Images
August 12, 2026 - The Amazon and Tapajos Rivers
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The Tapajós River flows into the silt-laden Amazon River near the city of Santarém in the state of Pará, Brazil. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite acquired this true-color image of the region on August 10, 2026.
Almost entirely hidden under popcorn clouds, a bit of Santarém peeks out as reddish-brown pixels. Santarém is an important port, allowing ocean-going vessels to dock even though the city lies about 400 miles (600 km) from the Atlantic Ocean.
Water in the Amazon appears muddy brown because it carries vast quantities of fine sediment that is eroded from the high Andes Mountains, more than 1,200 miles (2,000 km) upstream (to the west). In contrast, the Tapajós River drains low rainforest and carries much less sediment than the Amazon.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Aqua
Date Acquired: 8/10/2026
Resolutions:
1km (426.4 KB), 500m (1.1 MB), 250m (783.9 KB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
The Tapajós River flows into the silt-laden Amazon River near the city of Santarém in the state of Pará, Brazil. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite acquired this true-color image of the region on August 10, 2026.
Almost entirely hidden under popcorn clouds, a bit of Santarém peeks out as reddish-brown pixels. Santarém is an important port, allowing ocean-going vessels to dock even though the city lies about 400 miles (600 km) from the Atlantic Ocean.
Water in the Amazon appears muddy brown because it carries vast quantities of fine sediment that is eroded from the high Andes Mountains, more than 1,200 miles (2,000 km) upstream (to the west). In contrast, the Tapajós River drains low rainforest and carries much less sediment than the Amazon.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Aqua
Date Acquired: 8/10/2026
Resolutions:
1km (426.4 KB), 500m (1.1 MB), 250m (783.9 KB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
