MSGID: 1:317/3 6467b943   
   PID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
   TID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
   May 19, 2023 - South America's Pantanal   
      
      Patanal   
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      Sprawling across an area the size of the U.S. state of Washington, the   
      Pantanal is Earth’s largest tropical wetland. The Pantanal is also one   
      of the most biologically rich environments in the world, giving a home   
      to more than 4,700 animal and plant species, including South America’s   
      highest concentration of the jaguar. Sitting in the center of South   
      America, the roughly 42 million acres that comprise this wetland belong   
      primarily to Brazil, but Bolivia and Paraguay also share in the   
      richness of this region.   
      
      The rhythm of life in this amazing wetland is dependent on the annual   
      cycle of wet and dry seasons. Each year between October and April,   
      torrential rains pour across the landscape, causing several major   
      rivers including the Paraguay River to overflow. The widespread   
      flooding creates large pools which spur reproduction of fish, attract   
      many species of birds, and impel luxurious plant growth. When the rains   
      come to an end, the water slowly recedes, leaving shallow pools which   
      concentrate fish populations into a buffet-style feast for wading birds   
      and even some mammals. By May, residents begin to clear fields and   
      plant crops, while local cattle ranchers move their herds into the   
      region to feed on luxuriant grasses. Farmers often use fire to manage   
      the land for agriculture, and the dry Pantanal is very vulnerable to   
      severe damage when fire is overused or when it escapes control to   
      become a wildfire.   
      
      On May 17, 2023, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer   
      (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite acquired a true-color image of a   
      portion of the Pantanal at the end of rainy season. This image is   
      centered near the border between Bolivia (west) and Brazil (east). The   
      entire region is colored deep green from luxurious vegetation and is   
      filled with flooded waterways that create numerous lakes and potholes.   
      
      With the NASA Worldview App, it is easy to compare this image with a   
      Terra MODIS image acquired on Aug 11, 2022, simply by clicking   
       here. By using the arrow to scroll between the two images, the   
      large differences between the end of the wet season (May) and the   
      approach of the end of the dry season (August) are easily appreciated.   
      
      Image Facts   
      Satellite:  Terra   
      Date Acquired: 5/17/2023   
      Resolutions:  1km (59.8 KB),  500m (139.5 KB),  250m (263.6   
      KB)   
      Bands Used: 1,4,3   
      Image Credit: MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC   
      
      
      
   https://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/individual.php?db_date=2023-05-19   
       
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