Ahead of the 30th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP30) taking place in Belém, Brazil, from Nov. 10-21, 2025, this image shows the Branco River and its surrounding forests in the Brazilian state of Roraima. It was captured by IRIDE’s Hawk for Earth Observation (HEO) constellation, launched earlier in 2025.
The Branco River, or Rio Branco, forms north of the area pictured here, near the city of Boa Vista and flows southwest for 775 kilometers before joining Rio Negro, a major tributary of the Amazon River.
Despite its name, which means white river, this false-color image from Sept. 30, 2025, shows the Rio Branco in black. The HEO constellation’s near-infrared channel, used to process this image, makes water appear in dark blue or black and highlights vegetation in bright red.
This band combination has been used to help better distinguish between vegetated and non-vegetated areas. Numerous patches in various shades of brown can be clearly seen, particularly on the left of the image and indicate where vegetation has been cleared.
Image Credit: IRIDE
