Earth from Space - Image Description

STS008-48-2514 Lake Auld Area, Western Australia, Australia September 1993
Percival Lakes, the U-shaped series of dry lakes (white reflective surfaces), captured in this image of the Great Sandy Desert is located in north-central West Australia. Several of the larger dry lakes have names such as Lake Blanche (elongated most westerly lake; Lake Winifred; Lake George; and Lake Auld (larger most easterly lake). These lakes are intermittent and contain standing water on rare occasions. The surrounding landscape consists of sandy ridges and sand dunes that support a shrubland/grassland environment. The blotchy pattern results from fire scars of different ages. The climate is classified as arid tropical and when rainfall does occur it comes primarily during the summer months.

This service is provided by the International Space Station program and the JSC Earth Science & Remote Sensing Unit, ARES Division, Exploration Integration Science Directorate.