Results for: 2010
World of Change: Global Temperatures
December 9, 2010The world is getting warmer, whatever the cause. According to an analysis by NASA scientists, the average global temperature has increased by about 0.8°Celsius (1.4° Fahrenheit) since 1880. Two-thirds of the warming has occurred since 1975. Read more
Earth Observing-1: Ten Years of Innovation
November 22, 2010Scheduled to fly for a year, designed to last a year and a half, EO-1 celebrated its tenth anniversary on November 21, 2010. During its decade in space, the satellite has accomplished far more than anyone dreamed. Read more
Aerosols: Tiny Particles, Big Impact
November 2, 2010Tiny aerosol particles can be found over oceans, deserts, mountains, forests, ice sheets, and every ecosystem in between. They drift in the air from the stratosphere to the surface. Despite their small size, they have major impacts on our climate and our health. Read more
World of Change: Seasons of Lake Tahoe
October 20, 2010Perhaps the most familiar change in our changing world is the annual swing of the seasons. This series of images shows the effects of the seasons on the Lake Tahoe region between 2009 and 2010. Read more
The Water Cycle
October 1, 2010Landscape sculptor. Climate driver. Life supporter. Water is the most important molecule on our planet. Read more
Russian Firestorm: Finding a Fire Cloud from Space
August 31, 2010NASA satellites help confirm that a strong firestorm fueled fires in western Russia and drew smoke high into the atmosphere in late July 2010. Read more
Notes from the Field Blog: The Western Siberia Expedition 2010
August 16, 2010An international team of scientists working in Siberia report on their expedition to collect data related to the Earth's carbon budget and to document the effects of climate change in the region. Read more
Elegant Figures
August 10, 2010Our lead visualizer, Robert Simmon, blogs about data visualization and information design on the Earth Observatory. Read more
Gulf of Mexico Oil Slick Images: Frequently Asked Questions
July 21, 2010This FAQ explains why oil is more obvious in some satellite images than others and why the Earth Observatory doesn't post new images of the oil slick every day. Read more
What are Phytoplankton?
July 16, 2010Microscopic plant-like organisms called phytoplankton are the base of the marine food web, and they play a key role in removing carbon dioxide from the air. Read more
Dalia Kirschbaum Talks About Making a Global Landslide Inventory
July 6, 2010NASA scientist Dalia Kirschbaum talks about the potential for a global inventory of rain-triggered landslides to help scientists better understand when and where landslides are most likely to occur. Read more
Frozen Ground: An Interview with Permafrost Expert Larry Hinzman
June 10, 2010NASA interviews Larry Hinzman, director of the International Arctic Research Center at the University of Alaska, about greenhouse gases trapped beneath the Arctic permafrost. Read more
Notes from the Field Blog - Urban Aerosols: Who CARES?
June 9, 2010Join us as NASA scientists aboard a B-200 aircraft cruise over California sampling urban pollution and other aerosols during the Carbonaceous Aerosol and Radiative Effects Study (CARES). Read more
Global Warming
June 3, 2010Global warming is happening now, and scientists are confident that greenhouse gases are responsible. To understand what this means for humanity, it is necessary to understand what global warming is, how scientists know it's happening, and how they predict future climate. Read more
The Glory Mission’s Judith Lean Discusses Solar Variability
June 2, 2010Solar physicist Judith Lean talks about solar cycles and what scientists have learned about solar variability in the last three decades. Read more
World of Change: Devastation and Recovery at Mt. St. Helens
May 17, 2010The devastation of the May 1980 eruption of Mt. St. Helens and the gradual recovery of the surrounding landscape is documented in this series of satellite images from 1979—2011. Read more
World of Change: Collapse of the Larsen-B Ice Shelf
April 7, 2010In early 2002, scientists monitoring daily satellite images of the Antarctic Peninsula watched in amazement as almost the entire Larsen B Ice Shelf splintered and collapsed in just over one month. They had never witnessed such a large area disintegrate so rapidly. Read more
Notes from the Field blog: Global Hawk Pacific (GloPac)
March 10, 2010Join us for the next six weeks as scientists share their experiences from the first science mission on the Global Hawk, NASA's new unmanned aircraft. Read more
Climate Q&A
March 9, 2010From why global warming is a problem to whether increased solar activity could be behind it, this Q&A includes responses to common questions about climate change and global warming. Read more
World of Change: Mountaintop Mining, West Virginia
March 2, 2010Based on data from the Landsat satellites, these natural-color images document the growth of the Hobet mine in Boone County, West Virginia, as it expands from ridge to ridge between 1984 and 2012. Read more
Notes from the Field Blog: The Uphill Road to Measuring Snow
February 19, 2010Not your typical weekend ski trip: scientists turn Colorado's Steamboat Mountain into an outdoor lab for tests that will improve satellite estimates of snow. Read more
NASA Scientist Nadine Unger Discusses Which Sectors of the Economy Impact the Climate
February 18, 2010Nadine Unger, a climatologist with NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York City, spoke with NASA’s Earth Science News Team about her recent study that analyzed how different human activities impact climate. The study appeared in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in February. Read more
World of Change: Yellow River Delta
January 26, 2010Once free to wander up and down the coast of the North China Plain, the Yellow River Delta has been shaped by levees, canals, and jetties in recent decades. Read more
NASA Climatologist Gavin Schmidt Discusses the Surface Temperature Record
January 22, 2010Gavin Schmidt, a climatologist at NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) in New York City, studies why and how Earth’s climate varies over time. He offered some context on the annual surface temperature record, a data set that’s generated considerable interest—and some controversy—in the past. GISS updated its surface temperature record with 2009 data this week, and reported that the last decade was the warmest on record. Read more
Water Watchers
January 21, 2010In Idaho, NASA’s Landsat satellites are helping officials manage water resources and settle conflicts. 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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