MANCHESTER CITY CENTRE - JULY

STUNNING images from space show just how much the heatwave has scorched Greater Manchester’s usually lush greenery.

Within just two months, parks and fields have been reduced to yellowing dustbowls.

Mapping experts used images beamed back to Earth by two European Space Agency satellites to compile a collection of visuals which show how the landscape has burned and changed.

They show the impact of the soaring temperatures at Heaton Park, Boggart Hole Clough in north Manchester, Chorlton and Sale Water Parks, Fletcher Moss Park in Didsbury and Reddish Vale Country Park, near Stockport.

Land and property surrounding the parks are also captured – alongside the drastic change to Manchester city centre.

The first images – taken on May 5 – show masses of greenery and vegetation. Fast forward two months, to July 4, and the picture is very different. Luscious landscapes have become scorched and bare as the heat clearly takes its toll.

All the images were captured by the European Space Agency’s Sentinel-2 satellites which are part of the Copernicus global monitoring programme, a joint venture between the European Commission and the European Space Agency.

There are two separate satellites; Sentinel-2A was launched in 2015 and Sentinel-2B last year.

Both work simultaneously at opposite sides of their orbits at an altitude of 488 miles above the Earth’s surface. Between them they orbit the planet 14 times a day and can capture every part of the planet at least every five days.

The maps were created by mapping and analytics company, Esri UK.

Ben Flanagan, technical research lead, said: “We wanted to visualise the impact of the recent heatwave on Greater Manchester’s green space, using images captured from the satellites. Comparing July with May, it’s possible to observe notable changes to the colour and health of the city’s