Earth from Space - Image Description

STS051-076-028 Sobradinho Reservoir, Bahia, Brazil September 1993
The entire length of the Sobradinho Reservoir, the largest reservoir in Brazil (1629 square miles- 4220 square kilometers), is visible in this east-looking view. Located in the state of Bahia, the reservoir is part of the Sao Francisco River Basin. Maximum depth of the reservoir is 90 feet (30 meters) and the mean depth is about 28 feet (8.6 meters). The alignment of the reservoir is generally southwest to northeast. The dam is visible near the upper left corner of the image. As evidenced by this picture a great deal of silt (light-colored sediment pattern in the water) is flowing into and building up in the reservoir. Although the region is sparsely populated and semiarid, some livestock herding with beef cattle prevails in the better grassy zones. The vegetation surrounding the reservoir is grassland and semiarid scrub. A small smoke plume (white feature) is located along the southeast end of the reservoir.

This service is provided by the International Space Station program and the JSC Earth Science & Remote Sensing Unit, ARES Division, Exploration Integration Science Directorate.