14 DAY TRIAL // This Friday, the European Space Agency released a gorgeous view of coral reefs just off the coast of Saudi Arabia. The image, available below, was obtained by the Sentinel-2A satellite earlier this year, on June 28.
The coral reefs shown in this satellite image sit at the bottom of the Red Sea. On land, right next to the Red Sea, the Sentinel-2A view shows a barren terrain and next to it the Hejaz Mountains.
“This beautiful true-color image features the Red Sea coral reefs off the coast of Saudi Arabia. This vast, desolate area in the very northern corner of the Red Sea is bordered by the Hejaz Mountains to the east,” European Space Agency researchers write in the image's description.
They further explain that, at least these days, the Red Sea is among the world's warmest and saltiest. With plenty of deserts surrounding it, it often happens that sand is carried by winds and storms across its surface.
The Red Sea measures around 1,900 kilometers (nearly 1,200 miles) in length and 300 kilometers (almost 200 miles) across at its widest point. In places, it's 2,600 meters (8,500 feet) deep.
Usually, the sea appears green or maybe intense blue, like in this satellite view. However, it sometimes happens that excessive algae blooms form and turn its waters a rich reddish-brown color. It was because of such blooms that the body of water was named the Red Sea.
