This image from the Envisat satellite shows the Juruá River snaking through the Amazon rainforest in western Brazil.
<p>The Juruá is one of the longest tributaries of the Amazon River, flowing slowly through the half-flooded forest country it traverses in the Amazon Basin.
</p><p>Along the river’s main course are free-standing ‘oxbow lakes’, formed when a river changes course.
</p><p>Tropical rainforests have some of the largest rivers in the world because of the tremendous amount of precipitation their watersheds receive.
</p><p>Given its size, remote sensing is the best way to study the Amazon Basin on a large scale – especially for assessing the extent and damage due to deforestation.
</p><p>This image is a compilation of three images from Envisat’s radar, acquired on 2 January, 1 February and 3 March 2012. The individual images are each assigned a colour – red, green and blue – and when combined, reveal changes in the surface between Envisat’s passes.
</p><p>Satellite radar data can be exploited to map forest height, 3D forest structure and their natural or anthropogenic disturbance with high spatial resolution and accuracy.
</p><p>Since forests assist in removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, this could prove to be an important tool for assessing carbon stocks and monitoring our planet’s resources.
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This image is featured on the Earth from Space video programme.
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Envisat satellite</div>
CC BY-SA 3.0 igo
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