April 30, 2021 - Lake Balkhash

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   Balkhash
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   Swirls of turquoise and cream colored the waters of beautiful Lake
   Balkhash in late April 2021. The Moderate Resolution Imaging
   Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board NASA’s Terra satellite acquired this
   true-color image of the lake and surrounding countryside on April 28.

   Lake Balkhash, spanning about 17,000 square kilometers (6,600 square
   miles) in southeastern Kazakhstan, is one of Asia’s largest lakes.
   Despite the lake’s large size, winters are harsh enough to keep the
   lake frozen over from November through March or early April, when the
   ice covering rapidly melts over a period of about two weeks. According
   to satellite imagery, Lake Balkhash was entirely frozen as late as
   April 2 this year and by April 16 had become ice-free. The swirling
   colors are primarily suspended sediment, raised from the shallow lake
   bottom by inflow from river water, melting snow and ice, and
   near-constant wind in the region.

   Roughly 70 to 80 percent of Lake Balkhash’s water comes from the Ili
   River, which flows into the southeastern section of the lake. As it
   nears Lake Balkhash, the river expands into a wide delta, which is one
   of the largest wetlands in Central Asia. The Ili River Delta is a
   Ramsar Site and recognized as an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife
   International. Southern Lake Balkhash and the delta support 10 inland
   wetland types, with a rich variety of desert flora (427 species) and
   fauna (345 species), according to the Ramsar description. It also
   supports many threatened species, including 25 bird, 1 fish and 3
   mammal species. The Ili River can be seen in this image coursing to the
   lake and widening into the deep green delta.

   While Balkhash and the Ili Delta currently support an abundance of
   species, the lake and delta are important fisheries, and the
   floodplains are heavily used for agriculture and pasture. As the
   population increases along the long Ili River, which courses across
   Kazakhstan and China, so does the demand for diverting water for use
   upstream. Reduction of water flow through the Ili River may threaten
   both the delta and Lake Balkhash itself in years to come.

   Image Facts
   Satellite:  Terra
   Date Acquired: 4/28/2021
   Resolutions:  1km (127.7 KB),  500m (339 KB),  250m (207.6 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=2021-04-30
 
