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Our world is constantly changing. We have evolved with it.
A large Atlantic storm front is expected to drop heavy rain over the United Kingdom.
Your challenge is to use the comments section to tell us what we are looking at and why it is interesting.
Published May 21, 2019 in Earth Matters
Filaments of sea ice stretch across the waters off southern Greenland, an area that is typically ice-free.
Published May 17, 2019
Officials declared an environmental emergency due to unhealthy air quality.
Published May 16, 2019
Sunlight traces the mouth of one of Asia’s great rivers—a major artery for commercial and sediment transport.
Published May 16, 2019
Explore Earth's different orbits, then race your friends in a scale model of high, mid and low Earth orbits.
Published May 15, 2019 in EO Kids
Local authorities are watching closely after a fast-advancing glacier in northern Pakistan blocked a stream and created a temporary lake.
Published May 13, 2019
In May 2019, dust from the Taklamakan and Gobi deserts swirled high into the atmosphere as a spring storm passed through China and Mongolia.
Published May 13, 2019
The corridor between the United States and Mexico is a fairly busy one for air traffic—heavy enough to produce plenty of contrails, but not so much that they all blend together.
Published May 13, 2019
The blazes have been difficult to control because of strong winds.
Published May 10, 2019
Astronauts caught a rare, mostly clear glimpse of the largest island in the Philippines.
Published May 10, 2019
As this Antarctic glacier sheds huge icebergs more frequently, scientists are closely monitoring the retreat.
Published May 9, 2019
The Landsat 8 satellite observed water out of the river banks and on the floodplains near St. Louis.
Published May 9, 2019
The powerful storm, one of the worst to hit India since 1999, knocked out electricity across the state of Odisha.
Published May 8, 2019Image of the Day Severe Storms Human Presence Remote Sensing
Satellite data shows that water levels in Iraq’s largest reservoir have reached heights not seen in more than a decade.
Published May 7, 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
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.
It is not even summertime, but already the United Kingdom has seen a significant number of wildfires.
Published May 6, 2019
Since March 1989, the Earth Observer newsletter has reported timely news from NASA’s Earth Science Program.
Published May 3, 2019 in Earth Matters
A fast-moving blaze charred far eastern Russia and lofted a pillar of smoke high into the air.
Published May 3, 2019
Chlorophyll is used by algae and other phytoplankton--the grass of the sea--to convert sunlight and carbon dioxide into sugars. These maps show chlorophyll concentrations in the ocean, revealing where phytoplankton are thriving.
The Flinders Ranges—the largest mountain range in South Australia—is a classic example of a folded mountain range.
Published May 3, 2019
Water, ice, and geological history have carved the landscape between Spain and France.
Published May 3, 2019
The storm strengthened and bore down on the country's eastern coast as a very severe tropical cyclone.
Published May 2, 2019Image of the Day Atmosphere Water Severe Storms Human Presence Remote Sensing
A burst of wildflowers and other plant growth followed damaging floods in northern Chile.
Published May 1, 2019
The storm, currently spinning over the Bay of Bengal, is advancing toward the eastern coast of India.
Published May 1, 2019Atmosphere Land Water Severe Storms Human Presence Remote Sensing
A new analysis suggests that exposure to mineral dust may be a bigger cause of premature death in Africa than previously thought.
Published Apr 30, 2019
In several decades of observing the ocean with satellites, our vision has changed as much as the sea.
Published Apr 29, 2019
These maps show the average amount of water vapor in a column of atmosphere by month. Water vapor is the key precursor for rain and snow and one of the most important greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
As we celebrate our 20th anniversary, we take a look back at how the Web, the world, and EO have changed. And we look ahead to a year of flashback stories.
Published Apr 29, 2019 in Earth Matters
12 months of high-resolution global true color satellite imagery.
Published Oct 13, 2005
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 Apr 29, 2019
The Bolivian salt flat holds vast quantities of the element, but bringing it to market poses challenges.
Published Apr 26, 2019
Sea salt, volcanic ash, dust, wildfire smoke, and industrial pollution are types of airborne aerosols. Natural aerosols tend to be larger than human-made aerosols. These maps show when and where aerosols come from nature, humans, or both.
Airborne aerosols can cause or prevent cloud formation and harm human health. These maps depict aerosol concentrations in the air based on how the tiny particles reflect or absorb visible and infrared light.
The lake is one of hundreds on the Tibetan Plateau.
Published Apr 26, 2019
Most indications of meltwater ponds and lakes on the ice sheet are leftovers from past seasons that have since refrozen.
Published Apr 26, 2019
Carbon flows between the atmosphere, land, and ocean in a cycle that encompasses nearly all life and sets the thermostat for Earth's climate. By burning fossil fuels, people are changing the carbon cycle with far-reaching consequences.
Published Jun 16, 2011
Over the past three decades, India’s Kokthang glacier has been retreating and a nearby lake has doubled in size.
Published Apr 25, 2019
While the now silent Vanguard II continues to orbit the Earth, its back-up brother has been restored and mounted in the Goddard Space Flight Center’s Earth Sciences building’s atrium.
Published Apr 23, 2019 in Earth Matters
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
After thinning at alarming rates in the 1980s and 90s, the ozone layer over Antarctica is starting to recover. Watch how ozone concentrations in the stratosphere have changed from 1979 through 2018.
Published Feb 13, 2019Atmosphere Human Presence Remote Sensing World of Change Videos
When fuels such as coal, wood, and oil burn incompletely, they produce carbon monoxide. The gas is spread by winds and circulation. These maps show monthly averages of CO in the lower atmosphere.
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
Once the fourth-largest lake in the world, the Aral Sea has been slowly disappearing since the 1960s. View how the lake has shrunk over the past few decades.
Published Dec 5, 2018
