Resembling a Martian-like floor, this Copernicus Sentinel-2 picture reveals a part of the Hardap area in south-central Namibia on the western fringe of the Kalahari Desert.
Hardap is a sizzling and arid area, the place groundwater is troublesome to acquire. Its title displays the significance of the Hardap Dam, Namibia’s second largest dam, seen in blue within the centre of the picture. The varied blue hues denote the presence of sediment within the water.
With a floor space of 25 sq km, the dam provides electrical energy and water to the entire space and the reservoir is dwelling to quite a few examples of Namibia’s wildlife.
The dam controls the circulation of the Fish River, which will be seen snaking its method throughout the picture. On this false-colour picture, captured on 28 August 2024, the Copernicus Sentinel-2’s near-infrared channel was used to spotlight vegetation in pink, which seems primarily concentrated south of the dam alongside the river.
Agricultural fields will be noticed on the floodplain beneath the dam, the place primarily greens and citrus fruits are grown. The completely different shades of pink present the state of the crops: the brighter the pink, the more healthy is the vegetation.
About 20 km southeast of the dam, on the japanese financial institution of the river, lies the city of Mariental, the area’s capital. Its city atmosphere will be seen as a mix of pink and gray dots. Close to Mariental, the rocky plain of the Central Highland merges with the dry, sandy soil of the western limits of the Kalahari Desert.
The complete western Kalahari is characterised by lengthy chains of sand dunes. A few of these dunes will be seen in shades of yellow within the top-right nook and seem surprisingly parallel and uniform.
On the correct aspect of the picture, the panorama is dotted with dry lake beds generally known as salt pans, seen as gleaming white circles.
Roads will be recognized as white strains slicing sharply throughout the panorama.
