File:Beautiful Blue Lake Balkhash (MODIS 2021-03-26).jpg

English: Snow, cloud, and sand created a beautiful pastel backdrop for the blue-tinted ice of Lake Balkhash in late March 2021. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board NASA’s Terra satellite acquired a stunning true-color image of the early spring scene on March 25. Lake Balkhash, spanning about 17,000 square kilometers (6,600 square miles) in southeastern Kazakhstan, is one of Asia’s largest lakes. Despite the lake’s large size, winters are harsh enough to keep the lake frozen over from November through March. Although snow sweeps across the landscape around the lake and tops the tall Tian Shan Mountains in the south, signs of spring thaw can be seen in the ice cover. A dark area close to the western coast appears to be open water and sections of darker ice (where the ice has become filled with water) can be seen in several areas across Lake Balkhash.