June 11, 2022 - Sao Francisco River and Sobradinho Reservoir

Sao Francisco River
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The São Francisco River is the fourth-largest river system in South
America as well as the longest river that stays within the country of
Brazil. The roughly 1,800-mile (2,900-km) long river starts in the
Canastra mountains of the Brazilian highlands, then flows north and
east through the Brazilian sertão before expanding behind a major dam
to form the Sobradinho Reservoir. Ultimately, water from the São
Francisco River pours into the Atlantic Ocean. The massive Sobradinho
Reservoir ranks as the fifteenth-largest reservoir in the world and the
dam, which was completed in 1982, generates more than 60 percent of
Brazil’s energy needs.

On June 7, 2022, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer
(MODIS) on board NASA’s Terra satellite acquire a true-color image
capturing much of the São Francisco River and the Sobradinho Reservoir.
The green color seen in the river and spilling into the southern waters
of the reservoir is most likely sediment washed into the river as it
traverses the semi-arid sertão region that makes up much of the São
Francisco River basin.

The sertão is an inland, semi-desert land of filled with rock and
cactus, and also of broken highlands. It is sparsely populated, thanks
primarily to unpredictable and scarce rain, which can be absent for
years in some places. Where the São Francisco River snakes through the
sertão, villages and towns have sprung up. Some of the hills of the São
Francisco River basin hold a wealth of gold and emeralds and have
supported mining for nearly 300 years.

Image Facts
Satellite: Terra
Date Acquired: 6/7/2022
Resolutions: 1km (174.2 KB), 500m (474.3 KB), 250m (1 MB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit: MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC



https://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/individual.php?db_date=2022-06-11

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