This picture from Copernicus Sentinel-1 reveals round agricultural buildings close to Tabarjal, within the barren desert of northern Saudi Arabia.
Zoom in or click on on the circles to discover this picture at its full decision.
Most of Saudi Arabia has a desert local weather and experiences temperatures as excessive as 50°C in summer season. Whereas there are just about no everlasting rivers or lakes within the nation, massive valleys known as wadis fill with water throughout occasions of heavy rain. Most settlements are positioned alongside these valleys.
The world pictured lies inside the Wadi As Sirhan basin and reveals how Saudi Arabia’s desert is used for agriculture. Regardless of the dry local weather, many irrigated crops are grown within the space.
The circles, every roughly one kilometre huge, are fashioned by central-pivot irrigation techniques. These encompass a effectively on the centre of every circle, which provides water from underground aquifers to rotating sprinklers. This sort of irrigation helps farmers handle water in a extra sustainable solution to preserve this treasured useful resource, which isn’t being replenished.
This composite combines three Copernicus Sentinel-1 radar photographs, acquired over seven months. Every acquisition has been given a special color – blue for October 2024, inexperienced for January 2025 and pink for Could 2025. The three photographs are then layered on high of one another to map variations in land cowl, to grasp how land is used and to trace modifications between acquisitions.
The ensuing vibrant colors present data on the various kinds of crop and their progress stage, and variations in irrigation. White, gray or black imply small or no modifications over the acquisition interval, indicating naked soil, fallow or non-vegetated fields when showing throughout the circles, or desert sand, low hills, dry riverbeds and rocky terrain within the total surrounding areas.
Settlements within the picture present up as white, irregular areas amid the colorful circles, with the most important seen being Tabarjal (or Tubarjal), within the high proper of the picture. Due to its agricultural manufacturing and strategic location, Tabarjal is a vital city in northern Saudi Arabia. It serves as a central hub for surrounding rural communities and performs a significant function within the meals provide for the area.
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