Earth from Space: Pilbara, Western Australia

The Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission takes us over part of the northern coast of the Pilbara region in Western Australia.

Zoom in to explore this image at its full 10 m resolution or click on the circles to learn more.

As the image shows, the coast is a complex system of deltas, limestone barrier islands, salt ponds and lagoons.

Captured on 5 March 2023 and processed in false-colour, the image offers information on vegetation. The processing involved using the mission’s near-infrared channel to help highlight the distribution, density and health of the vegetation in red. The healthier the plants are, the brighter red they appear.

On the left, tidal channels and mangroves are also visible in red. Mangroves play an important role in preventing erosion and protecting the coastline from waves and storms.

Round islands can be seen in the coastal lagoons. These are in contrast to the rectangular, white and blue ponds of the salt extraction industry in the Onslow Salt Lake to the east. Causeways divide the lake into three zones which help with the evaporation process.

North of the Lake lies the coastal city of Onslow, with its airport clearly visible to the south of the city.

In the bottom centre of the image, numerous catchments that collect water after rain are visible in gold – gold partly due to the presence of mud.

Off the coast, a number of islands are scattered in the dark blue Indian Ocean waters. Their red appearance means that they are covered in vegetation. In fact, Pilbara islands are home to various nature reserves. Thevenard Island, the bigger island in the centre top of the image, is important for a wealth of marine wildlife such as sea turtles, dolphins, whales and fish.

This image was selected, processed and planned for publication prior to the news that Cyclone Ilsa was heading for Western Australia. Reports state that it subsequently made landfall as a category 5 storm at a remote stretch of the coast, thankfully missing highly-populated areas.