Before-and-after satellite images of a temporary lake that recently formed in the US Death Valley have been made public by NASA. According to NASA Earth Observatory, the lake was created in August 2023 following Hurricane Hilary and progressively decreased but continued to exist during the fall and winter. But in February 2024, a strong atmospheric river filled it back up.
NASA satellite imagery showed the Badwater Basin in Death Valley both before and after the hurricane, as well as again after the most recent downpour.
”This temporary lake in Death Valley is extending its stay. Rain from a potent atmospheric river filled up the Badwater Basin this month. These enhanced-color #Landsat images show a shallow lake several kilometers across, with water emphasized in blue,” the post read.
This temporary lake in Death Valley is extending its stay.
Rain from a potent atmospheric river filled up the Badwater Basin this month. These enhanced-color #Landsat images show a shallow lake several kilometers across, with water emphasized in blue. https://t.co/YXeTZT6oGG pic.twitter.com/h5vVfpQSjU
— NASA Earth (@NASAEarth) February 16, 2024
Interestingly, despite being among the hottest places on Earth, Death Valley is the driest region in North America with an annual rainfall of only 2 inches (51 millimeters).Still, at Furnace Creek, the official weather gauge for the national park, more than twice that amount fell in the last six months alone.The majority of that precipitation was caused by an atmospheric river and Hurricane Hilary’s leftovers. As the planet warms, heavier and more frequent rainfall is predicted.
”Based on satellite imagery, the lake appears to have grown to a similar size in February 2024 as it did in August 2023, thereby extending its months-long tenure,” NASA said. As of February 14, the lake is 1 foot deep in places, according to park officials, and it is uncertain how long it will last.
”Most of us thought the lake would be gone by October. We were shocked to see it still here after almost six months. This week’s rain will extend how long the lake is here,” said Abby Wine, a ranger in Death Valley National Park.
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