NASA published an image showing tidal waters moving through the Bijagós Archipelago in Guinea-Bissau.
Tides ebb and flow twice each day through a maze of sandy channels, mudflats, and mangrove forests.
Eighty-eight islands and islets make up the archipelago, known in Portuguese as Arquipélago dos Bijagós.
Lauren Dauphin and the United States Geological Survey provided the image, which bears a date of Nov. 28, 2025.
Adam Voiland wrote the text accompanying the image, which was released on Aug. 03, 2026.
Landscape Changes
The tidal process creates stark changes to the landscape visible from above.
Intertidal mudflats and sandflats emerge from the sea around low tide.
The emergence causes islands to grow significantly before shrinking again hours later.
