Farasan Bank
Red Sea | Off South Arabian West Coast
Date of acquisition: April 20th, 2024 | 07:46:09 UTC
Sensor: Sentinel-2B L2A
Coordinates: ca. 19.3°N, 40.7°E (TBC MP)
The Farasan Bank, a cluster of coral reefs in the Red Sea off the coast of Saudi Arabia between Al Qunfudha and Al Lith, just west of the islands of Thara Major and Thara Minor, can be seen in the Sentinel-2 satellite image. Several phenomena can be discovered within this image. We can see the coral reefs shimmering through very clear water (medium to light blue), but we also see an intense algal bloom that building narrow structures (grey to white) and finally the image is affected by sun-glint which is caused by direct reflection of sunlight towards the sensor. The latter allows us to see also wave structures that cause striping from north to south.
