May 6, 2021 - Autumn along the Paraná River

    Follow @NASA_MODIS

   Fall around the Parana River
    Tweet
    Share

   As summer softly turns to autumn in southwestern Brazil, a dramatic
   color change sweeps over the landscape.

   On May 4, 2021, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer
   (MODIS) on board NASA’s Terra satellite acquired a true-color image of
   a sunny autumn day over the Paraná River. South America’s
   second-longest river, the Paraná flows through Brazil, Paraguay, and
   Argentina for roughly 3,030 miles (4,880 km), serving many vital
   functions, such as providing a transportation link through the region,
   supporting a rich fishery, and a offering source of water for
   agriculture. This image captures a small section of the Paraná River as
   it flows between the states of Mato Grosso (west) and Sao Paulo (east).

   The rich oranges and tans which offset patches of varying shades of
   green do not come from autumn leaves, as commonly occurs in some parts
   of the world, but are the colors of cropland and fields as weather
   cools and dry weather comes. Although residents and tourists often
   speak of Brazil as having four seasons, it really has two major
   seasons: the wet season and the dry season. The start of the dry season
   also comes in April, so autumn not only brings cooler temperatures but
   dries the fields, enhancing the color change as rains cease and
   vegetation begins to dry. The deep greens represent remnant patches of
   rainforest. Unlike deciduous forests, trees and plants of the
   rainforest remain green year-round, shedding their leaves
   asynchronously throughout the year rather than all at once as seasons
   change.

   This image captured a single snapshot in time, on May 4, when the
   seasonal color change was well underway. To truly appreciate the
   transition between summer and autumn (and between the wet season and
   the dry season), it’s helpful to compare images acquired by the same
   instrument on different days. Thanks to the NASA Worldview app, this
   comparison is simple – just click  here to view a comparison between
   today's image and one acquired on December 20, 2020 (summer).

   The NASA Worldview app provides a satellite's perspective of the planet
   as it looks today and as it has in the past through daily satellite
   images. Worldview is part of NASA’s Earth Observing System Data and
   Information System. EOSDIS makes the agency's large repository of data
   accessible and freely available to the public.

   Image Facts
   Satellite:  Terra
   Date Acquired: 5/4/2021
   Resolutions:  1km (358.2 KB),  500m (1002.3 KB),  250m (2.3
   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=2021-05-06
 
