September 1st, 2010 Category: Climate Change, Fires, Rivers

Brazil - August 4th, 2010

Many areas of deforestation can be observed in this image of the Brazilian states of Amazonas (upper left), Rondônia (lower left), Mato Grosso (lower right) and Pará (upper right). These areas appear to be located near roads and settlements.

The image is crossed by several tan lines. The thicker, curved lines are rivers such as the Manicoré River in Amazonas, in north-western Brazil (upper left). The straight lines are roads, such as Route 230, running diagonally southwest to northeast, south of the river, and Route 16e, running diagonally northwest to southeast, through the town of Novo Progresso.

While some thick clouds are present near the top, the rest of the image is slightly covered by a thin veil of smoke. Upon opening the full image, several fires, probably agriculture-related, can be seen in the lower left quadrant.

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August 22nd, 2010 Category: Climate Change, Fires, Image of the day, Rivers

Brazil - July 29th, 2010

The city of Rio Branco can be observed in the center of this image as an expansive tan area amidst the lush green rainforest of the Brazilian state of Acre. Several other towns and the roads connecting them also appear tan in color.

Rio Branco is located near the Brazil-Bolivia border, and the land south of the city belongs to the latter. The meandering, tan sediment-carrying river crossing the lower part of the image is the Madre de Dios River, in Bolivia.

Much deforestation can be seen in the area, realized for clearing land for settlements and agriculture. Multiple fires are also visible in both Brazil and Bolivia. Many of these were probably set in order to deforest the land.

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July 16th, 2010 Category: Climate Change

Brazil - June 26th, 2010

The feathery tan lines cutting through the dark green of the Amazon Rainforest are from deforestation and agricultural fields or pastures on cleared land. Nearly 80 percent of land deforested in the Amazon from 1996-2006 is now used for cattle pasture, according to a 2009 report released by Greenpeace.

The report confirms that cattle ranching is the primary driver of deforestation in Earth’s largest rainforest: the Brazilian Amazon. Over the past decade more than 10 million hectares – an area about the size of Iceland – was cleared for cattle ranching as Brazil rose to become the world’s largest exporter of beef.

Now the government aims to double the country’s share of the beef export market to 60% by 2018 through low interest loans, infrastructure expansion, and other incentives for producers. Most of this expansion is expected to occur in the Amazon were land is cheap and available — 70 percent of the country’s herd expansion between 2002 and 2006 occurred in the region.

Tags: Brazil Deforestation Pará |  Print This Post |  Email This Post | | Leave a comment

July 11th, 2010 Category: Climate Change, Fires, Image of the day

Brazil - June 26th, 2010

Several fires, possibly agriculture-related given the number of fields checkered across this image, can be seen here in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso. A state with a flat landscape, alternating great chapadas and plain areas, Mato Grosso presents three different ecosystems: Cerrado, Pantanal and the Amazon Rainforest.

In the upper half of the image, the herringbone patterns of deforestation can be seen where the vegetation has been cleared for agricultural use or human settling. The area around the river to the right, however, has not yet been affected.

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July 7th, 2010 Category: Climate Change, Image of the day, Lakes, Rivers

Aral Sea - June 30th, 2010

The multiple lakes and ponds in the upper half of this image used to be one large body of water: the Aral Sea. Once one of the largest bodies of water on the planet, it is now at less than 10% of its original size.

The inland sea first divided into northern and southern sections; the latter further divided into eastern and western basins in 2003. All three of these sections are visible here.

The lake in the lower left quadrant is the Sarygamysh Lake. To its east, and south of the Aral Sea, is the Amu Darya River, whose banks are flanked by irrigated green land, in contrast with the surrounding desert. As the Aral Sea shrinks, the nearby lands experience more and more desertification.

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July 5th, 2010 Category: Climate Change, Mountains, Rivers

Brazil - April 16th, 2010

Several rivers flow down from the foothills of the Andes Mountains and across a wide plain in Bolivia. The most prominent are the Río Grande (or Río Guapay), the widest visible, and the Río Piray, parallel to the former, left.

The Río Grande rises on the southern slope of the Sierra de Cochabamba. At its source it is known as the Río Rocha and crosses the Cochabamba valley basin in a westerly direction. After 65 km the river turns southeast and after another 50 km joins the Río Arque at an elevation of 2.350 m.

From this junction the river is given the name Río Caine for 162 km and continues to flow in a southeasterly direction, before it is called Río Grande. After a total of 500 km the river turns northeast and in a wide curve flows round the lowland city of Santa Cruz. The city, however, is located nearer to the banks of the Río Piray, and is easily spotted as a circular tan area.

The rest of the valley is dotted with small towns. Square and rectangular agricultural fields can be seen all around. Much deforestation is also present, easily identifiable by its typical herringbone pattern.

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June 7th, 2010 Category: Climate Change, Image of the day

Brazil - April 16th, 2010

Rondônia is a state in Brazil, located in the north-western part of the country. To the west is a short border with the state of Acre, to the north is the state of Amazonas, in the east is Mato Grosso, and in the south is Bolivia. Its capital is Porto Velho.

Two thirds of its area used to be covered by the Amazon Rainforest. This image, however, shows the extensive deforestation present. In fact, but about three-fifths of the state has been deforested since intensive settlement and logging began in the 1970s, escalating even to this day. A majority of its citizens now live in urban areas.

Tags: Amazon Rainforest Brazil Deforestation Porto Velho Rondônia |  Print This Post |  Email This Post | | Leave a comment

February 23rd, 2010 Category: Climate Change, Image of the day, Rivers

Brazil - February 12th, 2010

The Rio Branco (in English, White River), which does indeed appear white here due to sun glint, is the principal affluent of the Rio Negro (in English, Black River) from the north; it is enriched by many streams from the sierras which separate Venezuela and Guyana from Brazil.

Here, it can be seen flowing from Venezuela (top right corner) southward into and across Brazil. Some areas of deforestation are visible in the full image, east of the river and below the border.

The Branco flows nearly south, and finds its way into the Negro through several channels and a chain of lagoons similar to those of the latter river. It is 350 miles (560 km) long, up to its Urariquira confluence. It has numerous islands, and, 235 miles (378 km) above its mouth, it is broken by a series of difficult rapids.

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February 16th, 2010 Category: Climate Change, Vegetation Index

Papua, Indonesia - February 6th, 2010

This FAPAR image shows the vegetation index of Papua, the largest province of Indonesia, comprising a majority part of the western half of the island of New Guinea. Most of the province shows good photosynthetic activity (green), with the highest activity (red) visible to the west near the border with the province of West Irian Jaya (West Papua).

A central east-west mountain range dominates the geography of New Guinea, over 1600 km in total length. The western section is around 600 km long and 100 km across. The province contains the highest mountains between the Himalayas and the Andes, rising up to 4884 m high, and ensuring a steady supply of rain from the tropical atmosphere. The tree line is around 4000 m elevation and the tallest peaks contain permanent equatorial glaciers,  although these are melting increasingly, due to a changing climate.

Various other smaller mountain ranges occur both north and west of the central ranges. Except in high elevations, most areas possess a hot humid climate throughout the year, with some seasonal variation associated with the northeast monsoon season.

The third major habitat feature are the vast southern and northern lowlands. Stretching for hundreds of kilometers, these include lowland rainforests, extensive wetlands, savanna grasslands, and some of the largest expanses of mangrove forest in the world.

Tags: Asia FAPAR Indonesia New Guinea Papua Rainforest West Irian Jaya West Papua |  Print This Post |  Email This Post | | Leave a comment