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Red dots in the Kalahari Desert

This false color image over part of the Kalahari Desert in Namibia highlights the active vegetation in red. These can be seen through the sparsely distributed red features on the Auob riverbanks and in the strange-looking red circles. These are circular agricultural fields, of up to 500 m in diameter, being irrigated with borehole water. The whole region is dominated by northwest to southeast directed parallel dunes, which can move swiftly. It is therefore extremely difficult to cultivate agricultural fields in this area.

Source: Modified Copernicus Sentinel data (2023) / Google Earth Engine