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March 18, 2024 - Red Rivers of Northwestern Madagascar
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Iron-rich sediment in suspended in northwestern Madagascar’s waterways shone bright rusty-orange on March 15, 2024, when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite acquired this true-color image.
Most of Madagascar’s rivers originate in the highlands in the island’s interior. They pick up large amounts of sediment there, often from the iron-rich red soils and rocks called laterites. Those colorful waters flow down toward one of several silty deltas along the coast.
In the south, the braided Betsiboka River carries sediment from the island’s high central plateau and mountains toward the western coast, where it empties into Bombetoka Bay and the Mozambique Channel. The orange-stained estuary further north is Mahajamba Bay, which is fed by several sediment-laden rivers, including the Mahajamba and Sofia. Both estuaries contain brackish waters (a mix of fresh and salt water), which supports a wide variety of plant and animal species.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 3/15/2024
Resolutions:
1km (69.1 KB), 500m (161.4 KB), 250m (366.6 KB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
Iron-rich sediment in suspended in northwestern Madagascar’s waterways shone bright rusty-orange on March 15, 2024, when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite acquired this true-color image.
Most of Madagascar’s rivers originate in the highlands in the island’s interior. They pick up large amounts of sediment there, often from the iron-rich red soils and rocks called laterites. Those colorful waters flow down toward one of several silty deltas along the coast.
In the south, the braided Betsiboka River carries sediment from the island’s high central plateau and mountains toward the western coast, where it empties into Bombetoka Bay and the Mozambique Channel. The orange-stained estuary further north is Mahajamba Bay, which is fed by several sediment-laden rivers, including the Mahajamba and Sofia. Both estuaries contain brackish waters (a mix of fresh and salt water), which supports a wide variety of plant and animal species.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 3/15/2024
Resolutions:
1km (69.1 KB), 500m (161.4 KB), 250m (366.6 KB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
