1. Earthshots
  2. Inland Delta of the Niger River, Mali
  3. Seasonal Flooding
Description

During the flood season, the delta can grow to 20,000 square kilometers (7,700 square miles). During the dry season, it can shrink to 3,900 square kilometers (1,500 square miles). The flatness of the delta region—it drops only 8 meters (26 feet) over its entire length—leads to this large spread of water.

In the images, dark blue to black areas represent open water. The water expands and then noticeably begins shrinking in December. Any bright green, which is actively growing vegetation, also begins to diminish by late December. Dark blotches in the June image are bare ground. And this is roughly what it will look like again the following June.

These 2014 images show a flood level that was close to average.

View Related Imagery & Stories

Location

June 6, 2014, Landsat 8 (path/row 197/50) — Seasonal change in the Niger River Inland Delta, Mali

June 6, 2014, Landsat 8 (path/row 197/50) — Seasonal change in the Niger River Inland Delta, Mali

Aug. 25, 2014, Landsat 8 (path/row 197/50) — Seasonal change in the Niger River Inland Delta, Mali

Aug. 25, 2014, Landsat 8 (path/row 197/50) — Seasonal change in the Niger River Inland Delta, Mali

Sep. 26, 2014, Landsat 8 (path/row 197/50) — Seasonal change in the Niger River Inland Delta, Mali

Sep. 26, 2014, Landsat 8 (path/row 197/50) — Seasonal change in the Niger River Inland Delta, Mali

Oct. 28, 2014, Landsat 8 (path/row 197/50) — Seasonal change in the Niger River Inland Delta, Mali

Oct. 28, 2014, Landsat 8 (path/row 197/50) — Seasonal change in the Niger River Inland Delta, Mali

Dec. 15, 2014, Landsat 8 (path/row 197/50) — Seasonal change in the Niger River Inland Delta, Mali

Dec. 15, 2014, Landsat 8 (path/row 197/50) — Seasonal change in the Niger River Inland Delta, Mali

Dec. 31, 2014, Landsat 8 (path/row 197/50) — Seasonal change in the Niger River Inland Delta, Mali

Dec. 31, 2014, Landsat 8 (path/row 197/50) — Seasonal change in the Niger River Inland Delta, Mali

June 6, 2014, Landsat 8 (path/row 197/50) — Seasonal change in the Niger River Inland Delta, Mali
Aug. 25, 2014, Landsat 8 (path/row 197/50) — Seasonal change in the Niger River Inland Delta, Mali
Sep. 26, 2014, Landsat 8 (path/row 197/50) — Seasonal change in the Niger River Inland Delta, Mali
Oct. 28, 2014, Landsat 8 (path/row 197/50) — Seasonal change in the Niger River Inland Delta, Mali
Dec. 15, 2014, Landsat 8 (path/row 197/50) — Seasonal change in the Niger River Inland Delta, Mali
Dec. 31, 2014, Landsat 8 (path/row 197/50) — Seasonal change in the Niger River Inland Delta, Mali

Inland Delta of the Niger River, Mali Additional Imagery & Stories

Annual Change
Annual Change

In the flooded season, this part of Mali’s landscape stands out as bright green against the arid brown African Sahel. The Niger River and the Inland D...

Mopti
Mopti

The busy port city Mopti is located at the confluence of the Niger and Bani Rivers. It is a crossroads of trade between the north and south. Farming i...

Northern Delta
Northern Delta

In the northern portion of the delta, channels fill in between sand dunes during the flood season. Temporary lakes also fill during high floods. The w...

Southern Delta
Southern Delta

The Inland Niger Delta lies in the transition between a seasonally wet-and-dry climate in the south and a mostly dry climate at the edge of the Sahara...