Newly released images captured from space show the effect of tropical cyclone Mekunu on the Empty Quarter, after the storm dumped several years’ worth of rain on the desert and created temporary lakes between the sand dunes.
Tropical cyclone Mekunu tore through the region in May, dumping three times Oman’s annual rainfall – 278 millimetres – on the vast area in just 24 hours.
Now footage released by space agency Nasa has revealed the effects of the storm on what is usually one of the driest places on the planet.
“Mekunu dissipated as it tracked north-west over land, but still delivered plenty of water to the desert,” stated Nasa’s website.
“Notice where water collected in the lowlands between sand dunes. For comparison, the second image was acquired on May 13 and represents the typically dry appearance of the interdune sand flats.”
The Empty Quarter, also known as the Rub Al Khali, is the largest contiguous sand desert in the world and spans the southern third of the Arabian Peninsula, including the UAE.
The images were taken of the eastern part of the desert in Saudi Arabia, near the border with Oman.
It has been 20 years since rainwater last filled the flats, according to Nasa’s Earth Observatory website. It usually receives just three centimetres of rain each year.
__________
Read more:
Cyclone Mekunu kills eleven and leaves dozens missing
Images from UAE satellites used to fight climate change
__________
The Landsat programme – the longest continuous space-based record of Earth's land – has also recently released pictures of Dubai that shows the breathtaking pace of the city’s development.
Part of a series released by the US space agency, the images show how quickly cities around the world have grown over the past 30 years.
Using images from its Landsat programme, the first picture shows Dubai in 1984, when it was home to 350,000 people and little more than a strip along the Arabian Gulf.
The second image, from last year, when the population had expanded to more than three million, shows the city creeping deep into the desert.
Many of its most recognisable landmarks are also visible on the coast, including Palm Jumerah, the World – and even upcoming developments such as Deira Islands.
-
A man covers his head under heavy rain. Kamran Jebreili / AP Photo -
A member of staff removes the rain water covered a corridor at a hotel in Salalah, Oman. Cyclone Mekunu will be "extremely severe" when it crashes into the Arabian Peninsula. Kamran Jebreili / AP Photo -
Staff members removes the rain water covered a corridor at a hotel in Salalah, Oman. Cyclone Mekunu will be "extremely severe" when it crashes into the Arabian Peninsula. Kamran Jebreili / AP Photo -
A golf buggie passes the trees at a hotel in Salalah, Oman. Kamran Jebreili / AP Photo -
Strong waves smashed into empty tourist beaches. Many holidaymakers fled the storm on Thursday night before Salalah International Airport closed. Kamran Jebreili / AP Photo -
A car makes its way through standing water on a road in Salalah, Oman. Kamran Jebreili / AP Photo -
A man covers his head under the rain. Kamran Jebreili / AP Photo -
The cyclone is expected to make landfall early Saturday. Kamran Jebreili / AP Photo -
A worker carries bottles of water in a school turned into a shelter in Salalah. Kamran Jebreili / AP Photo -
Workers prepare to stay in a school turned into a shelter. Kamran Jebreili / AP Photo -
Workers rest ahead of Cyclone Mekuna's arrival on the mainland Arabian Peninsula. Kamran Jebreili / AP Photo -
An Omani man walks down the street. Kamran Jebreili / AP Photo -
An Omani official gestures to a loader driver to tear away a road divider. Kamran Jebreili / AP Photo -
Cars drive through a flooded street as heavy rains and strong winds pummel Oman's Dhofar province. Mohammed Mahjoub / AFP Photo -
Rain has lashed Salalah non-stop for several hours. Mohammed Mahjoub / AFP Photo -
High waves breaking along the shore. Mohammed Mahjoub / AFP Photo -
Flooded Salalah streets. Mohammed Mahjoub / AFP Photo -
Flooded Salalah streets. Mohammed Mahjoub / AFP Photo -
Flooded Salalah streets. Mohammed Mahjoub / AFP Photo -
Flooded Salalah streets. Mohammed Mahjoub / AFP Photo -
Flooded Salalah streets. Mohammed Mahjoub / AFP Photo
