For much of the year, the salt pan is bone dry. But when the wet season brings abundant rains, the large, shallow basin becomes a temporary oasis.
The Etosha Pan in northern Namibia is an ephemeral wonder. For much of the year, the salt pan is bone dry, and winds pick up its dust and salt and spread it across the dry landscape. But in years when the wet season brings abundant rains, the large, shallow basin stands out as a temporary oasis.
After months of drought in southwest Africa, rains finally came to the region and filled streams and rivers with enough water to reach the inland salt pan. According to several news reports from Namibia, most of the country received above-average rainfall starting in late December 2019. The central and northern reaches of Namibia around the Etosha Pan were particularly soaked, as were parts of Zambia and Angola.
The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite acquired false-color images of Etosha Pan on December 11, 2019 and January 17, 2020. The image combines visible and near-infrared light such that vegetation appears bright green and water is teal.
Continue reading at NASA Earth Observatory
Image via NASA Earth Observatory
