Results for: 2001
When Land Slides
December 21, 2001Data imaging techniques provide scientists with new tools to study and map landslides. Read more
Research Satellites for Atmospheric Science, 1978-Present
December 10, 2001NASA and its affiliated agencies and research institutions developed a series of research satellites that have enabled scientists to test new remote sensing technologies that have advanced scientific understanding of both chemical and physical changes in the atmosphere. Read more
New Light on Ice Motion
November 6, 2001MODIS' unprecedented high resolution reveals clues to Antarctic topography and ice history. Read more
Verner Suomi
October 30, 2001Using a unique combination of determination, hard work, inspiration, and those freshman physics, Suomi became known as the "father of satellite meteorology." His research and inventions have radically improved forecasting and our understanding of global weather. Read more
Hurricane Field Studies
October 23, 2001The Third Convection and Moisture Experiment (CAMEX3) has provided forecasters with a more realistic storm picture. Read more
Clouds in the Balance
October 11, 2001In 1998, atmospheric scientists discovered a significant change in cloud vertical structure triggered by the strongest El Niño on record. Read more
Power to the People
October 5, 2001Thanks to a team at NASA's Langley Research Center (LaRC), engineers and amateur inventors worldwide now have free access to global-scale data on natural renewable energy resources. Private companies are using these data to design, build, and market new technologies for harnessing this energy. The best part is many of these new systems will be marketed at affordable prices in underdeveloped countries for those who need them most. Read more
A View From Above
September 24, 2001International scientists with diverse backgrounds work together to better understand movement of carbon between the Earth's forests and atmosphere. Read more
Well Grounded
September 19, 2001A team effort allows scientists to validate and make MODIS data accessible to a wide audience. Read more
Measure for Measure
September 10, 2001Governments and policy makers turn to science to better understand the impacts of global sea level rise on coastal cities. Read more
Ultraviolet Radiation: How It Affects Life on Earth
September 6, 2001Stratospheric ozone depletion due to human activities has resulted in an increase of ultraviolet radiation on the Earth's surface. The article describes some effects on human health, aquatic ecosystems, agricultural plants and other living things, and explains how much ultraviolet radiation we are currently getting and how we measure it. Read more
Life on the Brink
August 28, 2001Data demonstrate that populations cluster--in increasingly greater numbers--near active volcanoes. Scientists theorize that while attractions offset perceived risks, such willingness to chance eruptions increases the potential for disaster. Read more
Location, Location, Location
August 15, 2001Scientists review geographic factors to learn why wealth concentrates predominantly in temperate zones. Read more
A Violent Sun Affects the Earth's Ozone
August 3, 2001A new study confirms a long-held theory that large solar storms rain electrically charged particles down on Earth's atmosphere and deplete the upper-level ozone for weeks to months thereafter. New evidence from NASA and NOAA satellites is helping scientists better understand how man and nature both play a role in ozone loss. Read more
Reverberations of the Pacific Warm Pool
July 24, 2001Over the past several decades, scientists have uncovered a number of El Nino-like climate anomalies across the globe. One of the most recent to be discovered takes place in the Indo-Pacific warm pool. This body of water, which spans the western waters of the equatorial Pacific to the eastern Indian Ocean, holds the warmest seawaters in the world. Over a period of roughly two decades, the warm pool's average annual temperatures increase and then decrease like a beacon. These oscillations may affect the climate in regions as far away as the southern United States and may be powerful enough to broaden the extent of El Nino. Read more
In the Eyewall of the Storm
July 17, 2001Scientists have sought a greater understanding of the hurricane intensification process to improve forecasting techniques and decrease the radius of coastal evacuations. A new study using CAMEX-3 hurricane data reveals the role of "hot towers" in increasing a storm's fury. Read more
John Martin
July 10, 2001John Martin devoted his career to understanding the basic chemical processes that govern life in the ocean. His famous ‘iron hypothesis’ not only changed the way in which scientists view the ocean, but also introduced a controversial method for lowering carbon dioxide emissions in the atmosphere. Read more
Astronauts Photograph Mount Pinatubo
June 14, 2001In early 1991, Mt. Pinatubo, a volcano north of Manila on the Philippine island of Luzon, had been dormant for more than 500 years. Few geologists would have guessed that it would produce one of the world's most explosive eruptions in the twentieth century. Read more
Watching Plants Dance to the Rhythms of the Ocean
June 4, 2001NASA scientists developed a new data set that enables them to observe the teleconnections between sea surface temperature anomalies and patterns of plant growth on a global scale. Read more
From the Dust Bowl to the Sahel
May 18, 2001Severe drought and poor soil conversation practices contribute to desertification. Read more
When the Dust Settles
May 18, 2001African dust can both benefit and harm Caribbean coral reefs. Read more
Wernher von Braun
May 2, 2001Wernher von Braun's crowning achievement, as head of NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, was to direct the mission to land the first men on the Moon in July 1969. Read more
Amazing Atolls of the Maldives
May 1, 2001Though scientists have been studying atolls at least since the mid-1800s, many mysteries remain about exactly how they form and what factors determine their shape. Using satellite imagery collected by Landsat 7, scientists are attempting to discern if monsoons played a role in shaping the Maldives. Read more
Biomass Burning
March 19, 2001Biomass burning is the burning of living and dead vegetation, including both human-initiated burning for land clearing, and burning induced by lightning and other natural sources. Researchers with the Biomass Burning Project at NASA Langley Research Center are seeking to understand the impact that biomass burning has on the Earth's atmosphere and climate. Read more
Forecasting Fury
March 19, 2001Experts predict a period of elevated storm activity during the next 15 years. However, data from the SeaWinds instrument aboard NASA's QuikSCAT satellite could allow researchers to detect potential hurricanes up to two days earlier than with traditional forecasting methods. Read more
Mapping the Decline of Coral Reefs
March 12, 2001Coral reefs represent some of the densest and most varied ecosystems on Earth. Over the past 50 years the health of these reefs have been declining. Using high-resolution satellite imagery, scientists are locating the reefs that are in the most trouble. Read more
Where Frogs Live
March 5, 2001Researchers use remote sensing to monitor amphibian health. Read more
Astronaut Photography: Observing Earth from the International Space Station
February 20, 2001The Destiny Laboratory aboard the International Space Station includes the best optical quality window ever flown on a human-occupied spacecraft. Through this window, astronauts are photographing the Earth’s surface as part of an early project, called Crew Earth Observations Read more
Alfred Wegener
February 8, 2001Alfred Wegener proposed the theory of continental drift - the idea that the Earth's continents move over hundreds of millions of years of geologic time - long before the idea was commonly accepted. Read more
Precision Farming
January 29, 2001The U.S. Department of Agriculture, NASA, and NOAA are among key agencies contributing to precision farming revolution. The goal is to improve farmers' profits and harvest yields while reducing the negative impacts of farming on the environment that come from over-application of chemicals. Read more
New Tools for Diplomacy
January 12, 2001Remote sensing technology, increasingly crucial to the understanding of Earth's climate and environmental processes, now permits the monitoring of global environmental conditions and the gathering of data that were historically unavailable. 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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