Earth from Space: Lake Balkhash

Click on the image below to explore it in its full 10 m resolution.

The lake, which is situated in east-central Kazakhastan, is around 605 km in length from east to west, with a maximum depth of around 25 m. The lake’s size varies depending on water balance, with its area fluctuating from around 15 000 sq km to 19 000 sq km.

Jutting out into the lake is the Sarymsek Peninsula which divides Balkhash into two separate hydraulic parts. The west part is wide and shallow with its water on this side particularly fresh and suitable for drinking. The east part, on the other hand, is narrow and relatively deep, with its waters on this side of the basin brackish and salty. The two parts of the lake are united by a narrow strait, the Uzynaral visible in the centre of the image, with a depth of around 6 m.

The sediment plume passing through the Uzynaral Strait is most likely due to waves stirring up sediments from the bottom of the lake. This has led to a higher reflection and thus a brighter water colour in this part of the lake.

The north banks of Lake Balkhash are high and rocky while the south banks are low and sandy, with wide belts covered with thickets of reeds and numerous small lakes. These low-lying banks are periodically flooded by the waters of the lake.

A high presence of sea ice can be seen in bright blue-greenish colours especially near the southern shoreline. This colour is due to ice having a higher reflectance in the visible parts of the spectrum than in the near-infrared. Balkhash usually remains frozen from the end of November to the beginning of April, with this image captured on 29 November 2021.

South of Balkhash lies the Saryesik-Atyrau Desert, which stretches for around 400 km in east Kazakhastan. There are a great number of small lakes, ponds and wetlands in the desert (visible in brown), as well as occasional grasslands, that support a varied animal and bird population.

Sentinel-2 is a two-satellite mission to supply the coverage and data delivery needed for Europe’s Copernicus programme. The mission’s frequent revisits over the same area and high spatial resolution allow changes in water bodies to be closely monitored.

This image is also featured on the Earth from Space video programme.