And the winner is...

...the satellite image of the Canary Islands.

NASA Earth Observatory comments the win:

''The second annual Tournament: Earth has come to an end, and the winner is a familiar face. In 2013, a submarine volcano off of the Canary Islands took the first championship. This year, the entire island chain got in on the action. ”Trailing the Canaries,” the #2 seed in the art bracket, romped through the tournament in 2014. The image showed interesting wind and wave patterns in sunglint on the lee side of the islands. The Canary Islands have a lot of fans!''

Canary Islands won again - cast your final vote now !

NASA Earth Observatory have  just released the results of last week's round of voting and the image the Canary Islands has won again to enter the final. Nasa writes:

''Last year, a longshot image showing an underwater volcanic eruption near the Canary Islands came from nowhere to win our first-ever Tournament Earth. The championship round of the 2014 tournament has arrived, and yet another Canary Islands image seems poised to capture the crown. However, “Trailing the Canaries” will have some stiff competition in “Activity at Kliuchevskoi,” a spectacular shot of ash streaming from one of the highest and most active volcanos on the Kamchatka peninsula. Vote for your favorite by Friday at 4 p.m. EDT / 8 p.m. UTC.''

Click NASA Earth Tournament 2014 to vote again and remember you can vote as often as you like.

Art VS Photograph Section

#2 - Trailing the Canaries Read more

 Vote for this image

VS

#6 - Activity at Kliuchevskoi Read more

 Vote for this image

Please vote again for Canaries !

The satellite image of the western Canary Islands including Gran Canaria  has won the last round of voting and is now amoung  the final four images of  the NASA Earth Tournament for the image of the year.  So come on and click NASA Earth Tournament 2014 to vote again in this year's semi-final. You can vote as many times as you can click and do tell your friends. This round of voting closes this Friday, March 28th 2014.

Vote for the Canary Islands !

Last year a satellite image of the El Hierro eruption won the NASA Earth Tournament and became image of the year. This year's competition has entered the finals and again a beautiful image of the Canary Islands called Trailing the Canaries (below) has made it into the final eight - so do your bit and give it your vote. You must select four of the eight images according to your preferences and the image of the Canaries is in the art section. Voting closes tomorrow night, but you can vote as often as you like after clicking: NASA Earth Tournament 2014.  
UPDATE: This round was won and now see the next round of voting

NASA writes: ''The play of light on water can reveal overlooked details and nuances to photographers and artists on Earth. The same thing can happen when looking from space.The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite looked down on the Canary Islands on June 15, 2013. The Atlantic Ocean has a silvery or milky color in much of the image, the result of sunglint. Sunlight is being reflected off of the ocean surface directly back at the satellite imager, revealing details about the water surface or circulation that are otherwise invisible.   
In the image above, wavy, windsock-like tails stretch to the southwest from each of the islands. The patterns are likely the result of winds roughening or smoothing the water surface in different places. Prevailing winds in the area come from the northeast, and the rocky, volcanic islands create a sort of wind shadow—blocking, slowing, and redirecting the air flow. That wind, or lack of it, piles up waves and choppy water in some places and calms the surface in others, changing how light is reflected. Ocean currents, oil or pollution slicks, and internal waves can also alter surface patterns, though none are necessarily visible in this image.
According to sailors’ guides to the area, winds on the leeward side of the Canary Islands often blow in the opposite direction of the prevailing winds. The play of land and wind can also create a funnel effect, speeding up air flow around the coasts. The swirling nature of the leeward wind field is shown in a long, helical trail of clouds stretching southwest from Tenerife (the second island from the right).''

NASA Earth Observatory image of the year is...

...the image of the El Hierro eruption ! Congratulations.
The winner has just been announced a few minutes ago, and this should bring much needed publicity for El Hierro and puts the harbour and town of La Restinga on a world stage. Here's my enhanced version of the stunning view from space again:

El Hierro eruption: NASA Earth Observatory image of the year winner! (The white 'freckles' are wave crests)

Nasa commented the win as follows:
''In a true Cinderella story, the underwater volcano proceeded to knock off four higher seeds before meeting another #7 seed—the crack in the Pine Island Glacier—in the final. The matchup was not even close, as El Hierro romped with 91 percent of the votes.
Perhaps sensing its impending victory, El Hierro began stirring in late March 2013. According to Erik Klemetti’s “Eruptions” volcanology, earthquake swarms beneath the island suggested that magma was on the move. Perhaps a volcano will soon be popping some lava champagne to celebrate the win.''

Vote for El Hierro eruption image

The tournament for NASA Earth Observatory image of the year has reached the final and the image of the submarine eruption at El Hierro is guaranteed the second place. Please vote for it HERE to make it the winner and give El Hierro some much needed publicity.
The benign eruption scared away many tourists and El Hierro is struggling to recover from the economic damage. You can vote several times, but voting closes on Friday.
The winner will be announced on Monday, April 8th.
Meanwhile seismic activity at El Hierro continues - read the full story HERE

El Hierro eruption seen from space 2012. This image has now made it into
 the final of the NASA Earth Observatory tournament for image of the year
and you too can vote for it! Click:http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Vote/