Some of it is visible in the right corner of the image, along with other playa lakes that stand out from the rippled landscape.
Playas are flat, shallow lake beds that occur in arid and semi-arid climate zones. The dry lake beds are lighter in color due to a thin layer of salt deposits that reflect more light. In this photo, Lake Eyre has a higher volume of water than usual due to flooding that occurred earlier in the year.
The image was taken by a member of the Expedition 59 crew. The image has been cropped and enhanced to improve contrast, and lens artifacts have been removed.
The International Space Station Program supports the laboratory as part of the ISS National Lab to help astronauts take pictures of Earth that will be of the greatest value to scientists and the public, and to make those images freely available on the Internet.
Ten plant species and sixteen animal species found within the Simpson Desert are listed as rare or vulnerable in South Australia. Introduced herbivores such as camels, donkeys, horses and rabbits cause significant damage to desert ecosystems through overgrazing, particularly around water sources where they tend to congregate in dry times. Camels foul waterholes and have significant impacts upon fragile salt lake and freshwater ecosystems.
The Simpson Desert has a high density of camels, particularly in the Northern Territory and South Australian sections. It burns hotter and more quickly than the native grasses it replaces. Buffel grass invasion in combination with larger and more intense wildfires driven by climate change have the potential to devastate the biodiversity of arid ecosystems. High pasture utilisation of the interdune and drainage areas in the Queensland section of the Simpson Desert threatens vegetation by creating extensive areas of low cover that are prone to wind erosion.
Extraction and diversion of water from inland river systems reduces the water these areas receive and store, leading to the reduced health of waterholes, riverine and floodplain vegetation and the habitat they provide for fauna. The project area supports an exceptional range of animals and plants including numerous iconic threatened species such as the bilby and rock wallaby.
Indigenous Australians have inhabited the desert country for thousands of years and continue to have strong cultural and spiritual connections to the desert. The deserts span 2. The Tanami Desert covers , square kilometres, most of which lies in the Northern Territory.
For safety reasons, both the conservation park and regional reserve are closed from 1 December to 15 March, when temperatures can soar past 50 degrees Celsius. Access to the Simpson and Witjira is only permitted by purchasing a yearly Desert Parks Pass per vehicle, which includes entry and camping, as well as maps, park information and a safety handbook. Tracks are only suitable for high-clearance four-wheel drive vehicles, and it is preferable to go with at least one other car and carry a CB radio set to Channel 10, plus a satellite phone or high-frequency HR radio and an Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon EPIRB in case of emergency.
All vehicles entering the park must also attach 2. If you would rather have an expert guide on your desert odyssey, a number of commercial operators run Simpson tours, from chauffeured safaris to tag-along tours that allow you to drive yourself.
Get up to date information and check the National Parks South Australia website before you go. Log in to Disqus, Facebook, Twitter or Google to make a comment.
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