STNMTZ_20090713_01964.tif | George Steinmetz

Underwater views of a seasonal fresh water lake adjacent to the slip face of a barchan dune, with water lilies in blossom.

Lençois Maranhenses National Park is a coastal dune field (measuring some 155,000 hectares) that is flooded with freshwater lakes during the January to May rainy season. Strong prevailing winds from the East mobilize the barchan dunes during the dry season and, combined with the equatorial sun, evaporate the lakes and prevent permanent vegetation from taking root. The dunes are composed of quartz grains that are eroded from the granite and washed down from the Parnaiba River and then carried north by ocean currents before being deposited on the coast of Lençois Maranhenses. The name means "bed sheets of Maranhão Province", as from above they resemble undulating sheets of pure white.

Filename: STNMTZ_20090713_01964.tif
Copyright: ©2009 George Steinmetz
Image Size: 3456x2304 / 22.8MB; Lençois Maranhenses National Park Brazil white sand dunes coastal desert freshwater lakes water lilies
Contained in galleries: Brazil Dunes

Underwater views of a seasonal fresh water lake adjacent to the slip face of a barchan dune, with water lilies in blossom.<br />
<br />
Lençois Maranhenses National Park is a coastal dune field (measuring some 155,000 hectares) that is flooded with freshwater lakes during the January to May rainy season. Strong prevailing winds from the East mobilize the barchan dunes during the dry season and, combined with the equatorial sun, evaporate the lakes and prevent permanent vegetation from taking root. The dunes are composed of quartz grains that are eroded from the granite and washed down from the Parnaiba River and then carried north by ocean currents before being deposited on the coast of Lençois Maranhenses. The name means "bed sheets of Maranhão Province", as from above they resemble undulating sheets of pure white.