NASA Thematic Mapper on Landsat-5: Sivash Lagoons

A picture released by the Nasa Earth Observatory shows a natural-colour image captured by the Thematic Mapper on NASA's Landsat 5 satellite.

The shallow waters of a network of lagoons known as Sivash appear in shades of peach, mustard, lime green, brilliant blue, muted blue-green, beige, and brown.

From mainland Ukraine, the Crimean Peninsula extends southward into the Black Sea. The peninsula is bordered on the west by the Black Sea, and on the east by the Sea of Azov.

Stretching across the peninsula is a network of shallow, marshy inlets sprawling over roughly 1,000 square miles (2,600 square kilometres).

During the summer months, warmed marsh waters give off unpleasant odours, lending the region nicknames of Rotten Sea or Putrid Sea.

Picture: AFP/NASA