Sea of plastic seen from space

ALMERIA’S greenhouses are collectively one of the few man-made structures clearly visible from space, according to Spanish astronaut and acting Science and Innovation Minister Pedro Duque.
Now NASA has released two images of the province’s ‘sea of plastic’ among 140,000 royalties-free photographs, audios and videos published on its website.
The space agency revealed one image is of the coastal plain some 30 kilometres south-west of Almeria city, captured in 2004 by an Expedition 8 crew member on the International Space Station.
Greenhouses surrounding El Ejido are the subject of a second image from NASA Terra spacecraft in 2011.
Duque has commented on a number of occasions that the province’s hothouses are easy to spot from space because the plastic reflects the light, producing a “spectacular” effect.