A Surge of Blue and Green in Australia

Big rain events in Queensland can alter the landscape for months as water—and then a carpet of vegetation—moves toward Lake Eyre.

Image of the Day Land

Rare Filling of Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre

Floodwaters have worked their way through a series of parched channels, watering holes, and lagoons to start filling the iconic Australian lake.

Image of the Day Land Water

Lake Eyre Filling Peaks

By mid-June 2009, the rare filling of this lake in Australia’s Simpson Desert appeared to have reached its peak.

Image of the Day Land Life

Visualizing the Highs and Lows of Lake Mead

In May 2016, the reservoir behind Hoover Dam reached its lowest level since the 1930s.

Image of the Day Water

Flood Waters Reach Kati Thanda–Lake Eyre

The usually dry, inland lake in Australia came alive with color after flood waters arrived in the late summer of 2017.

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Lake Frome, South Australia

Acquired on April 10, 2010, and and March 7, 2009, these natural-color images show changes in a central Australian saltpan, Lake Frome. In 2010, water has seeped into the salt lake, leaving standing water in some areas and muddying much of the ground surface.

Image of the Day Land Floods

Rare Refill of Lake Eyre, Australia’s Simpson Desert

Muddy brown water spreads into Australia's Lake Eyre through a triangular delta in this natural-color Landsat image from May 9, 2009. The water transformed the dry basin into a vast inland sea where flocks of birds gathered to breed.

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Devils Lake, North Dakota

Acquired on August 11, 1984 (top), and September 1, 2009 (bottom), these true-color images show dramatic expansion of Devils Lake in North Dakota. In the 1990s, the lake began flooding, spilling into neighboring Stump Lake.

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High Water in Lake Disappointment

Rains from Tropical Cyclone Rusty raised water levels in Lake Disappointment in early March 2013.

Land Water Floods

Lake Pontchartrain

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Flooding in Colombia and Venezeula

February is typically the dry season in northern South America, but in 2005, unusual torrential rains triggered deadly floods in Venezuela and Colombia.

Land Water Floods

A Tale of Contrasting Rift Valley Lakes

Long and short. Deep and shallow. Salty and fresh. Blue and brown. These are Africa’s Lake Tanganyika and Lake Rukwa.

Image of the Day Land Water

Floods along the Yangtze River

Acquired June 23, 2011, and May 26, 2011, these false-color images show changes in Dongting and Poyang Lakes, comparing drought to flood conditions.

Floods