Earth Matters

Why Earth Matters

May 20th, 2011 by Mike Carlowicz

Welcome to Earth Matters, the news and notes blog of Earth Observatory. And welcome to an ongoing conversation about our amazing planet.

Earth Matters will be composed by the science writers, data visualizers, and web developers of Earth Observatory and of NASA’s Earth Science News Team. We are former journalists and scientists, communications majors and science majors, news hounds and would-be poets…all who work with NASA-funded scientists to share what they see and learn.

In this blog, we will discuss what we see–and cannot see–from NASA’s perch above the Earth. We’ll try to answer your questions, share what we are reading and viewing, and update you on Earth news and events that might not show up in your local media. We will share some thoughts on our editorial decision-making; why did we or didn’t we cover that story. We’ll follow up on past stories that have new relevance.

This blog should also be composed by you. What do you want to see? What do you think about what you see?  What’s interesting about your corner of the world?

Earth is an amazing planet, and the one that matters most to us. We love watching it in all of its beauty and fury, its texture and color, its history and its future. Let’s have a conversation about it.

13 Responses to “Why Earth Matters”

  1. Nikita says:

    We certainly appreciate the information and your perspectives – I believe the material on this site is most informative and enjoyable to read, especially if you are keen on science related topics. While we cannot guarantee there will always be an unbroken chain of followers to this site, we hope you have alternative means to inform the public of the more urgent matters that will no doubt come at some point? Keeping an eye on the home world is no small task – analyzing actual conditions and interpreting them into useful forecasting is even more challenging. We are glad there are talented ones who are willing to dedicate themselves to this very important task. And only NASA has the vast network of platforms to do this sort of thing – not just for the US but all over the world.

  2. LISA LONE FIGHT says:

    This is a welcome “Indigenously oriented” approach to dealing with an incredibly complex issue. It is understood currently that, while simple approaches to complex issues do not work, “simplifying” complex approaches is critical to the public and broad participation.

    As Native American people, we take our role in monitoring the earth as a very personal, cultural and increasingly technological matter.
    Thank you for inviting everyone to the conversation!

    Lisa Lone Fight
    Mandan, Hidatsa, Arikara
    Montana State University, Land Resources and Envr. Sci/Remote Sensing

    • Mike Carlowicz says:

      Thanks to all for reading and sharing.

      @Lisa Lone Fight – Glad to have you as part of the conversation. What regions or environmental conditions are you monitoring?

      @David Poulson — Journalists have used our site in several ways. It is a tool for following natural disasters and hazards that may be in the news. It’s also a good spot for archival photos of various regions and environmental phenomena. The images of the day are also a little taste of much deeper subjects, so we hope they provoke journalists — and frankly everyone — to dig a little deeper into these stories.

    • Our Web Page says:

      Informative article, I appreciate it. Though, I need some extra articles but it is difficult to find. Can you please recommend some, I appreciate it!

  3. Lee Pelley says:

    My first impression of this site was that I’d had no idea that there were so very many volcanoes on this “blue dot” of a planet. Most of them are in places I’ve never heard of: and that gives me a vivid, broad look at global matters. This gives all of us a fuller, more rounded look at where we live! It helps to keep one’s perspective alive and active.
    I feel proud of my own country when I see it giving us perspectives that include the rest of the world.
    Lee Pelley, Manager/SYLVAN LEEF Inc.
    (Oregon, USA)

  4. David Poulson says:

    Glad to see you have journalists in your mix. What I would like to see from this blog are some tips on using Earth Observatory resources as a tool for journalism. I run a nonprofit environmental news service at Michigan State University that covers the Great Lakes watershed. (www.greatlakesecho.org)
    We love satellite imagery and use it whenever we can. But it’s kind of hit and miss on keeping track of what might be out there and of interest to our readers.
    Tips on how to track the availability of, in my case, Great Lakes relevant imagery would help me leverage EO resources in a way that benefits public understanding.

  5. Lloyd Smith says:

    I am thankful that someone is observing our Earth. Not just the human habitations but the uninhabited and wild places that make Earth such an interesting place. I look forward to the images and stories. They help me maintain a sense of stewardship and enjoy the time I share with the parts of Earth I would never know about otherwise.

  6. A. K. Azad says:

    I’m really greatfull to all of the members of NASA to creat the opportunity to know our erath each moment. NASA serving for the human beings using all of it’s efforts and know us the latest condition(s) of the planet. Long live NASA & works for all of us!

  7. Willie Samain says:

    Greetings I located your site by mistake when i was searching Google for this topic, I have to tell you your site is definitely very helpful I also really like the layout, its superb!

  8. Denise Greenberg says:

    I am a high school earth science and astronomy teacher. I have used this site countless times to familiarize myself with this spectacular planet, as well as filch its pictures for my lesson plans and monitor backgrounds. (Betcha never thought that a monitor background could be a “teachable moment,” did cha. I never thought about it myself until my students started asking me about my laptop pictures…) Thank you for my increased knowledge and awe of our Earth, and for helping me to engage as well as enlighten my scads of teenage students.

    PS – I SO look forward to keeping up with this blog!

  9. Cesarina Rosell says:

    I am from Dominican Republic, at the Caribbean. I am so glad to have this space to see what is happening with my planet and learn more from it. I am planning to spread in my country the information about how to take care of the planet and I will use this site as one of my main sources. I knew about this site at the University, The Instituto Tecnológico de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey and I am very grateful of having this opportunity to be in contact with such a important information about my beautiful planet. It’s marvelous!

  10. socreative says:

    This is an amazing project. I will definitely be visiting your site now. As for ideas maybe have categories dedicated to the pollution awareness and show real examples of what we do to our planet

  11. Lenard says:

    Wow, this article is nice, my younger sister is analyzing these kinds of things, thus I am going to tell her.