Lake Balaton, Hungary

With a surface area of approximately 600 square km and approximately 78 km in length, Lake Balaton is the largest lake in central Europe. It supports a large population of plant and animal species. Owing to the lake’s many beaches and summer festivals and to its stunningly clear freshwater, the Lake Balaton area is a popular tourist destination in Hungary.  

This image, acquired by one of the Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellites on 1 July 2020, shows the magnificent turquoise waters of Lake Balaton. This colour is most likely due to the absence of floating sediments and algae as well as to the particular mix of chemical compounds in its waters. The lake is described as a sulphato-carbonate lake due to the high concentrations of carbonates and sulphates in its water.

The frequent revisit time of the Copernicus Sentinel satellites over the same area and their high spatial resolution allow changes in inland water bodies to be closely monitored.