@nasagoddard

It isn’t easy being green, but this image from the @ISS pulls it off well. The lighter hues surrounding the Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge are caused by rainfall depositing sediment into the coastal wetlands. Sediment is also carried from the mouth of the Rio Grande into the Gulf of Mexico. This can often accumulate in the curves and bends of the river which might disrupt water flow or temporarily redirect the river. The oxbow lake - shaped like a U - seen in this image at the bottom left is the result of this redirection. Image Description: Varying shades of green cover the area in this image. The Rio Grande, located near the bottom left, divides Texas to the top and Mexico to the bottom in a winding worm-like path. In the bottom right of the image, Boca Chica Beach creates a sharp diagonal line between the coast and the Gulf of Mexico. SpaceX Starbase lies at the center, slightly above the Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge. These areas are surrounded by a lighter green than the rest of the image. At the very top of the image is the Brownsville Ship Channel, nearly perpendicular to Boca Chica Beach. #Earth #Space #NASA #River #Ocean

February 03, 2023