NASA Reveals Uncommon 100-Foot Sand Dunes Comparable to New York City

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The NASA Earth Observatory has unveiled new Landsat 9 imagery showcasing the Lençóis Maranhenses National Park located in northeastern Brazil. This unique area resembles a desert yet receives approximately 50 inches of rainfall annually, which is slightly higher than Seattle's average. Towering white quartz dunes reach heights of 100 feet above shimmering blue and green freshwater lagoons, stabilized by a semi-impermeable layer of bedrock and clay. The dune expanse covers around 350 square miles, equivalent to the area of New York City. In 2024, UNESCO designated the park as a World Heritage site. Most lagoons are expected to dry up by December as the rainy season comes to an end.  Disclosure: This video contains stock footage and content created or enhanced using Al-assisted tools. ai-generated

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00:00A dune field in Brazil looks like a desert, yet it receives about 50 inches of rain a year.

00:05That's slightly more than Seattle, and double what falls in London.

00:09The result is a paradox. Rows of sparkling white quartz dunes, some rising 100 feet,

00:16soar over a mosaic of blue and green freshwater lagoons.

00:19From afar, the largest coastal dune field in South America resembles a rumpled white bedsheet.

00:26NASA's Landsat 9 captured these images in June 2026.

00:30Around the time, lagoon water levels typically peak.

00:33A partially impermeable layer of bedrock and clay beneath the sand

00:37prevents the lagoons from draining during the wet season.

00:41The dune field spans about 350 square miles, roughly the size of New York City.

00:47Shallower lagoons appear light blue, often turquoise, as sunlight reflects off the sand below.

00:53Rivers, including the Mayarim and Parnaiba, deliver quartz sand in massive quantities.

00:58It has accumulated over the past few hundred thousand years.

01:03Persistent easterly trade winds often reach 50 kilometers per hour in the dry season,

01:08pushing dunes westward roughly 4 to 25 meters per year.

01:12Landsat shows the field extended westward about half a kilometer between 1986 and 2026.

01:19UNESCO declared the park a World Heritage Site in 2024.

01:24Disclosure.

01:25This video contains stock footage and content created, or enhanced, using AI-assisted tools.

01:30Disclosure.

01:31Disclosure.

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