USGS.
Science for a Changing World.
Tulare Basin Refills.
Image of the Week.
A winter of heavy rain causes flooding in California's Tulare Basin,
threatening cropland.
The basin was once the site of a large lake that appeared
naturally every winter as rainfall and snowmelt from the nearby
Sierra Nevada mountain range flowed down and filled the basin.
It was even known as the largest lake west of the Mississippi River.
But more than a century ago, when irrigation systems were
developed to water area crops, the spring runoff
wasn't enough to reach the basin anymore, and it dried up.
This winter's heavy rains are filling it up again,
and the snow has yet to melt from the mountaintops.
A series of images from Landsat show
the extent of the floodwaters in dark blue or black.
Growing vegetation appears green, revealing gridded farm fields.
Tan colored fields show bare soil where nothing is growing.
Landsat satellites continue to provide valuable monitoring
for water levels and potential flooding around the world.
Credits and sources appear on screen.
USGS.
Science for a Changing World.