Images
November 14, 2021 - Turkey
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On November 12, 2021, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board NASA’s Terra satellite acquired this stunning true-color image of western Turkey. The palette of colors shading the landscape center on browns and tans with a large wash of white—all indicative of very dry conditions. Greens paint the hillsides and the coastline near the Mediterranean Sea, but only faint tints of green are found inland.
Turkey has been suffering a severe and long-term drought, which has created significant changes in the landscape just in the past year. For example, the large white area sitting in the upper right section of the image is Lake Tuz. Sitting in Central Turkey, the 643- square-mile (1,665-sq.-km) lake is famous for its extraordinary flight of flamingos, which come to the lake to breed and fatten young on the algae in the shallow waters. According to a story published by Phys.org, local environmentalists found about 5,000 young flamingos perished on the lake this year due to the lack of water. The damage to Lake Tuz is likely a combination of increasing desertification affecting Turkey due to climate change and the overuse of both the lake’s water and the underground water surrounding Lake Tuz.
Two other large lakes in this image, Lake Beysehir (east) and Lake Egirdir (west) also appear to be diminished in size from only a year ago, based on satellite imagery. Color swirling in the two lakes is most likely primarily sediment but may also be color from algae blooms. Both sit north of the major city, Antalya, which sits along the Mediterranean and is bordered by the Taurus Mountains. The city is marked by a large gray smudge, typical of man-made structures.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 11/12/2021
Resolutions:
1km (252.5 KB), 500m (706.2 KB), 250m (499 KB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
On November 12, 2021, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board NASA’s Terra satellite acquired this stunning true-color image of western Turkey. The palette of colors shading the landscape center on browns and tans with a large wash of white—all indicative of very dry conditions. Greens paint the hillsides and the coastline near the Mediterranean Sea, but only faint tints of green are found inland.
Turkey has been suffering a severe and long-term drought, which has created significant changes in the landscape just in the past year. For example, the large white area sitting in the upper right section of the image is Lake Tuz. Sitting in Central Turkey, the 643- square-mile (1,665-sq.-km) lake is famous for its extraordinary flight of flamingos, which come to the lake to breed and fatten young on the algae in the shallow waters. According to a story published by Phys.org, local environmentalists found about 5,000 young flamingos perished on the lake this year due to the lack of water. The damage to Lake Tuz is likely a combination of increasing desertification affecting Turkey due to climate change and the overuse of both the lake’s water and the underground water surrounding Lake Tuz.
Two other large lakes in this image, Lake Beysehir (east) and Lake Egirdir (west) also appear to be diminished in size from only a year ago, based on satellite imagery. Color swirling in the two lakes is most likely primarily sediment but may also be color from algae blooms. Both sit north of the major city, Antalya, which sits along the Mediterranean and is bordered by the Taurus Mountains. The city is marked by a large gray smudge, typical of man-made structures.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 11/12/2021
Resolutions:
1km (252.5 KB), 500m (706.2 KB), 250m (499 KB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
