Images
December 10, 2025 - Spring Along the Rio Negro, Argentina
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Argentina’s Rio Negro meanders across the semi-arid landscape of northern Patagonia and creates a wide strip of luscious green around the deeply braided riverbed. The river begins at the confluence of the Neuquén and Limay Rivers in the west. From there, the Rio Negro (Black River) flows generally southeast roughly 395 miles (635 km) to reach the Atlantic Ocean. The broad Alto Valle surrounding Rio Negro is a fertile agricultural region, producing many crops including apples, pears, grapes, and vegetable crops.
The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired this true-color image of a sunny spring day along the Rio Negro on December 5, 2025.
In the west, a broad reservoir, the Embalse Ezequiel Ramos Mexia, straddles the Limay River and, to its north, the Cerros Colorados Reservoir sits long the Neuquén River. Further to the northeast, another reservoir, the Dique Casa de Piedra, has been created by damming the Colorado River. The confluence of the Limay and Neuquén is easily visible as is the green valley along the Rio Negro. Other than these lakes and rivers, the rest of the landscape is painted tans and ochre tones, suggesting an arid climate. The extreme dryness around the Rio Negro is also illustrated by numerous white salt pans—dry lakebeds encrusted in mineral salts—scattered over the region.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Aqua
Date Acquired: 12/5/2025
Resolutions:
1km (99.4 KB), 500m (272.4 KB), 250m (538.5 KB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
Argentina’s Rio Negro meanders across the semi-arid landscape of northern Patagonia and creates a wide strip of luscious green around the deeply braided riverbed. The river begins at the confluence of the Neuquén and Limay Rivers in the west. From there, the Rio Negro (Black River) flows generally southeast roughly 395 miles (635 km) to reach the Atlantic Ocean. The broad Alto Valle surrounding Rio Negro is a fertile agricultural region, producing many crops including apples, pears, grapes, and vegetable crops.
The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired this true-color image of a sunny spring day along the Rio Negro on December 5, 2025.
In the west, a broad reservoir, the Embalse Ezequiel Ramos Mexia, straddles the Limay River and, to its north, the Cerros Colorados Reservoir sits long the Neuquén River. Further to the northeast, another reservoir, the Dique Casa de Piedra, has been created by damming the Colorado River. The confluence of the Limay and Neuquén is easily visible as is the green valley along the Rio Negro. Other than these lakes and rivers, the rest of the landscape is painted tans and ochre tones, suggesting an arid climate. The extreme dryness around the Rio Negro is also illustrated by numerous white salt pans—dry lakebeds encrusted in mineral salts—scattered over the region.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Aqua
Date Acquired: 12/5/2025
Resolutions:
1km (99.4 KB), 500m (272.4 KB), 250m (538.5 KB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
