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 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, 2022
The 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, 2022
A 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, 2022
With lightning killing hundreds of people in Bangladesh and Nepal each year, researchers think space-based observations could help reduce risks.
Published Feb 11, 2022
Scientists track the sources of 97 million metric tons of methane emissions.
Published Jan 25, 2022
More 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, 2021
Scientists 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, 2021
Satellite 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, 2021
The 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, 2021
Using precision instruments and new mapping and machine-learning tools, a research team has been pinpointing sources of the greenhouse gas.
Published Sep 9, 2021
A break in the clouds offered satellites a view of hillslopes that slid away during the magnitude 7.2 temblor.
Published Aug 16, 2021
Using 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, 2021
How can snow cover on the Himalayas influence the species that thrive in the ocean a thousand kilometers away?
Published Aug 5, 2021
Researchers used field observations and remote sensing data to map the spread of the bacteria-carrying ticks in central and eastern Canada.
Published Jun 25, 2021
Researchers have created a satellite-based tool to help officials identify new activity.
Published Jun 16, 2021
In the past decade, unregulated artisanal mines accounted for more deforestation than industrial mines.
Published Jun 15, 2021
For the second year in a row, drought has overtaken much of the United States from the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific Coast.
Published Jun 11, 2021
Researchers are using satellite data to locate small mines that can cause long-term damage to forest communities and human health.
Published Jun 2, 2021
Researchers have found another use for night lights imagery: tracking unregulated and under-reported fishing.
Published May 17, 2021
Researchers can predict locust breeding locations up to nine weeks in advance.
Published May 14, 2021
Using satellites, scientists are starting to better understand the specific sources of urban light pollution.
Published May 3, 2021
Researchers are using ICESat-2 elevation data to create bathymetry maps of shallow lakes in the remote desert.
Published Apr 27, 2021
