Image of the Week | Archive

27 August is the first-ever World Lake Day, dedicated to tracking and protecting the health of millions of lakes around the globe. 

This Copernicus Sentinel-2 image from 13 August 2025 shows Lake Suchitlan, El Salvador’s largest wetland reservoir and a key source of the country’s hydropower.

Following the launch of Copernicus Sentinel-4A last month, the European Union successfully launched the Copernicus Sentinel-5A to further monitor air quality and emissions around the world.

The SWOT (Surface Water and Ocean Topography) satellite captured the tsunami spawned by an 8.8 magnitude earthquake off the coast of Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula on July 30, 11:25 a.m. local time. The satellite, a joint effort between NASA and the French space agency CNES (Centre National d’Études Spatiales), recorded the tsunami about 70 minutes after the earthquake struck.

Stretching across the arid plains of northern Patagonia, the Alto Valle of the Río Negro is a remarkable agricultural oasis in Argentina. Despite the surrounding semi-desert landscape, this narrow strip thrives thanks to irrigation from the Río Negro River, supporting one of the country’s most productive fruit-growing regions.

In mid-July 2025, the Albanian Ministry of Defense reported 18 wildfire outbreaks across multiple municipalities. The blazes have threatened residential areas and environmentally protected zones. 

A wildfire caused by lightning on 4 July spread rapidly across the Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona, USA, on 11 and 12 July, fanned by strong winds. The fire destroyed several structures, including the National Park Service’s visitor hub and the historic Grand Canyon Lodge on the park’s North Rim. It also prompted the evacuation of hundreds of visitors and the temporary closure of key park facilities.

On 2 July 2025, a wildfire broke out near the village of Achlia in eastern Crete, Greece. Fanned by strong winds, the fire spread rapidly, prompting the evacuation of around 5,000 nearby residents.

These Copernicus Sentinel-2 images illustrate the decline in water levels at the Asprokremmos Reservoir, an important freshwater source for agriculture and local communities near Nikokleia in southwestern Cyprus. Acquired on 6 June 2024 and 3 June 2025, the images show a significant reduction in surface water extent, with the surrounding fields appearing noticeably more arid.

From late May to early June 2025, Sylhet and surrounding districts in northeastern Bangladesh were affected by extreme rainfall. Approximately 405 mm of rain fell within 24 hours on 1 June, making it one of the heaviest downpours of the season.

Satellite imagery highlights the worsening drought in the UK, with reservoirs like Haweswater showing dramatic water loss.

In late April 2025, a rapidly deepening area of low pressure in the Tasman Sea triggered flooding and severe weather across New Zealand.

Vast parts of southern Africa have been affected by a severe drought, particularly within the Zambezi Basin.

March 2025 was the driest March ever recorded in Germany.

Since the start of 2025, Mexico has been battling a series of intense forest fires, with over 2,800 fires recorded across all states.

In early April 2025, a slow-moving storm system brought heavy rain and dozens of tornadoes to the U.S. Midwest and Southeast.