Rose Atoll
- ISS013-E-66000
- 10 August 2006
- 20:28 UTC
Rose Atoll (Nu'u o Manu/Rose Island) is a small, extremely low-lying atoll formation of the South Pacific Ocean, located at the eastern end of the Samoan archipelago. The atoll is located 138 km east-southeast from the island of Ta'ū and 258 km east from Tutuila. It forms part of the territory of American Samoa and is administered as part of the US National Wildlife Refuge System.
Rose Atoll is approximately square-shaped, measuring 2 km across and covering some 7 km² in area. The rim consists of a broad, continuous reef that enclose a shallow central lagoon of up to 20 m in depth; a single narrow passage in the northeast connects the lagoon to the open sea. There are two small islets located on the eastern side — Rose Island and the small Sand Island — with a combined land area of 6 ha. Rose Island has a dense stand of Psiona.
image: earth sciences and image analysis laboratory, nasa johnson space center
