- Original Caption Released with Image: |These L-band images of
the Manaus region of Brazil were acquired by the Spaceborne
Imaging Radar-C and X-band Synthetic Aperture Radar
(SIR-C/X-SAR) aboard the space shuttle Endeavour. The left image
was acquired on April 12, 1994, and the middle image was
acquired on October 3, 1994. The area shown is approximately 8
kilometers by 40 kilometers (5 miles by 25 miles). The two large
rivers in this image, the Rio Negro (top) and the Rio Solimoes
(bottom), combine at Manaus (west of the image) to form the
Amazon River. The image is centered at about 3 degrees south
latitude and 61 degrees west longitude. North is toward the top
left of the images. The differences in brightness between the
images reflect changes in the scattering of the radar channel.
In this case, the changes are indicative of flooding. A flooded
forest has a higher backscatter at L-band (horizontally
transmitted and received) than an unflooded river. The extent of
the flooding is much greater in the Apri