Land surface features in the Namib desert

By Jochen Kerkmann (EUMETSAT)

The image below demostrates the high spatial resolution of the HRV channel onboard the Meteosat-8 satellite. It shows the Namib desert between Lüderitz and Walvis Bay (see Interpretation). The bright, highly-reflective desert surface clearly stands out against the darker surfaces further to the east. Very often the coastal area is covered by fog in the morning hours, but on this day the coastline is clearly visible in the satellite image. Some low-level clouds appear over the higher parts of the country.

The most interesting feature in this image, however, is the Sossusvlei area, one of the greatest tourist destinations in the Namib Naukluft National Park in Namibia. The Tsauchab river valley that occasionally brings water to the 'vlei' is clearly visible (the last time that the vlei was filled with water was in 2000). This valley is surrounded by the worlds largest sand dunes. Looking carefully at the early-morning HRV image, one gets an impression of the dunes as lines if brighter and darker grey shades.