Jambi Coast, Sumatra, Indonesia
19 July 2004

Note: The area of coverage in this SPOT-4 image is approximately 37.30 km x 37.30 km.
The reduced resolution image on display has undergone compression and so does not represent the true resolution of the original satellite image.

This is part of the mangrove swamp along the east coast of Sumatra, draining into the shallow South China Sea. The land has been transformed into a large number of green paddy fields, the outlines of which are indistinctly visible. There is a red-tinted beach, and then a strip of coastal water light blue with sediment. The colour of the water progressively changes to dark blue offshore. The two southern streams rise beyond the swamp and contribute sediment to the coastal water as indicated by their light colour and the presence of a sediment plume at their mouths. In contrast, the deep blue northern stream is clear of clastic sediment as it rises inside the swamp. It does not have a sediment plume at its mouth. Instead, its discharge opens a passage through the offshore sediment.