Hi, I'm Kelsey Brennan-Wessels and welcome to this edition of Earth from Space on the European Space Agency Web TV. Today we take a look at an image from the Envy Sat satellite showing the Judoraw River, snaking through the Amazon rainforest in Western Brazil. The Judoraw is one of the longest tributaries of the Amazon River, flowing slowly through the half-fleted forest country at traverses in the Amazon basin. Along the river's main course are free-standing lakes called Oxbow Lakes, formed when a river changes its course. Tropical rainforests have some of the largest rivers in the world because of the tremendous amount of precipitation their watersheds receive. Given its size, remote sensing is the best way to study the Amazon basin on a large scale, especially for assessing the extent and damage due to deforestation. This image is a compilation of three images from Envy Sat's radar acquired on January 2nd, February 1st, and March 3rd of 2012. The individual images are each assigned a color, red, green, and blue, and one combined reveal changes in the surface between Envy Sat's passes. Satellite radar data can be exploited to map forest height, 3D forest structure, and their natural or anthropogenic disturbance with high spatial resolution and accuracy. Since forests assist in removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, this could prove to be an important tool for assessing carbon stocks and monitoring our planet's resources. Envy Sat has recently been experiencing technical difficulties. Following 10 years of service, the satellite stopped sending data to Earth on 8th April. ESA's mission control is working to reestablish contact with the satellite. Let's keep our fingers crossed that the attempts of our colleagues from the control center in Germany are successful, but to find out more you can visit our website at www.eSA.int. From the ESA Web TV studios, I'm Kelsey Brennan-Wessels.