Results for: 1999
ACRIMSAT
December 21, 1999By measuring the total amount of energy that the sun delivers to the Earth with ACRIMSAT, scientists will be able to build better scientific models of the Earth’s climate system, providing a vital piece of the global climate change puzzle. Read more
Why EOS Matters, 1999
December 17, 1999Nearly a decade ago, ecologist Steve Running described how NASA’s Earth Observing System missions were going to help us answer this crucial question: Is the current human occupancy and activity of planet Earth sustainable? Read more
Introduction to BOREAS
December 6, 1999BOREAS’ primary goals were to determine how the boreal forest interacts with the atmosphere (via the transfer of gases and energy), how much carbon is stored in the forest ecosystem, how climate change will affect the forest, and how changes in the forest affects weather and climate. Read more
Silvus Borealis
November 22, 1999A multi-scale project leads to an understanding of the carbon flux between terrestrial ecosystems and the lower atmosphere. Read more
Eye on the Ocean
November 10, 1999El Niño/Southern Oscillation events have become easier to predict, thanks to the TOPEX/Poseidon satellite. Read more
El Nino's Extended Family Introduction
November 8, 1999Cyclic patterns in the ocean and atmosphere shape global weather. Read more
A Burning Question
November 1, 1999Evidence suggests that atmospheric aerosols from biomass burning may offset global warming caused by greenhouse gases. Read more
Evolving in the Presence of Fire
November 1, 1999In the Far North, fire is critical for renewing the boreal forest. But changes in fire frequency or size may convert the forest from a carbon dioxide sink to a source of greenhouse gas emissions. Read more
Global Fire Monitoring
October 22, 1999Forest fires, brush fires, and slash and burn agriculture—types of biomass burning—are a significant force for environmental change. Fires may play an important role in climate change, emitting both greenhouse gases and smoke particles into the atmosphere. Read more
Fish in the Trees
October 15, 1999An international collaboration may lead to accurate assessments of water storage on Amazonian floodplains during rainy seasons. Read more
John Tyndall
October 8, 1999In 1859, John Tyndall's experiments showed that even in small quantities, water vapor, carbon dioxide, and ozone absorbed much more heat than the rest of the atmosphere. Read more
Data in a Flash
October 1, 1999A new global change research tool detects lightning day and night. Read more
Every Cloud Has a Filthy Lining
September 30, 1999Sulfur dioxide in the exhaust from ship engines creates bright clouds. Read more
Clouds in a Clear Sky
September 24, 1999Scientists have detected a nearly invisible cloud layer that may explain dryness in the stratosphere. Read more
Visions of a Cloudy Continent
September 24, 1999A combination of cloud-free satellite imagery and digital elevation data has revealed the face of Antarctica. Read more
Remote Sensing
September 17, 1999Remote sensing is the science and art of identifying, observing, and measuring an object without coming into direct contact with it. This involves the detection and measurement of radiation of different wavelengths reflected or emitted from distant objects or materials, by which they may be identified and categorized. Read more
Modeling Earth's Land Biosphere
September 10, 1999A NASA-affiliated research team constructed a computer model of the Earth’s terrestrial biosphere that will teach us a great deal about the dynamic interactions between land plants and the lower atmosphere. Read more
Reckoning with Winds
September 10, 1999New wind data reveal typhoon transitions to mid-latitude storms and ocean monsoon breeding grounds. Read more
Introduction to Climate Modeling
September 3, 1999In their ongoing endeavor to understand our planet as a whole system, Earth scientists are increasingly using computer models to help them visualize the causes and effects of climate and environmental change. These models serve as predictive tools that allow scientists to ask “what if...,” and have computers give them answers. Read more
The Color of El Nino
August 19, 1999Scientists found a way to detect the end of El Niño and the beginning of La Niña by studying the growth of phytoplankton (tiny marine plants). Read more
Benjamin Franklin
August 13, 1999Famous for studying lightning by flying a kite in a thunderstorm, American Benjamin Franklin also contributed to early scientific knowledge of weather, climate, and oceanography. Read more
Ozone
July 30, 1999A relatively unstable molecule that represents a tiny fraction of the atmosphere, ozone is crucial for life on Earth. Depending on where ozone resides, it can protect or harm life. Read more
QuikSCAT
July 23, 1999QuikSCAT provides climatologists, meteorologists and oceanographers with daily, detailed snapshots of the winds swirling above the world’s oceans. Read more
Land Cover Classification
July 16, 1999For years scientists across the world have been mapping changes in the landscape (forest to field, grassland to desert, ice to rock) to prevent future disasters, monitor natural resources, and collect information on the environment. While land cover can be observed on the ground or by airplane, the most efficient way to map it is from space. Read more
Floods: Using Satellites to Keep Our Heads Above Water
July 2, 1999Scientists are using satellites to spot extreme floods, using the data they collect to create maps of flood risk. Read more
Landsat 7 Fact Sheet
June 24, 1999The latest mission in the Landsat series—Landsat 7—continues the flow of global change information to users worldwide. Scientists use Landsat satellites to gather remotely sensed images of the land surface and surrounding coastal regions for global change research, regional environmental change studies and other civil and commercial purposes. Read more
