Composite overview
The European Copernicus programme’s Sentinel‑1 radar mission has produced a composite image that captures Argentina’s capital Buenos Aires, its surrounding countryside and the Rio de la Plata estuary. The picture combines three acquisitions taken in January, March and May 2023, each mapped to a separate colour channel – blue for January, green for March and red for May – to highlight variations in radar backscatter.
Urban area and population
On the right side of the image the metropolitan area of Buenos Aires appears as a light‑grey mass. The region, home to more than 16 million inhabitants, sits roughly 25 m above sea level. Because the built‑up area changed little between January and May, this part shows little colour variation. Smaller towns such as Luján and Junín are visible as additional grey patches west of the capital.
Water bodies and rivers
Blue tones correspond to surface changes, notably choppy water recorded during the Argentine summer in January. Rivers, deltas and open water are rendered in dark blue, purple or black. Windy conditions in both January and May give the Rio de la Plata estuary east of the city a purple hue – a blend of the blue and red channels. The Paraná River winds through wetlands on the left side before emptying into the estuary, while the Uruguay River enters from the north.
Agricultural landscape
To the west, the Argentine Pampas and cultivated fields dominate the scene. The green channel assigned to the March acquisition produces a strong backscatter response, typical of late summer growth of major crops such as soybeans and corn.
Autumnal vegetation dynamics
At the top of the image, north of the Paraná in Entre Ríos province, a vivid red appears – the May channel. This period corresponds to late autumn, when seasonal rains stimulate a resurgence of grassland and shrub vegetation after the prolonged dry summer.