Coastal landscape of south-west Australia

Sentinel-2 MSI acquired on 24 May 2017 at 02:07:51 UTC
Sentinel-2 MSI acquired on 26 October 2017 at 02:07:39 UTC
Sentinel-2 MSI acquired on 31 December 2017 at 02:32:39 UTC
Sentinel-2 MSI acquired on 03 January 2018 at 02:43:09 UTC
Sentinel-2 MSI acquired on 05 January 2018 at 02:32:41 UTC
Author(s): Sentinel Vision team, VisioTerra, France - svp@visioterra.fr
Keyword(s): Coastal, water colour, mangrove, Ramsar wetland, floodplain, reef, mudflats, beach, river, UNESCO World Heritage
Fig. 1 - Sentinel-2 (24.05.2017) - 4,3,2 natural colour - Roebuck Bay on the western Australian Coast.
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Fig. 2 - 24.05.2017 - Smaller bays, just south-west of Roebuck Bay.
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Roebuck Bay features various landscape elements, it is described by Ramsar as: "A tropical, marine embayment of extensive intertidal flats, sand beaches, extensive mudflats supporting various species of mangroves, and grasslands above high tide mark. Northwestern Australia is the continent's most important region for waders, regularly supporting up to half a million birds. The bay regularly supports over 100,000 other waterbirds, with numbers being highest in the austral spring when migrant species breeding in the Palearctic stop to feed during migration."
Fig. 3 - 24.05.2017 - Following the coast, zoom on Admiral Bay where mangrove & tidal flats are close to arid inland.
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Fig. 4 - 24.05.2017 - Coastal area near Geoffroy Bay & Desault Bay is very scarcely inhabited, easing the sustainability of its pristine wildlife.
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Fig. 5 - 26.10.2017 - Eighty-mile Beach, an important location for biodiversity.
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Another Ramsar site that lies on the coastline is the Eighty-mile Beach. Its information sheet notes: "A long section of coastline, extensive white sand beaches, tidal mudflats, with dunes and the most inland occurrence of mangroves in Western Australia. The site includes saltmarsh and a raised peat bog more than 7,000 years old. The area contains the most important wetland for waders in northwestern Australia, supporting up to 336,000 birds, and is especially important as a land fall for waders migrating south for the austral summer. The freshwater springs support unusual plant assemblages".
Fig. 6 - 03 & 05.01.2018 - Mangrove occupies the eastern coast of Exmouth Gulf between islands & shallow water.
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Fig. 7 - 03 & 05.01.2018 - Ningaloo Coast, a UNESCO World Heritage site that shows a coastal reef and varied inland landscape.
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Ningaloo Coast features among Australia's locations listed among UNESCO World Heritage sites. This landscape is described by UNESCO in the following words: "The Ningaloo Coast is located on Western Australia's remote coast along the East Indian Ocean. The interconnected ocean and arid coast form aesthetically striking landscapes and seascapes. The coastal waters host a major near shore reef system and a directly adjacent limestone karst system and associated habitats and species along an arid coastline. The property holds a high level of terrestrial species endemism and high marine species diversity and abundance. An estimated 300 to 500 whale sharks aggregate annually coinciding with mass coral spawning events and seasonal localized increases in productivity. The marine portion of the nomination contains a high diversity of habitats that includes lagoon, reef, open ocean, the continental slope and the continental shelf. Intertidal systems such as rocky shores, sandy beaches, estuaries, and mangroves are also found within the property. The most dominant marine habitat is the Ningaloo reef, which sustains both tropical and temperate marine fauna and flora, including marine reptiles and mammals.

The main terrestrial feature of the Ningaloo Coast is the extensive karst system and network of underground caves and water courses of the Cape Range. The karst system includes hundreds of separate features such as caves, dolines and subterranean water bodies and supports a rich diversity of highly specialized subterranean species. Above ground, the Cape Range Peninsula belongs to an arid ecoregion recognized for its high levels of species richness and endemism, particularly for birds and reptiles."
Fig. 8 - 31.12.2017 - Complete view of Shark Bay.
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Fig. 9 - 31.12.2017 - Zoom on the eastern part near Faure Island & Shell Park.
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Finally, further south-west lies Shark Bay, another World Heritage site which is, according to UNESCO: "At the most westerly point of the Australian continent, Shark Bay, with its islands and the land surrounding it, has three exceptional natural features: its vast sea-grass beds, which are the largest (4,800 km2) and richest in the world; its dugong (‘sea cow’) population; and its stromatolites (colonies of algae which form hard, dome-shaped deposits and are among the oldest forms of life on earth). These values are supplemented by marine fauna such as dolphins, sharks, rays, turtles and fish, which occur in great numbers."
Fig. 10 - 31.12.2017 - Western half of Shark Bay.
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The views expressed herein can in no way be taken to reflect the official opinion of the European Space Agency or the European Union.
Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2024, processed by VisioTerra.
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