Image of the day
Extreme cold weather freezes Issyk-Kul lake
Earth Observation | Copernicus
Climate Change
Cold Waves
Drought
Lakes
Location: Issyk-Kul lake, Kyrgyzstan
Credit: European Union, Copernicus Sentinel-2 imagery
Issyk-Kul is a lake in the mountains of Kyrgyzstan, is characterised by a rather unique feature: because of the high concentration of salt in its waters, it remains ice-free during the winter (Issyk-Kul means "warm lake" in Kyrgyz).
On 14 January, an extreme cold spell affected Kyrgyzstan, freezing part of the lake and forming multiple ice boulders around the northern coast of the lake. On 15 January, one of the Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellites captured the floating ice off the shores of Kharkynbayevo and Chong-Oryuktyu.
