Carolina Bay of the Day
by Google Earth Blog on Nov.13, 2012, under 3D Models, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, California, Denmark, England, Germany, Google Earth News, Google Earth Tips, Google Sky, Google maps, Hawaii, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Mexico, Natural Landmarks, Netherlands, Sightseeing, Street Views, USA
We discussed "Carolina Bays" on here a few times in the past, including the well-presented theory that GEB reader 'Michael' laid out regarding the Saginaw Impact Manifold.
Using data from Cintos Research, a new Google+ page has formed that shows off the +Carolina Bay of the Day, some of which are quite stunning.
The images are clearly enhanced, with the process as follow:
To "punch up" the very gentle bay rims, a 20x exaggeration has been applied to the elevation data map, and hue-saturation-value color hinting is used, where the color is driven by the elevation value. Additionally, the DEMs are generated with a false sun-shadow to enhance the viewer's perception of the bay's shape.
Along with an image and description each day, they also include a KMZ file so you can view the bay for yourself in Google Earth. For example, "Sandy Grove Bay" (seen above) can be viewed in Google Earth by loading this KMZ file.
It's yet another neat way to show off some of the amazing sights on our planet. Follow their page on Google+ to keep up with their daily releases.