April 29, 2024

Exploring Earth From Space: Kyiv, Ukraine

Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, shows up simply listed below the center of this Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellite image, along the Dnieper River in north-central Ukraine. The city covers a total area of around 840 sq km (324 sq miles) and is house to approximately 3 million individuals. (Cropped: Click image for full view.) Credit: Contains customized Copernicus Sentinel data (2019 ), processed by ESA, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO
This satellite image from the Copernicus Sentinel-2 objective takes us over Kyiv– the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. (Note that this image was recorded in 2019, well before Russias intrusion of Ukraine, which started on February 24, 2022.).
Kyiv, likewise spelled Kiev, is visible simply below the center of the image, along the Dnieper River in north-central Ukraine. The city covers a total area of around 840 square km (324 square miles) and is house to roughly three million people.
Originally simply on the west bank, today the city of Kyiv covers throughout both sides of the Dnieper River, which flows southwards through the city. The Dnieper is the fourth-longest river in Europe, after the Volga, Danube, and Ural rivers. It increases on the southern slopes of the Valdai Hills of Russia and flows in a southerly instructions through western Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine to the Black Sea.

Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is noticeable simply below the center of this Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellite image, along the Dnieper River in north-central Ukraine. Initially just on the west bank, today the city of Kyiv spans throughout both sides of the Dnieper River, which flows southwards through the city. Big, agricultural plots control this weeks image, with wheat, barley, and corn being the countrys primary crops. Each satellite brings a high-resolution video camera that images Earths surface area in 13 spectral bands.

Directly above the city of Kyiv is the Kyiv Reservoir– a large water tank that is 110 km (68 miles) in length and 12 km (7 miles) in width. The reservoir is generally used for irrigation, hydroelectricity generation, and commercial and public usage.
The neon green colors in the Kyiv Reservoir suggest a high amount of algae. Algal blossoms are dense layers of microscopic plants that take place on the surface area of lakes, or other bodies of water, when there is an excess of nutrients on which algae depend. These high levels of nutrients are typically brought on by human pollution, such as wastewater or fertilizer runoff from agriculture.

Owing to Ukraines environment and arable land, farming plays a large function in the countrys economy. Big, farming plots control todays image, with corn, wheat, and barley being the countrys primary crops. With over 40 million hectares of agricultural land covering 70% of the country, agriculture is Ukraines largest export market.
Copernicus Sentinel-2 is a two-satellite objective. Each satellite carries a high-resolution camera that images Earths surface in 13 spectral bands. The objective is primarily used to track changes in the way land is being utilized and to keep an eye on the health of our greenery.
This image is also included on the Earth From Space video program, which is embedded above.