Scientists Use Salty Lakebed as a Giant White Balance Card

Typical sized white balance cards may be of (literally) little assistance in color calibrating global imaging satellites, but scientists have figured a clever workaround. Lake Tuz, Turkey’s third largest lake, dries out annually and turns into a giant salt bed. Because of its vast size and unique salty white color, scientists worldwide can use the lake to standardize their satellite measurements.

From August 14-25, scientists will be comparing ground-based measurements and comparing them with satellite results.

Apparently satellites don’t come with preset white balance for “sunny.”

Image credit: Satellite image via Google Maps