December 28, 2020 - South Sudan

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   South Sudan
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   South Sudan has been called “one of Africa's wildlife Edens, a global
   biodiversity hotspot wedged between the continent's tropical jungles
   and dry, desolate deserts”. It is also a country torn by turmoil since
   at least 1870, when it was claimed as the colony of Equatoria by the
   British explorer Samuel Baker in the name of the Ottoman Khedive of
   Egypt. Decades later, Equatoria was combined with the colony of Sudan,
   to its north, shortly before Britain granted independence to the pair
   under the governance of Sudan in 1956. The knitting together of the two
   former colonies never worked well, and Sudan suffered many deadly and
   destructive civil wars until a peace agreement was reached in 2005.
   This gave South Sudan autonomy and, in 2011, independence. The struggle
   over governance of this beautiful land has continued, however, with
   government and rebel forces clashing until 2018. At that time, the
   opposing sides agreed to the formation of a transitional government—but
   the fulfilment of that promise has been slow in coming. More than 2.5
   million civilians are estimated to have died in the conflicts since
   independence, and many have become refugees fleeing into the country’s
   central swamplands to try to survive, hidden in the remote recesses of
   floating mats of vegetation, after destruction of their homes.

   On December 17, 2020, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer
   (MODIS) acquired a true-color image of the swampy heartland of South
   Sudan. The rich green colors mark Al-Sudd, the dense wetlands that
   provides a home for about 400 bird and mammal species—and thousands of
   refugees. It also is the location of the spectacular annual migration
   of about 1.2 million antelope and gazelle.

   The size of the vast wetlands of Al-Sudd change with the seasons,
   shrinking in the dry season and expanding in the rainy season until, in
   December after rains subside, Al-Sudd reaches its largest expanse. This
   seasonal flux makes the size of the region difficult to measure with
   precision, but many estimate the boundaries at roughly 250 miles (400
   km) long and 200 miles (320 km) wide. Al-Sudd is drained by the
   Mountain Nile (Al-Jabal) River, which is the headwater of the White
   Nile, in the center and the Al-Ghazal River in the west. These waters
   form innumerable swamps, lagoons, side channels and lakes filled with
   papyrus, aquatic grass, and water hyacinth. About 80 percent of the
   water entering through the rivers remain in Al-Sudd or are lost by
   evaporation.

   Recognized as one of the world’s largest freshwater marsh ecosystems
   and a vital link the ecology and biodiversity of northeastern Africa,
   efforts are in progress to preserve Al-Sudd. It is under heavy
   pressure, however, from deforestation, plans for development for
   agriculture or industry, lack of the government to enforce protective
   laws, and by the value of rich oil fields that underly the wetlands.

   Image Facts
   Satellite:  Terra
   Date Acquired: 12/17/2020
   Resolutions:  1km (24.6 KB),  500m (86.8 KB),  250m (251.6 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=2020-12-28
 
