Earth from Space - Image Information


LOCATION Direction Photo #: ISS056-E-156989 Date: Aug. 2018
Geographic Region: BOLIVIA
Feature: SAND, PARAPETI RIVER, RIO GRANDE, SANTA CRUZ DE LA SIERRA


 
Bolivia's Sandy Rivers

A thin veil of dust blows across the low-lying region south of the Parapeti and Guapay (Grande) Rivers in southern Bolivia. An astronaut shot this photograph as strong winds blew parallel to the Andean foothills over a dried riverbed, creating streaks of airborne sediment. While the dust obscures much of the land below, blocky plots of deforestation and agricultural development are visible along the rivers through the haze.

The winter season in the Bolivian lowlands - May to October - is often hot and dry. With little to no rainfall, the rivers dry up and become vulnerable to aeolian processes such as wind erosion and transport of sediments as dust plumes. Strong winds can keep the sediment aloft for long periods of time, leading to transport and deposition further to the south.

The Andean foothills act as a barrier, preventing the airborne dust from traveling west. However, there is little need for it on the other side of the mountains. To the west of the area in this image, the large salt flats of Bolivia provide material for far greater dust storms.



Images: All Available Images Low-Resolution 297k
Mission: ISS056  
Roll - Frame: E - 156989
Geographical Name: BOLIVIA  
Features: SAND, PARAPETI RIVER, RIO GRANDE, SANTA CRUZ DE LA SIERRA  
Center Lat x Lon: 18.8S x 62.6W
Film Exposure:   N=Normal exposure, U=Under exposed, O=Over exposed, F=out of Focus
Percentage of Cloud Cover-CLDP: 10
 
Camera:: N8
 
Camera Tilt: HO   LO=Low Oblique, HO=High Oblique, NV=Near Vertical
Camera Focal Length: 122  
 
Nadir to Photo Center Direction: S   The direction from the nadir to the center point, N=North, S=South, E=East, W=West
Stereo?:   Y=Yes there is an adjacent picture of the same area, N=No there isn't
Orbit Number:  
 
Date: 20180823   YYYYMMDD
Time: 212035   GMT HHMMSS
Nadir Lat: 13.5S  
Latitude of suborbital point of spacecraft
Nadir Lon: 60W  
Longitude of suborbital point of spacecraft
Sun Azimuth: 283   Clockwise angle in degrees from north to the sun measured at the nadir point
Space Craft Altitude: 221   nautical miles
Sun Elevation: 7   Angle in degrees between the horizon and the sun, measured at the nadir point
Land Views:  
Water Views:  
Atmosphere Views:  
Man Made Views:  
City Views:  

Photo is not associated with any sequences


NASA
Home Page
JSC
Home Page
JSC Digital
Image Collection
Earth Science &
Remote Sensing

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