Namibia from Space

[Comrade007]

Here's a couple of pictures obtained from MODIS, which show what good rains we've received lately, nationwide, and continue to receive. MODIS (or Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) is a key instrument aboard the Terra (EOS AM) and Aqua (EOS PM) satellites. Terra's orbit around the Earth is timed so that it passes from north to south across the equator in the morning, while Aqua passes south to north over the equator in the afternoon. Terra MODIS and Aqua MODIS are viewing the entire Earth's surface every 1 to 2 days, acquiring data in 36 spectral bands, or groups of wavelengths (see MODIS Technical Specifications).

This image was taken on 9th January 2011. The Etosha pan is clearly visible:



And then this one on 23rd January 2011:



This one was taken today and shows the thick cloud cover:



I've opened a MODIS Album and will be posting images regularly ......

[Admin]

The EUMetsat MPE gives a good approximation of hourly rainfall rates, but the images provided by this satellite radar are not cumulative totals, but interesting nvertheless.

Thanks for the images, Comrade007 - I'm looking forward to new ones in your MODIS album.

[mary_l]

How much rain did Windhoek receive in Jan? Please, people, I'd love to see some pictures of the efunda's in the North

[Uncle Paul]

Thank you for the images, COmrade007. Once can clearly see how the Etosha pan has been filling up. Haven't measured the rainfall every day, Mary_L, but so far over 485 mm since 1 January 2011. I live in Eros, Windhoek.

[Justina]

Our North is now beautiful and green everywhere

[Comrade007]

Wow! And more to come. This image was taken by Aqua today.The depth of the vegetation cover is amazing, considering our country is arid or semi arid and has the Namib desert along the coastline.



Compare that to this image taken by Aqua in August 2010:

[Comrade007]

From NASA: Bracing for near-record water levels on the Zambezi River for this time of year, authorities evacuated more than 1,000 residents in Namibia’s easternmost province of Caprivi in late January 2011. The flooding resulted from heavy rains upstream on the Zambezi. The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization warned of rising food insecurity in the aftermath.

These images, acquired by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite, show Caprivi in the midst of flooding on February 9, 2011, and roughly one year earlier (February 12, 2010). The images use a combination of infrared and visible light to increase the contrast between water and land. Water is navy blue. Clouds are pale blue-green and cast dark shadows onto the land surface below. Vegetation appears in varying shades of green. Bare ground ranges in color from pink-beige to tan.

The Zambezi River flows along the border between Namibia’s Caprivi Province and Zambia. In easternmost Caprivi, the river has spilled over its banks in 2011, leaving a large area underwater.

NASA images courtesy MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC. Caption by Michon Scott.

[Comrade007]

What a beautiful image taken on 18th February, which clearly shows a bank of fog along the entire length of the Namibian coast. This fog - when it comes inland by over 60km - allows plants and animals in the Namib desert to survive and thrive.

[Galaxy]

Came across this great image on Nasa's Earth Observatory . According to NASA the photo depicts what is likely a “shelf cloud” associated with a high-precipitation supercell thunderstorm on the Central Namib west coast, one of the driest regions in Africa. Heavy Rain in Namibia and South Africa : Natural Hazards:



According to NASA the photo depicts what is likely a “shelf cloud” associated with a high-precipitation supercell thunderstorm on the Central Namib west coast, one of the driest regions in Africa. The cloud spreads out at ground level due to a strong downdraft, which produces an advancing wedge of condensed water. Essentially, as large amounts of rain fall, the large and heavy rain droplets pull the air down with them. The curl at the bottom occurs because the down-drafting winds hit the Earth’s surface and spread out.

[Galaxy]

According to NASA's Space Observatory since 2010, rainfall has been above average in many parts of sub-Saharan African—including Angola, Namibia, Tanzania, Cameroon, Congo, and Madagascar—according to the Climate Prediction Center of the U.S. National Weather Service.

As we know, persistent rains have flooded ephemeral rivers such as the Kuiseb in Namibia and the Boteti in Botswana, which have both reached record highs. Even the driest parts of southern Africa have seen exceptional rains and floods.



In early May 2011, more rain fell in one day in the Namib desert than typically falls in an entire year. The map above depicts rainfall for Namibia and South Africa on May 5, 2011. The estimates were made from the Multi-satellite Precipitation Analysis, based on data from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM). Shown in shades of green and blue, rainfall estimates range from 20 millimeters (0.8 inches) to greater than 70 millimeters (2.8 inches). In much of the Namib desert near the coast, less than 20 millimeters of rain fall in a year.

The bullseye precipitation pattern depicted in the top image occurs because these storms are short-lived and dump large amounts of rain very quickly in one area. The storm soaked the Namib Sand Sea and desert gravel plain east of Walvis Bay.

Government officials and international relief agencies estimated that several hundred thousand residents had been displaced or disrupted by flooding in Namibia. At least 62 people have died. “Dongas” (ditches) caused by the heavy rains have caused havoc on the roads, and some officials worried about a possible increase in water- or mosquito-borne diseases due to standing water.

During the most recent storm in southern regions, Francois Snyders of the Namibian Ministry of Environment and Tourism told The Cape Times that the Fish River area “got 50 millimeters of rain, which is more than the annual rainfall for the canyon.” Two dams, the Hardop and the Naute, were over capacity and had to open sluice gates.


References

• Agence France-Presse via News 24 (2011, May 9) Namibian floods affect 400,000. Accessed May 11, 2011.
• All-Africa.com (2011, May 10) Henties Bay Becomes Town of 'Dongas.' Accessed May 11, 2011.
• Cape Times (2011, May 11) 12 Hikers rescued from flooded canyon. Accessed May 11, 2011.
• NASA Earth Observatory (2011, March 22) Kuiseb River Nears the Ocean.
• National Weather Service (n.d.) Climate Predication Center, African Desk. Accessed May 11, 2011.

NASA Earth Observatory image by Jesse Allen, using near-real-time data provided courtesy of TRMM Science Data and Information System at Goddard Space Flight Center. Photograph and background information courtesy of Dr. Frank Eckardt, University of Cape Town, South Africa. Caption by Michael Carlowicz and Heather Hyre.

Instrument:
TRMM - MPA