Published on 3 October 2019
The Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission takes us over the ‘meeting of waters’ in Brazil – where the Rio Negro and the Solimões River meet to form the Amazon River.
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The Rio Negro, visible in black, is the largest tributary of the Amazon and the world’s largest black-water river. It flows 2300 km from Colombia, and it gets its dark colouring from leaf and plant matter that has decayed and dissolved in its waters.
The Rio Negro contrasts significantly with the Solimões River – visible directly below - which owes its brown-colouring to its rich sediment content, including sand, mud and silt. After flowing for around 1600 km, the Solimões River meets the Rio Negro and together form this important junction.