Earth from Space - Image Description

STS056-098-008 Rio Paraná and Rio Tietê, Brazil April 1993
The southwestward-flowing Paraná River forms the border between the Brazilian states of São Paulo (east) and Mato Grosso (west). The photograph shows three major dams (two on the Paraná and one on the Tietê), the resultant reservoirs, a well-defined trellis drainage pattern, and a marked difference in intensity of agriculture between the two states. The trellis drainage pattern shows the Paraná River (the consequent stream) and numerous subsequent streams, including the Tietê River, entering the Paraná from east and west. The dark water of the Tietê River results from vegetal debris and not sediment; in comparison, parts of the Paraná River and several of its tributaries have brownish-tan sediment suspended in their water. The state of São Paulo shows fewer stands of forest (darker areas) than neighboring Mato Grosso, thereby indicating a more mature and widespread use of the land for the production of crops or livestock. The city of Três Lagoas lies west of the Paraná River near the center of the photograph.

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