ISS056-E-62768
| NASA Photo ID | ISS056-E-62768 |
| Focal Length | 800mm |
| Date taken | 2018.06.29 |
| Time taken | 12:25:20 GMT |
4953 x 3302 pixels 720 x 480 pixels 5568 x 3712 pixels 640 x 427 pixels
Photo center point: 16.0° S, 46.4° E
Photo center point by machine learning: 15.96° S, 46.43° E
Country or Geographic Name: | MADAGASCAR |
Features: | BETSIBOKA RIVER |
| Features Found Using Machine Learning: | |
Cloud Cover Percentage: | 10 (1-10)% |
Sun Elevation Angle: | 27° |
Sun Azimuth: | 307° |
Camera: | Nikon D5 Electronic Still Camera |
Focal Length: | 800mm |
Camera Tilt: | 16 degrees |
Format: | 5568E: 5568 x 3712 pixel CMOS sensor, 35.9 x 23.9 mm, total pixels: 21.33 million, Nikon FX format |
Film Exposure: | |
| Additional Information | |
| Width | Height | Annotated | Cropped | Purpose | Links |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4953 pixels | 3302 pixels | No | No | NASA's Earth Observatory web site | Download Image |
| 720 pixels | 480 pixels | Yes | No | NASA's Earth Observatory web site | Download Image |
| 5568 pixels | 3712 pixels | No | No | Download Image | |
| 640 pixels | 427 pixels | No | No | Download Image |
An astronaut aboard the International Space Station (ISS) shot the photograph of the Betsiboka River Delta in Madagascar. The braided Betsiboka River carries sediment from the island's high central plateau and mountains toward the western coast, where it empties into Bombetoka Bay and the Mozambique Channel. The delta is comprised of complex woven channels flowing between vegetated islands of built up sediment. The small islands have erosional features along their edges where water flows down into the river channels.
Historical maps of Madagascar describe the sandy to clay-rich soils around the Betsiboka River as terres rouges, or "red lands." (The island was a French territory from 1895 to 1960.) They were describing laterites - soils rich in iron oxides - that form in tropical climates from the chemical breakdown of iron-rich rocks. These soils and sediments lend the river a rusty orange color when the island experiences heavy seasonal rain or downpours from tropical cyclones. More than 30 years of astronaut photography have captured the delta evolving and islands growing from this sediment.
The heavy sediment loads in the waters are also a result of extensive deforestation on the island since the 1950s. Since that time, at least 40 percent of Madagascar's forest cover has been cut down. Slash-and-burn agricultural practices, livestock overgrazing, and wildfires have dramatically altered the island's mangrove forests. So the Betsiboka River now cuts across thick, unstable soils that are prone to erosion.
Mangrove trees create the dark areas within the small lenses of land. Mangroves thrive in estuaries, where salty sea water mixes with fresh water from the Betsiboka. The landscape helped Madagascar develop rich biodiversity, with a high number of plant and animal species endemic only to the island.
