MSGID: 1:317/3 6414aab5   
   PID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
   TID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
   March 17, 2023 - Flooded Lake Tarabool, Northern Territory, Australia   
      
      Tarrabool Lake   
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      A passing tropical low dumped several days of downpours on Australia’s   
      Northern Territory in early March 2023. The widespread downpours pushed   
      rivers beyond their banks and forced evacuations from several   
      communities.   
      
      On March 16, 2023, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer   
      (MODIS) on board NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired a true-color image of   
      flooded Lake Tarabool and the Eva Downs Swamp in northeastern Northern   
      Territory. For most of the year, Tarabool is a small body of water, but   
      when inundated due to seasonal or exceptional rainfall, the lake   
      expands into the surrounding swamp, creating a massive freshwater   
      wetland spanning 275,000 hectares. Water is slow to recede and may   
      remain for more than a year after heavy inundation.   
      
      Lake Tarabool and Eva Downs Swamp are listed on the Register of the   
      National Estate and the Directory of Important Wetlands in Australia   
      and are classified as sites of conservation significance by the   
      Northern Territory Government. The area is listed as an Important Bird   
      Area (IBA) by BirdLife International, with more than 250,000 birds   
      counted at one time in a recent inundation. The land is private,   
      however, and has not been formally conserved.   
      
      According to news reports, the mid-March floods swamped cattle   
      pastures, roads, and homes in the remote region near Tarabool in   
      Northern Territory. Farther north and west in the more densely   
      populated Victoria Daly and Roper Gulf regions, floodwaters inundated   
      entire towns, blocked key roads and rail lines, and disrupted food   
      supplies. Daguragu, Kalkarindji, Pigeon Hole, and Palumpa are among the   
      towns that had to be evacuated.   
      
      While this single image shows a well-filled lake surrounded by   
      widespread water, the best way to appreciate the extent of this year’s   
      flooding is to compare with a similar image acquired on a more normal   
      March day. Thanks to the NASA Worldview app, this can be done simply by   
      clicking  here, which reveals a roll-over image comparing the March   
      16, 2023 view of the inundated lake with another Aqua MODIS image   
      acquired on March 5, 2022, on a more typical year.   
      
      Image Facts   
      Satellite:  Aqua   
      Date Acquired: 3/16/2023   
      Resolutions:  1km (208.8 KB),  500m (550.6 KB),  250m (382.3   
      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=2023-03-17   
       
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