Braided River in Tibet Redraws Its Channels

Images spanning nearly four decades reveal the shapeshifting nature of the Yarlung Zangbo River as it flows across the Tibetan Plateau.

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NASA Earth Observatory image by Michala Garrison and animations by Ross Walter, using Landsat data from the U.S. Geological Survey. Story by Madeleine Gregory, Landsat Science Office Support.

Published September 3, 2025
Data acquired February 8, 2025

Sources:

Landsat 5 > TM

Landsat 8 > OLI

Landsat 9 > OLI-2