Vakhsh River and Lake Nurek, Tajikistan

This false-color image shows the central part of the Vakhsh River, including the Nurek Dam and reservoir.

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Connecticut River Oxbow

Floods and new infrastructure have long since separated the distinctive bend in the river that was portrayed by landscape painter Thomas Cole in 1836.

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Mississippi Meanders

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Indus River, Pakistan

Between 1992 and 2009, a section of the lower Indus River changes course following the formation of an oxbow lake.

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Platte River, Nebraska

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Songhua River

This false-color image from April 1, 2002, shows numerous braided channels and oxbow lakes along the Songhua River in northeastern China, just upstream of the city of Harbin.

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Lay of the Land Between Old River and the Mississippi

This model of the land elevation between the Mississippi, the Atchafalaya, and the Old River show the uphill fight to control river flow.

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Flooding on the White River

Meandering across a wide, relatively flat plain, the White River of Arkansas is no stranger to flooding. With regularity, spring rains push the river over its banks, inundating the flood-adapted forest that surrounds it. The river reached its fifth highest crest of 33.78 feet on April 19, 2008.

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Flooding along the James River, South Dakota

Acquired June 5, 2011, and May 19, 2005, these false-color images compare conditions along the James River near Mitchell, South Dakota.

Land Floods

Flooding along the James River, South Dakota

Acquired May 1, 2011, this natural-color image shows the James River completely filling the river valley near Jamesville, South Dakota.

Land Floods