MSGID: 1:317/3 630fa1b3   
   PID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
   TID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
   August 31, 2022 - Liwa Oasis and the Rub' al Khali Desert   
      
      Liwa Oasis & Rub   
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      Liwa Oasis, a rich, green expanse of trees and towns, rises suddenly   
      from the vast expanse of dry, undulating, tan-toned desert of the   
      United Arab Emirates. Seen from space, this lush oasis forms the long   
      curving arc of the green “T” that sits at the northern edge of the   
      apricot-tinted dunes of the Rub’ Al Khali (Empty Quarter)—the Earth’s   
      largest uninterrupted desert. The long straight line of the “T” marks   
      greenery, including date trees, planted along highway E45.   
      
      Rainfall is scarce in the region, so the greenness of the Liwa Oasis   
      comes almost entirely from a water table that lies close to the   
      surface. This natural reservoir has been called “fossil” water, as some   
      estimates suggest it accumulated more than 20,000 years ago, with the   
      bulk of it now buried under limestone formations and sand.   
      
      The Liwa Oasis is the ancestral home of the Bani Yas tribe, the most   
      numerous and significant tribe in the United Arab Emirates, according   
      to the Abu Dhabi Culture website. In the past, the traditional practice   
      of the Bani Yas tribe was raising camels and other livestock, and   
      farming dates and other crops within the oasis. In the summer, they   
      would trek about 62 miles (100 km) to reach their fleets of boats along   
      the coast of the Persian Gulf to gather precious pearls. Pearl diving   
      was once the mainstay of the economy of the United Arab Emirates and   
      other Persian Gulf countries. According to Business Insider, pearl   
      exports made up 75 percent of the Persian Gulf’s exports at the end of   
      the 19th century. However, the onset of pearl farming in the 1930s   
      triggered a rapid decline of pearling in the Gulf.   
      
      The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board   
      NASA’s Terra satellite acquired a true-color image of the green Liwa   
      Oasis amid the stunning orange-and-tan sands of the United Arab   
      Emirates on August 29, 2022.   
      
      Image Facts   
      Satellite:  Aqua   
      Date Acquired: 8/29/2022   
      Resolutions:  1km (126.6 KB),  500m (325.8 KB),  250m (736.8   
      KB)   
      Bands Used: 1,4,3   
      Image Credit: MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC   
      
      
      
   https://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/individual.php?db_date=2022-08-31   
       
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