February 22, 2021 - Water in the Etosha Pan

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   The Etosha Pan in northern Namibia has been called an “ephemeral
   wonder”. For much of the year, the large salt pan is bone dry, and
   winds pick up its dust and salt and spread it across the arid
   landscape. But in years when the wet season brings abundant rains, the
   large, shallow basin stands out as a temporary oasis.

   After an extended dry season, rains came to the region in early 2021,
   filling streams and rivers with enough water to reach the inland salt
   pan. According to news reports, parts of northeastern, central, and
   southern parts of Namibia saw rainfalls double or triple the norm in
   January 2021. This followed a wet December, which brought about 25
   percent more rain than normal. As of February 7, the wet season totals
   were the highest since 2010 and 2011.

   The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s
   Terra satellite acquired a false-color image of the Etosha pan on
   February 19. 2021. The image combines visible and near-infrared light
   such that vegetation appears bright green and water is teal. Mineral
   salts appear white, except where they are moistened with water they may
   appear gray or light teal. Unvegetated land appears tan and high cloud,
   which contains ice or moisture, may be tinted with teal.

   The Etosha Pan stretches roughly 130 kilometers by 50 kilometers (80 by
   30 miles), though it is quite shallow. The basin is connected to
   hundreds of small streams and channels that start in Angola, but it
   takes a substantial amount of rain for water to move far enough through
   the system (seeping into the riverbeds along the way) to fill the pan.
   The most prominent tributary is the Ekuma River. Once that water
   arrives, the area becomes a haven for flamingos, pelicans, and other
   birds, as well as rhinos and impalas.

   Image Facts
   Satellite:  Terra
   Date Acquired: 2/19/2021
   Resolutions:  1km (92 KB),  500m (227.9 KB),  250m (358.4 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=2021-02-22
 
