Maharloo Lake, a seasonal salt lake in Iran, is included in this image caught by the Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission. Credit: Contains customized Copernicus Sentinel information (2019 ), processed by ESA, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO
Maharloo sits at an altitude of around 1400 m above sea level and lies around 27 km southeast of Shiraz, in southwest Iran. Annual evaporation in the desert region is much greater than the yearly rains, meaning the lake is frequently very dry.
Owing to the high evaporation rate, the lakes bed has actually been covered by salt with time. This increased salinity in the lakes waters has actually permitted specific algae to flourish and cover the surface. The water consists of a range of organisms that show colors varying from pink to orange to red, with the strength of the color differing in numerous durations of the year. Typically, the much deeper the lake is, the darker the colors of the water.
Provided the lake is seasonal, water levels will drop in the summer season and increase once again in the winter season. In this image, caught in June 2019, the lake appears dark orange which means that the lake is really shallow but still contains some water. In comparison, Maharloo was totally dry in June 2021.
As is the case with numerous desert lakes, salt washed down from the surrounding mountains accumulates and can be seen in the image as a white crust along the lakes shores. In some parts of the lake, facilities have been built for salt extraction (visible in this image along the southern coast).
The lakes extreme salinity prevents organisms, specifically fish, from residing in the lake. Some birds move to Maharloo during the summer season months, including flamingo. Shiraz, noticeable in the top-left of the image, is the fourth-most-populous city of Iran. Shiraz International Airport can be seen just south of the city.
With its 13 spectral channels, the Copernicus Sentinel-2s unique imager can capture water quality criteria such as the surface concentration of chlorophyll, spot harmful algal blossoms, and procedure turbidity (or water clarity)– giving a clear indicator of the health and pollution levels.
Provided the lake is seasonal, water levels will drop in the summer and rise again in the winter. In this image, captured in June 2019, the lake appears dark orange which means that the lake is very shallow but still contains some water. The lakes extreme salinity prevents organisms, especially fish, from living in the lake.
