Top satellite-based observations of July 2022

August 1, 2022

Highlights of July 2022

Here’s a summary of our highlighted satellite observations from last month. In July we focused mostly on events resulting from the effects of global climate change and also a couple of military-related observations.

Season of heat

July is the month of heat in many parts of the world. This year July is also a time of droughts and wildfires. Scorching temperatures have been fueling wildfires in several countries, especially in Europe. Heat waves are becoming more frequent and intense. The effects of climate change seem to be more evident than ever. Below you can see a fire near Ladrillar in Spain, where officials have quickly issued evacuation orders, and Gironde in southwestern France right before a massive forest fire – the reason why thousands of people have been evacuated. Not to mention the Oak Fire in North America – up to now, the largest fire in California this year.

Great wildfire near Ladrillar in Spain – view on the map.

Oak Fire – the largest fire in California so far this year- view on the map.

Image of Gironde in France just a couple of hours before the visible signs of wildfire – view on the map.

Other effects of the climate change

Many believe the extreme droughts are another consequence of climate change, just like heavy but short rainfalls which are the cause of many floods right now. Countries struggling with this problem include Yemen, Russia, Thailand, Iran, Nigeria, and Sudan. Flooding has affected thousands of people in Sudan since the start of the current rainy season with at least 13 fatalities. Below we can see the satellite image of Guli in White Nile state, right before the flooding that struck on July 10th, damaging 65 homes.

Sentinel-2 image of Guli right before the flooding that struck on 10 July – view on the map.

It should be no surprise that the post-spring droughts all over the world have significantly reduced water levels. A great example of this may be Lake Mead – a reservoir in the United States, that is slowly, but surely shrinking.

Here are the changes in Lake Mead observed over the last year – view on the map.

Open-source intelligence

Satellite imagery enables us to follow situations and events happening all over the world. Observations below include intense fighting in Sloviansk, near Izium, where multiple fires are visible on the satellite images. We can also observe the Jiangnan Shipyard in Shanghai, where the third Chinese aircraft carrier – Fujian is stationed. Type 003 aircraft carrier is the first one to feature a catapult aircraft launch system.