Climate2 min read
Climate
Satellite Captures Australian Outback's Ephemeral Lakes Merging Into One
A Landsat 8 image from October 2024 shows four ephemeral lakes in the Barkly Tableland merged into a single emerald-green body of water after nearly two years of near-record rainfall.
A satellite image taken over Australia's Northern Territory has captured a striking sight: four normally separate, short-lived lakes merged into one large, emerald-green body of water. The photograph, released by NASA's Earth Observatory using Landsat 8 satellite data, was taken on October 30, 2024, over the Barkly Tableland region.
The lakes are described as ephemeral, meaning they usually exist only temporarily, filling and drying out depending on rainfall. In this case, near-record levels of rainfall over roughly two years caused the individual lakes to break their banks and combine into a single connected body of water.
The Barkly Tableland lies in Australia's Northern Territory, at approximately 18.6 degrees south latitude and 135.3 degrees east longitude. In the satellite photograph, the merged lake system appears vividly green.
Terms explained
The story so far
- ISRO Set to Launch EOS-05 Earth-Observation Satellite Aboard GSLV-F17
- How Bird Movements Are Helping Scientists Track a Dangerous Flu Virus
- Indigenous Protected Areas Now Cover 15% of Australia and More Than Half Its Reserve System
- Rising Seas Could Cost Australia $855 Billion by 2100, Study Finds
- First Antarctic-Wide Map of Grounded Icebergs Reveals 'Picket Fence Effect'
- Deep-Sea Giant Sea Spiders Confirmed to Glow in the Dark
- Satellite Captures Australian Outback's Ephemeral Lakes Merging Into One
#satellite imagery#Australia#rainfall#earth observation
Rate this story