Earth from Space - Image Description

STS094-703-096 Rio Xingu, Para State, Brazil July 1997
The north flowing Rio Xingu makes a large loop to the east in this section of south central Para State. The color infrared picture (healthy, green vegetation is presented as a reddish hue) allows the viewer to differentiate the areas where clear cutting has occurred (lighter colors) versus the dense, solid canopy cover of the remaining Amazon Basin rainforest vegetation. Numerous waterfalls and rapids are found in the Rio Xingu (as well as many of the other rivers and streams in this part of Brazil), thereby hindering the use of the river for transportation and shipping.

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