NASA satellites and sensors constantly take the pulse of our planet, measuring how Earth changes by the day, season, year, and decade. Researchers and resource managers analyze those measurements and apply them on local and regional scales to better manage things like our food and water supplies, health, safety, land use, and ecosystems. NASA data is also used by other government agencies to help with responses to natural disasters and emergencies around the country and the world.
The Horn of Africa is facing drought and crop failures after four inadequate rainy seasons.
Published Aug 16, 2022Image of the Day Land Floods Severe Storms Human Presence Landslides
From soaked to dry, the variable state of U.S. soils has implications for farmers and crop production.
Published Jul 29, 2022Scientists and regulators are using satellite data and custom models from NASA to help monitor ozone pollution.
Published Jul 28, 2022Nearly half of the lake was covered with blue-green algae in early July 2022.
Published Jul 15, 2022NASA Harvest researchers are using satellite observations and economic data to track how the Russia-Ukraine conflict is disrupting the global food system.
Published Jun 29, 2022Image of the Day Land Unique Imagery Human Presence Remote Sensing
Researchers with SERVIR created a web-based tool that integrates NASA satellite data with observations from the Bangladesh Meteorological Department.
Published Jun 21, 2022The California mountain range alternated between extreme precipitation and none at all this winter.
Published May 6, 2022Image of the Day Heat Land Drought Fires Snow and Ice Remote Sensing
In the midst of a megadrought, scientists are working to improve snowpack measurements used to forecast water supplies.
Published May 5, 2022Image of the Day Heat Land Drought Fires Snow and Ice Remote Sensing
Remote sensing could help experts monitor Nile hydrology as a new reservoir is filled.
Published Apr 20, 2022The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam will boost electricity production and development in Ethiopia, but could have less desirable consequences for other users of Nile River water.
Published Apr 19, 2022A new satellite-derived dataset links concentrations of fine particulate matter in air pollution with health outcomes in cities around the world.
Published Mar 15, 2022Image of the Day Atmosphere Life Human Presence Remote Sensing
A new satellite-derived global dataset links concentrations of nitrogen dioxide with cases of pediatric asthma in urban areas around the world.
Published Mar 14, 2022Image of the Day Atmosphere Life Human Presence Remote Sensing
An instrument designed to measure tree height can also distinguish corn from other crops.
Published Mar 7, 2022With lightning killing hundreds of people in Bangladesh and Nepal each year, researchers think space-based observations could help reduce risks.
Published Feb 11, 2022Scientists track the sources of 97 million metric tons of methane emissions.
Published Jan 25, 2022More than 20 million people in Somalia, Kenya, and Ethiopia now face some of the worst food security risks in 35 years.
Published Jan 7, 2022Image of the Day Heat Land Water Human Presence Remote Sensing
Researchers used satellite data to detect and track masses of plastic floating in the ocean.
Published Dec 3, 2021Scientists used satellites to parse where and how agriculture is changing atmospheric concentrations of the chemical.
Published Nov 17, 2021Image of the Day Atmosphere Land Human Presence Remote Sensing
New research shows that neighborhoods in Washington, D.C., with more people of color are exposed to more air pollution and have higher rates of disease.
Published Nov 9, 2021Image of the Day Atmosphere Land Life Human Presence Remote Sensing
More than one third of the world’s maize (corn) crop is grown in the United States, and the largest share comes from a swath of land across the Midwest.
Published Nov 4, 2021Satellite observations of nitrogen dioxide near key U.S. ports suggest that increased shipping activity and backlogs may be affecting air quality.
Published Oct 27, 2021Image of the Day Atmosphere Dust and Haze Human Presence Remote Sensing
Satellite imagers can make oil spills easier to detect in open water.
Published Oct 7, 2021The proportion of the world’s population exposed to floods grew by 20 to 24 percent—ten times greater than what previous models had predicted.
Published Sep 27, 2021Using precision instruments and new mapping and machine-learning tools, a research team has been pinpointing sources of the greenhouse gas.
Published Sep 9, 2021A break in the clouds offered satellites a view of hillslopes that slid away during the magnitude 7.2 temblor.
Published Aug 16, 2021Using satellite data from the past two decades, scientists are starting to pinpoint which crops and farming styles have lasting impacts on forests.
Published Aug 11, 2021How can snow cover on the Himalayas influence the species that thrive in the ocean a thousand kilometers away?
Published Aug 5, 2021Researchers used field observations and remote sensing data to map the spread of the bacteria-carrying ticks in central and eastern Canada.
Published Jun 25, 2021Researchers have created a satellite-based tool to help officials identify new activity.
Published Jun 16, 2021In the past decade, unregulated artisanal mines accounted for more deforestation than industrial mines.
Published Jun 15, 2021