NASA | From the River to the Sea

A pulse of water released down the lower reaches of the Colorado River last spring resulted in more than a 40 percent increase in green vegetation where the water flowed, as seen by the Landsat 8 satellite. The March 2014 release of water – an experimental flow implemented under a U.S.-Mexico agreement called "Minute 319" – reversed a 12-year decline in the greenness along the delta. Landsat 8 is a joint project of NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). Footage of the Colorado River courtesy of Andrew Quinn and Owen Bissell.