November 24th, 2010 Category: Fires, Rivers

USA - November 9th, 2010

The Mississippi River Valley appears light tan in color in this image of the central and southern USA. Upon opening the full image, the river can be seen meandering southwards towards the Gulf of Mexico in a series of tight curves.

Also visible in the full version is the city of Saint Louis, Missouri, by a bend on the west bank of the river in the upper left quadrant. Visible to the southeast of the city, near the east bank of the river, is a fire releasing a plume of smoke towards the northeast.

Tags: Fire Mississippi River Missouri Saint Louis USA | Comments |

December 25th, 2009 Category: Lakes, Rivers

Mauritania and Senegal - December 16th, 2009

The Senegal River, flowing more or less horizontally across the image, marks the border between Mauritania (above) and Senegal (below). On a vertical axis near the image center is a lake whose waters appear green: the Lac de Guiers.

The lake is located in northern Senegal, south of the city of Richard-Toll and in the Louga and Saint-Louis regions. It is a chief source of fresh water for the city of Dakar, hundreds of kilometers to the south-west, through underground pipes.

It is about 35 kilometers long and 8 kilometers wide, and is supplied by the Ferlo or Bounoum River, which flows north into its southern end from Fouta in the rainy season. Water used to flow out to the Senegal River north through the Portuguese River, but this has been replaced by a straight canal to Richard-Toll. A dam was built in 1916 to prevent saltwater flowing in from Taoué River and the Senegal River Delta.

The shores are mostly fertile. The north shore and surrounding area have been converted to a large sugar-growing region irrigated with water from the lake. Lac de Guiers is also designated an Important Bird Area by BirdLife International.

Tags: Africa Bounoum River Ferlo River Fouta Lac de Guiers Louga Mauritania Portuguese River Richard-Toll Saint Louis Senegal Senegal River Senegal River Delta Taoué River | Comments |

August 21st, 2009 Category: Rivers

Senegal - July 2nd, 2009

The Senegal River is a 1790 km long river in West Africa that forms the border between Senegal (below) and Mauritania (above). It is formed by the confluence of the Semefé (Bakoy) and Bafing Rivers at Bafoulabé.

From Bafoulabé the river flows west and then north through the spectacular Talari Gorges near Galougo and over the Gouina Falls, then flows more gently past Kayes and through semi-arid land along the northern border of Senegal to the Atlantic.

Approaching its mouth, the Senegal passes through Biffeche and the island on which the city of Saint Louis is located, then turns south. Around Saint Louis, there are marshes – flood basins that form during the rainy season when the river overflows into the countryside, creating ponds and stretches of mangroves that attract birds like flamingos and pelicans.

By the coast and Saint Louis, the Senegal River is separated from the Atlantic Ocean by a thin strip of sand called the Langue de Barbarie. The entire strip stretches 600km from Nouadhibou in Mauritania to Saint-Louis, of which a 25km section separates the Senegal River from the Atlantic Ocean. Its vegetation mainly consists of Filao trees, propagated to prevent soil erosion in sandy and salty soils.

Tags: Africa Atlantic Ocean Biffeche Langue de Barbarie Marshes Mauritania Saint Louis Senegal Senegal River | Comments |