Satellite Captures Australian Outback's Ephemeral Lakes Merging Into One

A satellite image taken over Australia's Northern Territory has captured a striking sight: four normally separate, short-lived lakes merged into one large, emerald-green body of water. The photograph, released by NASA's Earth Observatory using Landsat 8 satellite data, was taken on October 30, 2024, over the Barkly Tableland region.

The lakes are described as ephemeral, meaning they usually exist only temporarily, filling and drying out depending on rainfall. In this case, near-record levels of rainfall over roughly two years caused the individual lakes to break their banks and combine into a single connected body of water.

The Barkly Tableland lies in Australia's Northern Territory, at approximately 18.6 degrees south latitude and 135.3 degrees east longitude. In the satellite photograph, the merged lake system appears vividly green.