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June 7, 2025 - Lake Rukwa
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Lake Rukwa is one of the smallest of Africa’s many Rift Valley Lakes, covering an area of about 1,000 square miles (2,600 square km) in southern Tanzania. It is also quite shallow, with an average depth of only about 10 feet (3 meters), but the depths fluctuate with the seasons. By the end of the dry season, which runs from May to October, the lake may split into two smaller lakes surrounded by wetlands.
On June 4, 2025, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired this true-color image of Lake Rukwa. Although the wet season has barely ended, the southern end shallow lake is surrounded by mudflats and wetlands. The mud-colored waters are typical of Lake Rukwa year-round and markedly contrast with the blue waters of the very deep Lake Tanganyika seen in the western section of the image.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Aqua
Date Acquired: 6/4/2025
Resolutions:
1km (213.1 KB), 500m (603.9 KB), 250m (1.4 MB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
Lake Rukwa is one of the smallest of Africa’s many Rift Valley Lakes, covering an area of about 1,000 square miles (2,600 square km) in southern Tanzania. It is also quite shallow, with an average depth of only about 10 feet (3 meters), but the depths fluctuate with the seasons. By the end of the dry season, which runs from May to October, the lake may split into two smaller lakes surrounded by wetlands.
On June 4, 2025, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired this true-color image of Lake Rukwa. Although the wet season has barely ended, the southern end shallow lake is surrounded by mudflats and wetlands. The mud-colored waters are typical of Lake Rukwa year-round and markedly contrast with the blue waters of the very deep Lake Tanganyika seen in the western section of the image.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Aqua
Date Acquired: 6/4/2025
Resolutions:
1km (213.1 KB), 500m (603.9 KB), 250m (1.4 MB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
