The Nile River recently showed the color blood red (hence the Blood Nile moniker) as per the picture released by the ESA. The event draws comparison from the First Plague which was found in the bible in which the Egyptian waterway turned to blood. However, instead of turning to blood, the image from Sentinel-3A shows something else. Combining color data and radiometer to map out the immediate environment’s features. The color indicates there is presence of vegetation found along the river as ut cuts through the surrounding desert.
The Blood Nile Event is Caused by Vegetation Growth
The picture of the Blood Nile was recorded very recently and it showed the river and Delta found along the desert located at Northeast Africa and part of the Middle East. Egypt is the capital city of Cairo which can also be seen at the center of the image. The Red Sea can then be found to the east and part of that body of water can also be seen in the picture.
The satellite image also captured the islands of Cyprus that are located to the north in the Mediterranean Sea. The image also has parts of Crete on the left side. As part of its mission, Sentinel-3A will be used to measure oceans, ice, land, and atmosphere of Earth. It uses sophisticated instruments in order to detect energy from the surface across nine spectral bands. Said bands include those visible as well as infrared.
Researchers stated that the data collected by the Sentinel-3A satellite will assist in improving our understanding on the state of vegetation around the globe. This would of course include what is currently happening around the Blood Nile river. Aside from providing insight pertaining to vegetation, it will also detect land use, water levels, and even wildfires.
The main mission of the satellite is to investigate the Earth’s oceans, measure overall color of the planet, sea levels, and temperature. It has recently sent back a bunch of pictures. These image include the red-colored phenomenon happening around the Nile river, as well as the snow-covered archipelago in Svalbard. It also brought back the Strait of Gibraltar and parts of Europe and the United States.
There is a semblance to what is happening to the Blood Nile in biblical scriptures. In the Bible, Egypt was struck by 10 plagues to prevent the Hebrew people from leaving. The current phenomena shows no signs of being a plague, rather it is showing events of life.