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April 19, 2023 - Verdant Bicuari National Park
April 18, 2023
September 17, 2022
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An extremely wet rainy season brought intense green to southern Angola by April 2023. The warm wet season in Angola typically begins in October and ends in April, followed by a cooler and dryer season that runs from May to September. In December 2022 and January 2023, the rains in southern Angola and northern Namibia were especially intense, causing widespread flooding.
On April 18, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board NASA’s Terra satellite acquired a true-color image centered on the Bicuari National Park in the southern Hulla province of Angola. Both the 790,000 hectares within the roughly circular park (which is outlined by several rivers) and the forests and grasslands outside of the park are flush with a variety of green tones, marking a lush growth of grasses, trees, shrubs, and marsh plants. While most of the flooding was reported along the Cuvelai River, which runs through Angola east of this image, the park also received heavier rainfall than normal during this year’s rainy season.
This vibrantly green image can be easily compared to a second Terra MODIS image of the same region acquired on September 17, 2022, at the end of the dry season, by clicking on the dates at the bottom of the image. The dry season image almost looks like it comes from a different planet, as it is washed in brown, tan, and rust, with no green visible. The power of water to cause life to flourish is remarkably well illustrated in these two images.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 4/18/2023
Resolutions:
1km (124.8 KB), 500m (343.8 KB), 250m (670 KB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
April 18, 2023 September 17, 2022
An extremely wet rainy season brought intense green to southern Angola by April 2023. The warm wet season in Angola typically begins in October and ends in April, followed by a cooler and dryer season that runs from May to September. In December 2022 and January 2023, the rains in southern Angola and northern Namibia were especially intense, causing widespread flooding.
On April 18, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board NASA’s Terra satellite acquired a true-color image centered on the Bicuari National Park in the southern Hulla province of Angola. Both the 790,000 hectares within the roughly circular park (which is outlined by several rivers) and the forests and grasslands outside of the park are flush with a variety of green tones, marking a lush growth of grasses, trees, shrubs, and marsh plants. While most of the flooding was reported along the Cuvelai River, which runs through Angola east of this image, the park also received heavier rainfall than normal during this year’s rainy season.
This vibrantly green image can be easily compared to a second Terra MODIS image of the same region acquired on September 17, 2022, at the end of the dry season, by clicking on the dates at the bottom of the image. The dry season image almost looks like it comes from a different planet, as it is washed in brown, tan, and rust, with no green visible. The power of water to cause life to flourish is remarkably well illustrated in these two images.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 4/18/2023
Resolutions:
1km (124.8 KB), 500m (343.8 KB), 250m (670 KB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
