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Seasonal Variations A Lake Chad, West Africa story

Water  / 
Wetlands
  1. Lake Chad, West Africa
  2. Seasonal Variations
Description

While the overall trend in this time series is a shrinking lake, the northern portion has some water in the later images, but it varies widely. Water levels there remained below the 1900–2010 mean and far below what it was in the 1960s.

The region has a short rainy season, and changes in rainfall amounts can greatly affect the water supply. About 90% of the rain falls from June to September, but the lake doesn’t rise until November. This is the natural lag time of water flowing through the Chari River system.

In this series of Landsat images from 2017–2018, the water rises through February and then tapers off slowly for several months. So the rise in water levels actually occurs during the dry season.

Water displays as dark blue, and wetlands are green. The brighter speckles are sand dune islands. Landsat will continue to provide information about Lake Chad’s changes, its infrared imaging capability accurately delineating land, water, and wetland.

View Related Imagery & Stories

Location

Oct. 16, 2017, Landsat 8 (path/row 185/50) — northern Lake Chad

Oct. 16, 2017, Landsat 8 (path/row 185/50) — northern Lake Chad

Dec. 19, 2017, Landsat 8 (path/row 185/50) — northern Lake Chad

Dec. 19, 2017, Landsat 8 (path/row 185/50) — northern Lake Chad

Jan. 4, 2018, Landsat 8 (path/row 185/50) — northern Lake Chad

Jan. 4, 2018, Landsat 8 (path/row 185/50) — northern Lake Chad

Feb. 5, 2018, Landsat 8 (path/row 185/50) — northern Lake Chad

Feb. 5, 2018, Landsat 8 (path/row 185/50) — northern Lake Chad

Apr. 10, 2018, Landsat 8 (path/row 185/50) — northern Lake Chad

Apr. 10, 2018, Landsat 8 (path/row 185/50) — northern Lake Chad

June 13, 2018, Landsat 8 (path/row 185/50) — northern Lake Chad

June 13, 2018, Landsat 8 (path/row 185/50) — northern Lake Chad

July 15, 2018, Landsat 8 (path/row 185/50) — northern Lake Chad

July 15, 2018, Landsat 8 (path/row 185/50) — northern Lake Chad

Oct. 16, 2017, Landsat 8 (path/row 185/50) — northern Lake Chad
Dec. 19, 2017, Landsat 8 (path/row 185/50) — northern Lake Chad
Jan. 4, 2018, Landsat 8 (path/row 185/50) — northern Lake Chad
Feb. 5, 2018, Landsat 8 (path/row 185/50) — northern Lake Chad
Apr. 10, 2018, Landsat 8 (path/row 185/50) — northern Lake Chad
June 13, 2018, Landsat 8 (path/row 185/50) — northern Lake Chad
July 15, 2018, Landsat 8 (path/row 185/50) — northern Lake Chad

Lake Chad, West Africa Additional Imagery & Stories

Water Level Fluctuations
Water Level Fluctuations

Lake Chad’s lakebed is flat and shallow, so small changes in water level greatly affect its surface water area. During an average rainy season, the wa...

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