Landscape

Lut Desert

At the toe of a stunning sand dune in Lut Desert, Iran

Lut Desert

Deserts cover around a fifth of the Earth’s land surface. But only a small fraction of all deserts are covered by sand dunes (less than 20%). This photo shows my favorite dunes in Lut Desert (also known as Dasht-e Lut). ⁣ ⁣

Lut Desert

Early morning hike in the heart of Lut Desert. Nothing is more peaceful than wandering aimlessly in a desert as the sun warms the sand.

Lut Desert

Early morning hike in the heart of Lut Desert. Nothing is more peaceful than wandering aimlessly in a desert as the sun warms the sand.

Lut Desert

Walking on a parched land, seemingly full of emptiness, I spotted bird tracks (see the foreground)! Despite its harsh climate, Lut Desert seems to maintain a vibrant ecosystem. Not sure if this particular bird lived there or it was lost on the way to somewhere else (April 2017).

Lut Desert

Erg (a typical desert landform) covers about 20% of all the deserts on Earth. The main land feature of erg is sand dunes, shaped by wind. Barchan is a crescent-shaped dune with two curved arms (or legs) pointing toward the direction of the dominant wind. Seif is another type of dune with a long ridge of sand formed parallel to the direction of the prevailing wind. Here is a photo from Lut Desert (Iran) where you can find a vast stretch of different types of sand dunes. ⁣

Lut Desert

A splendid sunrise after a long walk in the dark in one of the hottest deserts on Earth: Lut Desert also known as Dasht-e-Lut.

Lut Desert

A splendid sunrise after a long walk in the dark in one of the hottest deserts on Earth: Lut Desert also known as Dasht-e-Lut.

Lut Desert

A study back in 2006 based on NASA satellite data identified the Lut Desert in Iran as the “thermal pole of the Earth” (hottest place on Earth). Since then, Lut Desert has been regarded as the hottest place on Earth with the record temperature of 70.7 C (159.3 F). In a recent study led by my good friend and colleague Dr. Azar (@marziazar), we used the latest satellite observations of land surface temperature to study the extreme temperatures and diurnal variability in Lut Desert. The results showed that Lut Desert is much hotter than previously thought with a record temperature of 80.83 C (177.5 F) in 2018 (approximately 10 C or 18 F higher than previously reported record temperature). Also, our results show that Lut Desert has an incredible diurnal variability range, up to around 71 C (~128 F). This makes Lut Desert an incredible and mysterious environment. Here is a photo from our 2017 trip to Lut Desert. ⁣

Lut Desert

I have been to many counties around the world and seen absolutely incredible landscapes, but few so breathtaking as the Reg-e-Setareh (Star Reg) in Lut Desert. This is by far my most favorite place on our planet! Here is a stunning view of endless sand dunes and Kaloots (also known as Yardangs) from the top of a sand dune some ~120m high.

Pacific Coast

Pacific Coast Highway 1 near Monterey, California.

Wolf Creek Pass

An amazing overlook of the Wolf Creek Pass in Colorado. Wolf Creek is a mountain pass on the Continental Divide (also known as the "Great Divide") in the San Juan Mountains. The Continental Divide separates waters that flow into the Pacific Ocean from those that drain into the Atlantic Ocean. ⁣

Horseshoe Bend

Arizona Monsoon

An intense convective monsoon storm sweeping across Marble Canyon, Arizona.

Arizona Monsoon

An intense convective monsoon storm sweeping across Marble Canyon, Arizona.

Bromo Volcano

Majestic view of the Bromo Volcano (East Java, Indonesia) at sunrise.

Bromo Volcano

Majestic view of the Bromo Volcano (East Java, Indonesia) at sunrise.

Mangrove Forest

Mangrove forests provide a natural defense to coastal communities against the rising sea levels. The growing volume of warming ocean waters and the meting of ice caps and glaciers have led to significant increases in sea levels which is expected to continue in the future. With their unique roots, mangrove forests reduce the energy of tidal waves and ocean currents and protect the coastal areas from erosion. Unfortunately, a large fraction of mangrove forests has been destroyed due to development in coastal areas. In some countries, nearly all mangrove forests have disappeared. I took this picture from what is left from Singapore’s mangroves. Over the past 200 years, mangrove cover has been reduced from 13% to only 0.5% of the total land area of the country! ⁣

Waterfall Birds

Birds dancing around a waterfall near Whittier, Alaska.

Glacier Cave

A glacier up close! You can see a massive glacier cave in the middle.

Glacier Ponds

Mesmerizing glacier ponds in Alaska, United States.

Glacier Ponds

Mesmerizing glacier ponds in Alaska, United States.