Where's Water? Amazon

Where's Water? Amazon From the headwaters to the coast... SWOT has it covered

The Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) mission will help us better understand our planet... pretty much anywhere!

Scientists have studied over 100 years of Amazon River water level records.

Extreme floods – with water levels over 95 feet – used to occur every 20 years or so. Lately, extreme floods occur about every 4 years.

The Amazon's floodplains normally support rich agriculture and livestock.

Cattle ranching is one of the key drivers of deforestation in the Amazon Basin. This movie shows how deforestation has changed the region over time. The first clearings that appear in the forest are in a fishbone pattern. Over time, the fishbones collapse into a mixture of forest remnants, cleared areas, and settlements.

prolonged, severe flooding of the amazon river destroys crops and pastures. Flooding can foul drinking water and keep people from their homes for weeks.

Changing water levels also affect the river's diverse wildlife.

Amazon River crocodiles, known as "caiman," are efficient predators. One of their most common prey? capybaras.

Found over much of south america, Capybaras are the world's largest rodents.

Adult capybaras can grow over 4 feet long and weigh over 140 pounds!

These superb swimmers can hold their breath underwater for up to five minutes. Swimming helps them avoid land-based predators such as jaguars, pumas, and ocelots.

IT ALSO HELPS THEM COPE WITH AMAZON RIVER FLOODS!

More water flows from the Amazon to the sea than any other river on Earth.

where the amazon meets the sea, brazil's coast features exotic flora, fauna & landscapes.

Much of Brazil's coast has mangrove habitats. Their root systems trap sediments, helping to stabilize the coastline.

The scarlet ibis – an endangered species of bird known for its bright red color – also lives here.

Lençóis Maranhenses National Park is known for its white sand dunes. Freshwater lagoons appear during the rainy season.

How will SWOT help us understand the Amazon & beyond?

SWOT will reveal the Amazon River's complex flow. This is very important for areas that are difficult to access by land.

SWOT DATA MAY BE USED TO IMPROVE AMAZON RIVER FLOOD PREDICTIONS.

SWOT may also help assess water levels in coastal wetlands such as mangrove forests.

TAKE THE QUIZ AGAIN!

Where There's Water... There's SWOT!

Launch Date: 2021

Launch Vehicle: SpaceX Falcon 9

Altitude in orbit: 857 km (532.5 mi)

Swath: 120 km (75 mi) wide

Coverage: 77.6°N to 77.6°S with an average revisit time of 11 days

Partners: NASA and Centre National D'Etudes Spatiales (CNES) with contributions from the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) and United Kingdom Space Agency

LEARN MORE ABOUT SWOT

Links and Other Information

Flood Frequency of Amazon River has Increased Fivefold [Science Daily]
Deforestation [NASA Earth Observatory]
Wild Capybaras Swimming [YouTube]
Mouth of the Amazon [NASA Earth Observatory]
Coastal Dunes, Brazil [NASA Earth Observatory]
Meandering in the Amazon [NASA Earth Observatory]
Sunglint on the Amazon River, Brazil [NASA Earth Observatory]
Other images used under 123rf License Agreement [ID 117714320, 28274113, 17708618, 25093176, 82108369, 111209727, 64091499, 33249331]

Appreciate