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There is no award for completing the hike from Mexico to Canada through the western United States. But it is clear from the ground and space that the journey through 48 wilderness areas and demanding terrain will change you.
Satellites begin to detect heightened fire activity in July and August in the Amazon.
In July 2019, a severe toxic algal bloom began spreading over the western basin of Lake Erie.
Published Aug 14, 2019Image of the Day Water Human Presence Remote Sensing Water Color
Satellites observe and track fires (and what they leave behind) across the world.
Published Aug 14, 2019 in EO Kids
A succession of cold air masses blew in from Antarctica, leading to icy roads and measurable snowfall across parts of New South Wales, Victoria, and Queensland.
Published Aug 13, 2019
A glorious winter morning view greeted astronauts as they passed over the rugged peaks of Peru’s Cordillera Blanca.
Published Aug 9, 2019
Twin typhoons continued to churn across the Western Pacific Ocean, threatening East Asian countries with destructive winds and rain.
Published Aug 9, 2019Image of the Day Atmosphere Land Water Severe Storms Human Presence
A rare flight through a thunderstorm triggered by a wildfire has atmospheric scientists buzzing.
Published Aug 9, 2019Image of the Day Atmosphere Heat Land Fires Human Presence Remote Sensing
The glacier atop Iceland’s Ok volcano was declared dead in 2014. Satellite images show the latter stages of its decline.
Published Aug 8, 2019
It is common for the Alaskan volcano to vent steam and gas, but the summit crater was warmer than usual in July.
Published Aug 8, 2019
The satellite-based atlas includes information about more than 13 million fires.
Published Aug 7, 2019
Dual storms marched across the Western Pacific Ocean in early August 2019.
Published Aug 7, 2019
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is using NASA data to help the public better understand their UV exposure.
Published Aug 6, 2019
12 months of high-resolution global true color satellite imagery.
Published Oct 13, 2005
In a country rich with compelling geologic phenomena, even the rivers are connected to the landscape of fire and ice.
Published Aug 5, 2019
These maps depict how much hotter or cooler an ocean basin was compared to the long-term average. Temperature anomalies can indicate changes in ocean circulation or the arrival of patterns like El Niño and La Niña.
For many people, there is great joy and good summer business to be found on the widest beach in New Jersey and one of the widest on any coast.
Published Aug 2, 2019
What do you do when presented with a new satellite image? Here's what the Earth Observatory team does to understand the view.
Published Nov 18, 2013
In addition to making rain and snow, clouds can have a warming or cooling influence depending on their altitude, type, and when they form. These maps show what fraction of an area was cloudy each month.
The big dreams of a 1960s real estate developer have not materialized, but that has not stopped California City from pushing forward.
Published Aug 2, 2019
Roads, railways, and a mighty river meet in this longtime trading hub of the central United States.
Published Aug 2, 2019
These maps depict anomalies in land surface temperatures (LSTs); that is, how much hotter or cooler a region was compared to the long-term average. LST anomalies can indicate heat waves or cold spells.
Melting was provoked by a bubble of warm air that moved over Greenland after delivering unseasonably warm temperatures to Europe.
Published Aug 1, 2019Image of the Day Atmosphere Land Water Snow and Ice Remote Sensing
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live in a different part of the world? What would the weather be like? What kinds of animals would you see? Which plants live there? By investigating these questions, you are learning about biomes.
Published Oct 5, 2000
Fires in Alaska, Siberia, and Greenland have emitted large amounts of black carbon this summer.
Published Jul 31, 2019
As water levels drop in the Dead Sea, salt is piling up on the lakebed.
Published Jul 30, 2019
The pit near Phalaborwa and Kruger National Park is the most visible sign of a long history of mining in the region.
Published Jul 29, 2019
Researchers gathered in the western part of the Siberian boreal forest, where they collected the tree-ring data needed to reconstruct the area's fire history.
Published Jul 29, 2019 in Notes From the Field
Elevation data show the distinct topography of Mount Mazama and the crater lake that fills its caldera.
Published Jul 26, 2019
One month after experiencing record-breaking temperatures, Europe again is sweltering under a heatwave. And this one is more intense.
Published Jul 26, 2019Image of the Day Heat Land Human Presence Remote Sensing Temperature Extremes
Scientists have developed a new way to measure water cycle intensity over time.
Published Jul 25, 2019
The International Space Station was crossing over the equator when an astronaut looked east and took this photo just after a sunrise.
Published Jul 24, 2019
Satellite images of Earth at night have been a curiosity for the public and a tool of fundamental research for at least 25 years. They have provided a broad, beautiful picture, showing how humans have shaped the planet and lit up the darkness.
Published Apr 12, 2017
Ash from Peru’s most active volcano fell on villages, schools, and health centers.
Published Jul 24, 2019
Your challenge is to tell us what we are looking at and why it is interesting.
Published Jul 23, 2019 in Earth Matters
Remote sensing scientists are getting better at measuring such events and showing how they disrupt and move the land surface.
Published Jul 23, 2019
Greenness is an important indicator of health for forests, grasslands, and farms. The greenness of a landscape, or vegetation index, depends on the number and type of plants, how leafy they are, and how healthy they are.
Striking geology, new ports, and a few hammerhead sharks can be found along Pakistan’s Arabian Sea coast.
Published Jul 23, 2019
In honor of our 20th anniversary, we offer a selection of some of the most beautiful, newsworthy, interesting, and scientifically important images from the past 20 years — one for each day of the calendar year.
Published Jun 19, 2019
These maps depict monthly total rainfall around the world. Rainfall is the primary source of fresh water for humans, plants, and animals. Rain also moves heat between the atmosphere, oceans, and land.
Swirling white clouds, deep blue oceans, and multicolored landscapes come to life on the pages of NASA’s new photo essay Earth, a collection of dramatic images captured by satellites.
Published Jun 4, 2019
Our world is constantly changing. We have evolved with it.
Published May 7, 2019
Land surface temperatures rise and fall with the heat of the Sun, and they represent how hot or cold the surface would feel to touch. These maps show daytime land temperatures as measured from space.
Pine Island Glacier is one of the fastest-retreating glaciers in Antarctica. This timeline highlights the most notable calving events of the past two decades.
Published Apr 9, 2019
NASA has a unique vantage point for observing the beauty and wonder of Earth and for making sense of it. The images in this book tell a story of a 4.5-billion-year-old planet where there is always something new to see.
Published Feb 20, 2019
