Lake Gairdner in central South Australia is pictured in this image acquired by Japan’s ALOS satellite on 1 December 2009.
The Lake Gairdner National Park – which includes the nearby lakes Everard and Harris – was established in 1991 for its significant wildlife habitat and natural features.
While the area is hot and dry in summer, spring brings water and is a popular destination for birdwatchers. Red and western grey kangaroos, emus and feral camels can also be seen here.
When flooded, Gairdner is one of the largest salt lakes in Australia, more than 160 km long and 48 km wide. But when dry, the vast salt pan attracts racers attempting to set land speed records and is the site for the annual Speed Week event.
This image shows mostly the dry, salt-crusted lakebed, while the islands appear brick-red.
Image credit: JAXA/ESA
This false-color composite image from the Kompsat-2 satellite shows part of the Qarhan Salt Lake on the Tibetan Plateau in China.
There are multiple salt lakes across this region, but Qarhan’s 5850 sq km make it the largest. It holds an estimated 60 billion tonnes of salt, and is also a major production base for potassium and magnesium.
In this image, we can see division of the salt evaporation ponds. While the false color makes them appear blue, salt ponds naturally range in color depending on their algal concentration and salinity.
The nearest city, Golmud, sits about 50 km to the southwest (not pictured).
This image was acquired on 4 December 2008 by the Korea Aerospace Research Institute’s Kompsat-2.
ESA supports Kompsat as a Third Party Mission, meaning it uses its ground infrastructure and expertise to acquire, process and distribute data to users.
Photo credit: KARI/ESA
