March 27, 2023 - Ice receding on the North Aral Sea
Ice receding on the North Aral Sea
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On March 23, 2023, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer
(MODIS) on board NASA’s Terra satellite acquired a true-color image of
a sun-filled early spring day over southern Kazakhstan.
Winters in the region bring sub-zero cold and copious snow, while the
dry, hot summers frequently register temperatures over 110˚F (40˚C). By
late March, the rapid transition between extremes is well underway. The
North Aral Sea provides the most obvious sign of the seasonal change.
While most of the lake is covered in ice, the waters near the northern
shores are ice-free thanks to rising temperatures and lengthening
daylight.
Patches of snow-like white that are scattered across the arid tan land
surrounding the North Aral Sea are not snow, but highly-reflective
mineral crusts left after the water in the once-large lake evaporated
over the last several decades. This is especially noticeable south of
the south of the North Aral Sea, in the very recently desiccated seabed
of the South Aral Sea. A bit of blue along the southwestern (lower
left) edge of the image shows water in the northern tip of the western
arm of the South Aral Sea.
Once large and vibrant, the Aral Sea has been shrinking since the
1960s, and in 2007 it separated into three distinct basins. Today, some
water remains in the North Aral Sea and in the in the western basin of
the South Aral Sea. The desiccated eastern basin of the South Aral Sea
is now sometimes referred to as the Aralkum Desert, one of the newest
deserts on Earth.
Image Facts
Satellite: Terra
Date Acquired: 3/23/2023
Resolutions: 1km (145.2 KB), 500m (376.3 KB), 250m (240.7
KB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit: MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
https://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/individual.php?db_date=2023-03-27
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