Images
November 22, 2024 - Lake Alakol
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After more than a week of wicked winter winds and heavy cloud cover, skies briefly cleared in east-central Kazakhstan on November 19, 2024. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired this true-color image of the strikingly colorful waters of Lake Alakol on that same day. The two shallower and smaller lakes to the northwest of the larger Lake Alakol are Lake Kosharkol and Sasykkol.
Lake Alakol is known for its variable water color, which can show shades of green, blue, and tan, depending on sediments stirred up by wind, rain, and waves or carried in from rivers and streams. At times, phytoplankton—microscopic, pigmented organisms—can grow rapidly to create large floating colonies, known as blooms, which can add to the color of the lake. In this case, stormy weather with strong winds no doubt aided in stirring the waters to create the spiral pattern visible in the image.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Aqua
Date Acquired: 11/19/2024
Resolutions:
1km (145.1 KB), 500m (415.6 KB), 250m (765 KB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
After more than a week of wicked winter winds and heavy cloud cover, skies briefly cleared in east-central Kazakhstan on November 19, 2024. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired this true-color image of the strikingly colorful waters of Lake Alakol on that same day. The two shallower and smaller lakes to the northwest of the larger Lake Alakol are Lake Kosharkol and Sasykkol.
Lake Alakol is known for its variable water color, which can show shades of green, blue, and tan, depending on sediments stirred up by wind, rain, and waves or carried in from rivers and streams. At times, phytoplankton—microscopic, pigmented organisms—can grow rapidly to create large floating colonies, known as blooms, which can add to the color of the lake. In this case, stormy weather with strong winds no doubt aided in stirring the waters to create the spiral pattern visible in the image.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Aqua
Date Acquired: 11/19/2024
Resolutions:
1km (145.1 KB), 500m (415.6 KB), 250m (765 KB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
