Ocean Color Image Gallery

Amur River

The Amur River runs dark with colored dissolved organic matter along much of its course — a substantial portion of which forms the border between Russia and China. Before the river leaves the border, however, it is joined by the much lighter-colored, sediment-laden water of China's Songhua River. The two water types remain fairly distinct for much of the rest of their journey to the Amur's mouth at the Tartar Strait across from Sakhalin Island. The river plume then helps to fuel phytoplankton growth in the Sea of Okhotsk and in the strait.

The above Aqua/MODIS image was collected over three orbits on September 4, 2021. Click on it to get a larger version.