This series of images from the Terra and Aqua MODIS instruments shows the break up and melting of seasonal ice in Lake Balkhash in southeastern Kazakhstan. The crescent-shaped lake is fresh water in the western half and saline in the east. The two sections are divided by a submerged sandbar. The Ili River feeds the freshwater end; the (west to east) Karatol, Aksu, and Lepsy Rivers flow into the eastern part. The larger, western portion of the lake is shallower and receives a greater volume of inflow than the eastern portion, which may explain why it thaws more quickly...
