2000 Photograph by Frans Lanting Firemen with lighted helmets use controlled fires to clear brush during a wildfire in California's Santa Lucia Range. Forest fires—man-made and natural—are so common here that Big Sur naturalist John Smiley calls them "Another type of weather." (Text adapted from and photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Big Sur: California's Elemental Coast, " August 2000, National Geographic magazine)
2007-06-27 Kostroma, Russia, 1992 Photograph by James P. Blair A young woman in Kostroma, Russia, reclines in a car while listening to music. This city, located on the Volga River about 211 miles (340 kilometers) northeast of Moscow, is the center of Russia's textile industry. As such, residents here were quick to adopt Western styles, like the tight blue jeans and fashionable high heels worn by this woman, during the years following the breakup of the Soviet Union.
(Photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "A Russian Voyage: From the White to the Black Sea," June 1994, National Geographic magazine)
2007-06-28 Khara Khoto, China, 1999 Photograph by George Steinmetz Miles of shifting sands surround the 30-foot-high (10-meter-high) ramparts of the fortress of Khara Khoto, or Black City, in northern China's Alashan Plateau. In the 14th century, China's Ming armies laid siege to the Mongol city and diverted the Black River, which flowed just outside the fortress.
(Photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "China's Unknown Gobi: Alashan," January 2002, National Geographic magazine)
2007-06-29 Kish Island, Iran, 1999 Photograph by Alexandra Avakian Young people enjoy an evening show on Iran's Kish Island. This small island resort in the Persian Gulf is an official "Free Zone," attracting many foreign and domestic tourists as well as business investors with its socially and economically relaxed environment. Free Zones like this are one way that Iran is trying to harmonize its traditional Islamic value system with the contemporary desires of its people and the nation's potential as a part of the global marketplace. (Text adapted from and photograph shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Iran: Testing the Waters of Reform," July 1999, National Geographic magazine)
2007-06-30 Svalbard Archipelago, Norway, 1996 Photograph by Flip Nicklin Researchers motor through glassy Arctic waters off Norway's Svalbard Archipelago. This team is in search of elusive bearded seals, an affectionate and playful seal species that spends nearly all its life either in the water or drifting on Artic ice floes. At the time of this photo, little was known about bearded seals, due to their forbiddingly frigid habitat and aquatic lifestyle. This and subsequent research missions shed light on this wide-ranging seal's life, include birthing sites, growth rates, diving behavior, and diet.
(Photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Bearded Seals: Going With the Floe," March 1990, National Geographic magazine)