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Where is it?Khor Kalmat , Pakistan [ 25.412836978 , 64.05686092 ]
What ’s in the photo?A vibrant blue lagune in a harsh desert environment
The colors in this satellite photo of Khor Kalmat have been enhanced to help highlight the stark difference between the lagoon and its surroundings.
Which satellite took the photo?Landsat 8
When was it taken?June 9 , 2014
This striking , put on - color planet photo of Pakistan ’s Khor Kalmat lagoon shows how the tidal torso of piss helps to sustain an intricate ecosystem in the surrounding desert environment .
Khor Kalmat is home to thousands of mangrove trees. The trees in the image were photographed further east along the Pakistani coast near Karachi.
The seawater lagoon , which spans around 17 miles ( 27 klick ) at its widest point , is locate along the Makran Coast in Pakistan ’s Balochistan state , around 180 mi ( 290 km ) Occident of Karachi . It is contract off from the rest of the mainland by harsh desert mountains , known as the Makran Coast Ridge , which run parallel to much of the land ’s coast and appear coloured Orange River in the satellite persona .
Khor Kalmat is a tidal lagune that fully mold only at mellow tide , when waters from the Arabian Sea lam through a narrow channel carve into the coastline . At low tide , it almost whole empties , leaving behind expose mudflats .
This aerial ikon has been enhanced to make the water come along darker and more vibrant , " like blue ink bleeding onto parchment , " according to theU.S. Geological Survey .
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Large parts of the area surrounding Khor Kalmat , include the Makran Coastal Range , are desiccate desert land that experiences minimal rainfall . However , the lagoon ’s iterate inflow of water help affirm an intricate ecosystem despite these abrasive experimental condition .
Supporting life
The lagoon is home to sizable mangrove forests , which are seeable as bright - green spots along the water ’s edge in the satellite photograph . These timber are an important greenhouse for juvenile fish , as well as other maritime organism , such as crustaceans and mollusc . They also provide timber to the few local people who live alongside the lagoon .
At low tide , the mudflats also leave a great hunting ground for cram razzing to scour the exposed lagoon floor for small insects and fish buried beneath the muck . Most of these birds rest in the Buzi Makola Wildlife Sanctuary , which lies west of the lagoon in the double .
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However , the lagune has been put under increasing strain over the past few decades due to overfishing , deforestation of mangrove , and develop temperatures driven by human - cause mood change . " Both the piscary and the Rhizophora mangle resources are under grave emphasis due to a variety of factors which have result in their speedy abasement , " WWF Pakistan representatives wrote in a2005 paper .
The current health of the ecosystem is presently unclear due to a deficiency of recent assessment . However , even if the ecosystem has carry off to recuperate , it could before long be put back under threat by the potential expression of aproposed Pakistani naval basein the lagoon .
