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July 20, 2025 - Deforestation Rises near the Amazon River
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On July 15, 2025, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite acquired this true-color image featuring the muddy waters of the Amazon River in the state of Para, Brazil. South of the river, widespread deforestation is also visible.
The city of Santarém sits near the center of the image at the confluence of the Tapajós River and Amazon Rivers.
Typically, the water in Amazon River appears muddy due to suspended sediment that accumulates as the Amazon transverses roughly 4,000 miles (6,400 km) from its source high in the Peruvian Andes to reach the Pacific Ocean. In contrast the Tapajós River is know for crystal-clear waters. In mid-July, however, a bright swirl of green suggests the growth of algae or other phytoplankton. These microscopic plant-like organisms can reproduce explosively to create large floating colonies that can be seen from space.
A pattern typical of deforestation is painted in the green land around the Amazon. The deep green hue marks thick rainforest while light green shows areas where the forest has been destroyed and the rainforest has been replaced, usually by agricultural croplands or pasture. The forest north of Santarém appears to be almost entirely removed. In the south, a fishbone pattern shows increasing deforestation reaching into rainforest. In many areas, the pattern appears to be encroaching on or sitting very near to protected rainforest areas.
Deforestation often follows a fairly predictable pattern. The first clearings that appear in the forest are in a fishbone pattern, arrayed along the edges of roads. Over time, the fishbones collapse into a mixture of forest remnants, cleared areas, and settlements. This visible pattern occurs following a common pattern of human behavior. First, ;egal and illegal roads penetrate a remote part of the forest, and small farmers migrate to the area. They claim land along the road and clear some of it for crops. Within a few years, heavy rains and erosion deplete the soil, and crop yields fall. Farmers then convert the degraded land to cattle pasture and clear more forest for crops. Eventually the small land holders, having cleared much of their land, sell it or abandon it to large cattle holders, who consolidate the plots into large areas of pasture or use non-traditional agricultural practices (such as heavy machinery and chemical fertilizers).
On July 16, Mongabay, a conservation news organization, reported that, after deforestation rates in Brazil dropped steeply in 2023 and 2024, a “new and alarming pattern of destruction is emerging in the rainforest”. Using data from the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change, the report stated that deforestation in May 2025 showed a 92 percent increase over the same period in 2024, and that deforestation from January through May 2025 had risen 27 percent. In April, Brazil’s space agency, INPE, also indicated that forest loss had risen by 55 percent in 2025. Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has placed conservation high on his agenda after taking office in 2022. And, until this year, deforestation rates have dropped substantially under his administration. However, the rising rates for 2025 point to a concerning trend.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Aqua
Date Acquired: 7/15/2025
Resolutions:
1km (477.9 KB), 500m (1.4 MB), 250m (3.5 MB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
On July 15, 2025, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite acquired this true-color image featuring the muddy waters of the Amazon River in the state of Para, Brazil. South of the river, widespread deforestation is also visible. The city of Santarém sits near the center of the image at the confluence of the Tapajós River and Amazon Rivers.
Typically, the water in Amazon River appears muddy due to suspended sediment that accumulates as the Amazon transverses roughly 4,000 miles (6,400 km) from its source high in the Peruvian Andes to reach the Pacific Ocean. In contrast the Tapajós River is know for crystal-clear waters. In mid-July, however, a bright swirl of green suggests the growth of algae or other phytoplankton. These microscopic plant-like organisms can reproduce explosively to create large floating colonies that can be seen from space.
A pattern typical of deforestation is painted in the green land around the Amazon. The deep green hue marks thick rainforest while light green shows areas where the forest has been destroyed and the rainforest has been replaced, usually by agricultural croplands or pasture. The forest north of Santarém appears to be almost entirely removed. In the south, a fishbone pattern shows increasing deforestation reaching into rainforest. In many areas, the pattern appears to be encroaching on or sitting very near to protected rainforest areas.
Deforestation often follows a fairly predictable pattern. The first clearings that appear in the forest are in a fishbone pattern, arrayed along the edges of roads. Over time, the fishbones collapse into a mixture of forest remnants, cleared areas, and settlements. This visible pattern occurs following a common pattern of human behavior. First, ;egal and illegal roads penetrate a remote part of the forest, and small farmers migrate to the area. They claim land along the road and clear some of it for crops. Within a few years, heavy rains and erosion deplete the soil, and crop yields fall. Farmers then convert the degraded land to cattle pasture and clear more forest for crops. Eventually the small land holders, having cleared much of their land, sell it or abandon it to large cattle holders, who consolidate the plots into large areas of pasture or use non-traditional agricultural practices (such as heavy machinery and chemical fertilizers).
On July 16, Mongabay, a conservation news organization, reported that, after deforestation rates in Brazil dropped steeply in 2023 and 2024, a “new and alarming pattern of destruction is emerging in the rainforest”. Using data from the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change, the report stated that deforestation in May 2025 showed a 92 percent increase over the same period in 2024, and that deforestation from January through May 2025 had risen 27 percent. In April, Brazil’s space agency, INPE, also indicated that forest loss had risen by 55 percent in 2025. Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has placed conservation high on his agenda after taking office in 2022. And, until this year, deforestation rates have dropped substantially under his administration. However, the rising rates for 2025 point to a concerning trend.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Aqua
Date Acquired: 7/15/2025
Resolutions:
1km (477.9 KB), 500m (1.4 MB), 250m (3.5 MB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