Spotting the Spotted Owl
June 15, 1999With the help of satellite images researchers plan to locate areas where spotted owls are likely to live. The researchers use this information, along with ground surveys, to map out the owl’s habitat and create a method for assessing the health of the owl population in the Pacific Northwest. Read more
Should We Talk About the Weather? Improving Global Forecasts with BOREAS Research
June 11, 1999One goal of of NASA’s Boreal Ecosystem-Atmosphere Study (BOREAS) is to understand how changes in air temperature, moisture and carbon dioxide levels may impact the boreal ecosystem and what role the boreal forest plays in global-scale climate changes. Read more
90 Degrees N. 1999: NASA Demonstrates New Technology at the North Pole
May 21, 1999On a recent (April 19–May 2, 1999) trip to the Arctic, NASA personnel chose the North Pole as the site from which to demonstrate how new communications technologies and the Internet now make it possible for scientists working in very remote locations to send and receive data using NASA communications satellites. Read more
Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission
May 21, 1999The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM), is the first mission dedicated to measuring tropical and subtropical rainfall through microwave and visible infrared sensors, and includes the first spaceborne rain radar. Read more
Changing Global Cloudiness
May 13, 1999Clouds are one of the most obvious and influential features of Earth’s climate system. They are also one of its most variable components. The natural diversity and variability of clouds has intrigued and challenged researchers for centuries. Read more
Changing Global Land Surface
May 13, 1999Satellite remote sensing enables researchers to consistently monitor distribution and seasonal changes of the world’s vegetation and the exchanges of water and carbon between land vegetation and the atmosphere. These observations will help us understand the rate of change of atmospheric carbon dioxide and its effect on climate. Read more
Mystery of the Missing Carbon
April 28, 1999Scientists estimate that between 1 and 2 billion metric tons of carbon per year are "missing" from the global carbon budget. In a concerted effort to solve the mystery of the missing carbon, NASA led the interdisciplinary Boreal Ecosystem-Atmosphere Study (BOREAS) from 1994-97. Read more
La Niña Fact Sheet
April 27, 1999The phenomenon known as El Niño is sometimes reverses, leading to strong trade winds, colder than normal water off the coast of Peru, and warmer than normal water near Australia. This cold counterpart to El Niño is known as La Niña. Read more
Ocean and Climate Fact Sheet
April 27, 1999The Earth’s ocean and atmosphere are locked in an embrace. As one changes, so does the other. Read more
What is El Nino? Fact Sheet
April 27, 1999During an El Niño, the relationships between winds and ocean currents in the Pacific Ocean change, with an impact on weather conditions around the world. Read more
What is a Coccolithophore? Fact Sheet
April 26, 1999Coccolithophores are one-celled marine plants that surround themselves with a microscopic plating made of limestone (calcite). Read more
Polar Ice Fact Sheet
April 24, 1999Polar ice consists of sea ice, ice sheets, and glaciers. Extending over vast areas of the polar regions, this ice provides some early clues about climate change. Read more
At the Edge: Monitoring Glaciers to Watch Global Warming
April 14, 1999Alpine glaciers are a good indicator of climate change. If the climate is getting warmer or drier, they will shrink. If it is getting colder or wetter, they tend to grow. Read more
Changing Currents in the Bering Sea
March 30, 1999During the summers of 1997 and 1998, a type of one-celled microscopic plant changed the color of the Bering Sea from its natural deep blue to a shimmering aquamarine. These plants, called coccolithophores, present a unique problem for researchers because a massive bloom of the organisms has never before been observed in the Bering Sea. Read more
Clouds & Radiation Fact Sheet
March 1, 1999The study of clouds, where they occur, and their characteristics, plays a key role in the understanding of climate change. Low, thick clouds reflect solar radiation and cool the Earth's surface. High, thin clouds transmit incoming solar radiation and also trap some of the outgoing infrared radiation emitted by the Earth, warming the surface. Read more
Terra Spacecraft Fact Sheet
March 1, 1999On December 18, 1999, NASA launched a new flagship, the Terra satellite, to begin collecting a new 18-year global data set on which to base future scientific investigations about our complex home planet. Read more
Browse Topics
World of Change
Satellite images showing how our world— forests, oceans,
cities, even the Sun— has changed in recent decades.
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Blue Marble
Composite satellite images of the entire Earth.
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Earth at Night
The night side of Earth twinkles with light in these composite global and regional views.
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Experiments
Hands-on educational activities.
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Visible Earth
A catalog of NASA images and animations of our home planet.
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NASA Earth Observations
View, download, and analyze imagery of Earth science data.
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NASA Global Climate Change
Vital signs of the planet.
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Earth Science Picture of the Day
Photos of Earth processes and phenomena.
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