Dasht-e Lut Salt Desert

The Dasht-e Lut salt desert in southeast Iran is captured in this Envisat image.

The desert is often called the ‘hottest place on Earth’ as satellites measured record surface temperatures there for several years. The highest land surface temperature ever recorded was in the Lut Desert in 2005 at 70.7ºC, as measured by NASA’s Aqua satellite.

The light area in the center of the image are the long, parallel wind-carved ridges and furrows. The darker area to the east is an extent of massive sand dunes, some reaching up to 300 m tall.

In the upper-right section we can see a light green, shallow body of water that straddles Iran’s border with Afghanistan. With their arid surroundings, the wetlands in this border region have been a major source of food and fresh water for thousands of years, as well as an important stop for migratory birds. But irrigation expansion combined with droughts have caused the water levels in these wetlands to drop significantly – and some years even dry up.

In the lower-left we can see the white, snow-capped Jebal Barez mountains.

A major earthquake struck about 100 km east of the snow-caps in 2003, its epicenter near the ancient city of Bam (lower-central portion of image). Iran experiences frequent tectonic activity as several major fault lines cross the country.

This image was acquired by Envisat’s MERIS instrument on 2 April 2012 and is also featured on the Earth from Space video program.

Photo credit: ESA

Red Tide Off the UAE

The coast of the United Arab Emirates hosts some of the largest desalination plants in the world. While the water they release may affect the coastal ecosystem, harmful and non-harmful algae blooms can also greatly affect the desalination plants. In particular, the local phenomenon known as the ‘red tide’ has affected desalination plants over the last four years, causing severe damage and sometimes bringing operations to a halt.

Satellite data can be used to identify and monitor red tide events – such as this one spreading from the Gulf of Oman into the Persian Gulf. This image was acquired by Envisat’s MERIS instrument on 22 November 2008.

Image credit: C-wams project, Planetek Hellas/ESA

Istanbul, Turkey

Istanbul and the surrounding area in northwestern Turkey are captured in this image acquired by Envisat’s MERIS instrument on 9 June 2011. To the north is the Black Sea, which connects to the Sea of Marmara (center) via the Bosphorus strait. The Dardanelles strait connects the Marmara to the Aegean Sea (lower left corner). Turkey's largest city, Istanbul, is near the center of the image at the Bosphorus strait. Istanbul straddles two continents (Europe and Asia), making it a true meeting place of the East and the West.

Turkey’s location makes it vulnerable to earthquakes, with the 1000 km-long North Anatolian fault just 15 km south of Istanbul. Because earthquakes can suddenly render current maps out of date, satellite images are useful for updating views of how the landscape has been affected as well as creating reference cartography for emergency operations. In addition, before and after satellite images of the area enable authoritative damage assessment as a basis for planning remedial action.

Photo credit: ESA

Atacama Desert

The southern Atacama Desert is pictured in this Envisat image, with the border of Chile (west) and Argentina (east) running down the middle. The Atacama is believed to be the driest desert in the world, and the lack of cloud cover in this image highlights the dry climate.

This image was acquired by Envisat’s MERIS instrument on 4 March 2012.

Photo credit: ESA

Note: The Atacama desert is where the various telescopes for the European Southern Observatory are located; it is also where scenes for the James Bond movie, Quantum of Solace, were filmed.

The Paraná River

The Paraná River cuts through this image of southern Brazil, acquired by the MERIS instrument on Envisat on 19 March. In the area pictured, the river marks the borders of the Brazilian states of Mato Grosso do Sul to the north and west, São Paulo to the east and Paraná to the south.

Agricultural structures are evident in the surrounding land. Near the center of the image, smoke from a fire was captured blowing southwest from its source.

Photo credit: ESA

Hot Spots in Northern France

This animation shows two images of northern France acquired by two different instruments on the Envisat satellite: MERIS and the Advanced Along-Track Scanning Radiometer.

The first image, acquired on 20 February 2012, shows Paris in the center. The river flowing through the city and into the English Channel is the Seine. East of Paris, vineyards and fields of the famous Champagne-Ardenne region appear lighter in color. The second radiometer image, acquired on 23 May 2011, shows heat, with yellows and reds depicting higher temperatures compared to the cooler blue areas. In this image, urban areas south of Paris – such as Orléans – stand out.

Video credit: ESA; text credit: ESA

Portugal and Spain

Envisat’s Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS) captured this image on 8 April 2012 at 13:05 CEST. The image was transmitted in Ka-band to ESA/ESRIN though direct transmission via Artemis, the ESA Data Relay satellite. The image, which is of nominal quality, shows Portugal and Spain. It is the last Envisat data transmitted via Ka-band before the communication anomaly affected the Envisat satellite.

Photo credit: ESA

The Sikhote–Alin Mountains

The Sikhote–Alin mountain range in Russia’s Far East is pictured in this image, acquired on 27 January 2012 by the MERIS instrument on ESA’s Envisat satellite. In the lower-left portion of the image is the snow-covered Khanka Lake, which spans Russia’s border with northeast China. East of the mainland is the Sea of Japan, which appears to have a feathery cloud-cover. This is due to the cold air coming from the mountains and blowing out to sea. In the upper-right portion of the image is Russia’s largest island, Sakhalin.

Photo credit: ESA

West Coast of Africa

The first MERIS observation captured the huge phytoplankton patch produced by the 'upwelling' mechanism along the west coast of Africa near Mauritania. The unprecedented resolution allows fine-scale structures to be detected. In such upwelling areas, northeast trade winds bring deep and nutrient-rich water to the surface, feeding phytoplankton. Changes in climate affect the intensity of the upwelling with important consequences for marine ecosystems, fisheries and local economies.

One important task for MERIS is to provide overviews of the dynamics of upwelling areas and their primary production. This, in turn, could improve management of fish stocks within sustainable limits. Another important task for MERIS is to provide information on carbon fixation through photosynthesis within the global ocean for a better understanding of the carbon cycle.

Instrument: MEdium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS)
Date of Acquisition: 22 March 2002
Orbit number: 00306
Instrument features: Full resolution image (300-meter resolution)
MERIS was designed to measure the concentration of phytoplankton. The colors seen by MERIS indicate the concentration of chlorophyll, the pigment that phytoplankton use for photosynthesis. MERIS can detect chlorophyll concentrations as low as 0.01 microgram, or 1/100 000 000 of a gram, per liter. MERIS data will be used to monitor the worldwide distribution of phytoplankton and to compute primary production.

Photo credit: ESA

The Horn of Africa

This Envisat image of the Horn of Africa shows parts of Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti and, to the northeast across the Red Sea, a portion of Yemen’s west coast. The lighter-colored area to the east is known as the Afar Triangle and includes the Danakil Desert. Further west we can see the somewhat heart-shaped Lake Tana. With a surface area of over 2000 sq km, the average depth is only 14 m owing to high levels of sediment. This image was acquired on 13 November 2011 by the MERIS instrument on ESA’s Envisat satellite.

Photo credit: ESA

Morocco and Algeria

This Envisat image, acquired on 5 December 2011 by the MERIS instrument, shows part of central Morocco from the Atlantic Ocean to the west, over the Atlas mountains and into arid parts of Algeria further inland. The snow-capped High Atlas mountain range divides Morocco from the Sahara desert’s climatic influences in Algeria. The Sahara is constantly expanding southward, rendering large areas of land barren. One of the many benefits of Earth observation satellites is the possibility to monitor changes like desertification, or the degradation of land, caused by human activities or climate change.

Photo credit: ESA