Sunday, July 13, 2008

Earth Observation: Yarlung Tsangpo becomes Brahmaputra

Yarlung Tsangpo becomes Brahmaputra



NASA image created by Jesse Allen

Under the haze you see Brahmaputra. Surveying by aircraft in this area is very difficult due to the frequent haze.


People have sacrificed their lives in order to survey this area. Particularly dramatic was the period when they found out that Yarlung Tsangpo in Tibet in fact was the same as the Brahmaputra river in India. In Tibet Yarlung Tsangpo goes from west towards east. In India the Brahmaputra starts from the east and goes west before it turns towards the Bay of Bengal. The U-turn of the river is one of the most difficult accessible areas on this planet - the Yarlung Tsangpo gorge.

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