Hi.
I’m Mariangela D’Acunto
and welcome back to Earth from Space.
This week Copernicus Sentinel-2
takes us over the Gulf of Kutch
along the west coast of India.
The Gulf of Kutch divides the Kutch and the
Kathiawar peninsula regions
in the state of Gujarat.
Reaching eastward for around 150 km,
the gulf varies in width from approximately
15 to 65 km.
The area is renowned for extreme daily tides
which often cover the lower lying areas
comprising networks of creeks, wetlands and
alluvial tidal flats in the interior region.
Gujarat is the largest salt producing state
in India.
Some of the white rectangles dotted around
the image are salt evaporation ponds
which are often found in major salt-producing areas.
The arid climate in the region
favours the evaporation of water from the
salt ponds.
Just north of the area pictured here
lies the Great Rann of Kutch,
a seasonal salt marsh located in the Thar desert.
The Rann is considered the largest salt desert
in the world.
The Gulf of Kutch has several ports
including Okha (at the entrance of the gulf),
and Kandla, visible on the northern peninsula.
Kandla is one of the largest ports in India
by volume of cargo handled.
The gulf is rich in marine biodiversity.
Part of the southern coast was declared India’s
first Marine Sanctuary
and Marine National Park
in 1980 and 82 respectively.
There are hundreds of species of coral in the park,
as well as algae, sponges and mangroves.
Copernicus Sentinel-2 is a two-satellite mission.
Each satellite carries a high-resolution camera
that images Earth’s surface in 13 spectral bands.
The mission’s frequent revisits over the
same area and high spatial resolution
allow changes in water bodies to be closely monitored.
And that’s all for today.
From the ESA web TV Studios, I’m Mariangela D’Acunto.
Thanks for watching and see you next time.
