Summer in the Netherlands

This image was captured by Sentinel-2A on 5 August 2015 from over 780 km above Earth. It clearly picks out features such as Rotterdam harbour, patchworks of fields throughout the country, Amsterdam and Schiphol airport. The image also shows how the Enkhuizen–Lelystad dike separates the different concentrations of sediment and algae in the Markermeer and the IJsselmeer.

As part of Europe’s Copernicus environmental monitoring programme, Sentinel-2A carries an innovative wide swath high-resolution multispectral imager with 13 spectral bands for a new perspective of our land and vegetation. The combination of high resolution, novel spectral capabilities, a swath width of 290 km and frequent revisit times will provide unprecedented views of Earth. Its images will be used for numerous applications, including monitoring plant growth, mapping changes in land cover, monitoring forests and for detecting pollution in lakes and coastal waters. Sentinel-2A was launched on 23 June 2015.