Satellite image of the month – January 2017 – Algeria
Oued Tamanrasset at the border of the Hoggar Mountains in the South of Algeria, taken by Sentinel-2A satellite on June 18th 2016
This image shows a color infrared composite from Oued Tamanrasset, the Tamanrasset oasis and the offshoots of the Hoggar Mountains in the Algerian province of Tamanrasset. The image was composed of different bands based on Sentinel-2A data of the EU Copernicus Programme. The band combination used here is designated to recognize vegetation and provides a spatial resolution of 10 meters. Healthy vegetation appears in vibrant red while older plants are painted in darker or paler shades of red. Water is displayed in dark blue to black while cities are colored in light gray and brown.
With the help of the color infrared composite the Oued Tamanrasset can be prominently recognized in the southern center of the image. Oued is French and means wadi which is a dry riverbed that is only temporarily filled with water after heavy rainfall. Even with only small amounts of precipitation, healthy vegetation can prosper – here shown in glowing red. In the North-east of the image, Oued Tamanrasset flows through the oasis town Tamanrasset, which is the largest oasis in the South of Algeria and a base camp for caravans. Today it is an important stopover for the Trans-Saharan traffic with some car service stations and an airport. Besides it gains more importance for tourism as a starting point for excursions in the Hoggar Mountains, through which the Tropic of Cancer is flowing and whose southern region can be seen in the South-west of the image. It is a mountain range of volcanic origin, which is popular for its grotesque rock landscapes created from eroded volcanic vents. Rock paintings lead to the assumption of prehistoric settlements around 6000 BC.
Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data (2016)/ESA – created by mundialis
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