NASA

Retreat of the Helheim Glacier between 2001 and 2005. Images from Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) on NASA’s Terra satellite.

Creating a Time Series Visualization of Two Decades of Changes in a Glacier

Elizabeth Borneman

NASA has created a time series visualization of Greenland’s Helheim Glacier using 20 years of data from radar, lasers, and high-resolution cameras.

3D Model of the Movement of Carbon Dioxide Through Earth’s Atmosphere

Elizabeth Borneman

NASA has created a model of the way carbon dioxide moves through Earth’s atmosphere.

A terrestrial gamma ray detected on August 3, 2014 over the Pacific Ocean west of Mexico. Image: J. Stevens, NASA with data from Roberts, O. J., et al. (2017).

Using Satellites to Monitor Terrestrial Gamma Ray Flashes

Elizabeth Borneman

The production of gamma rays that can be seen by satellites are called terrestrial gamma ray flashes, or TGFs.

3.1-Trillion Pixel Landsat 8 Mosaic of the World

Elizabeth Borneman

Descartes Labs has compiled some of the massive amount of data sent back from the satellites orbiting Earth into a 3.1-trillion pixel composite image of Earth’s surface.

NASA Exploring Using Mini-drones

Elizabeth Borneman

NASA has gotten in on the drone action themselves, testing unique mini-drones that are manufactured in Sweden.

Sudden Landslide Identification Product (SLIP) developed by NASA detects landslide potential by analyzing satellite imagery for changes in soil moisture, muddiness, and other surface features. The Landsat 8 satellite capture the left and middle images on September 15, 2013, and September 18, 2014—before and after the Jure landslide in Nepal on August 2, 2014. The processed image on the right shows areas in red indicating a probable landslide and areas in yellow showing a possible landslide. Source: NASA.

Using Remote Sensing to Automate the Detection of Landslides

Elizabeth Borneman

The Sudden Landslide Identification Product (SLIP) developed by NASA detects landslide potential by analyzing satellite imagery for changes in soil moisture, muddiness, and other surface features.

Cloud cover based on 15 years of satellite observations captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) sensors on NASA’s Aqua and Terra satellites.

Using Clouds to Map Ecosystem Boundaries

Elizabeth Borneman

Researching clouds and their impact on ecosystems and species could help researchers find an entirely new way to see the Earth. By looking at clouds, researchers can add a layer of evidence to existing theories and practices of conservation of land and animals.

Mapping Soil Moisture in Ethiopia Using Remote Sensing Techniques

Elizabeth Borneman

Remote sensing can be used to assess soil moisture across a region. Learn more about two methods NASA has used to map out soil moisture in Ethiopia.

This animation shows the movement of ice and debris near Panmah Glacier in Pakistan, near Central Karakoram National Park. The 17 false-color images were captured between August 1990 and July 2015 by the Thematic Mapper on Landsat 5, the Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus on Landsat 7, and the Operational Land Imager on Landsat 8. Source: NASA.

Karakoram Anomaly

Elizabeth Borneman

Landsat satellite data helped researchers analyze advancing glaciers in the Karakoram mountains, which is uncommon compared to most glaciers worldwide.

Earth's land masses have stored increasing amounts of water in the last decade, slowing the pace of sea level rise. Image credit: U.S. National Park Service

How Continents are Slowing Down Sea Level Rise

Elizabeth Borneman

The continents of earth are helping slow down sea level rise, a new study shows. Melting glaciers and ice sheets are causing sea levels to change around the world, but the continents are actually absorbing a lot of this excess water.

The 2015 earthquakes caused great damage in Bhakatpur, Nepal. These photos are overlaid on a damage proxy map derived from COSMO-SkyMed satellite data. Colors show increasingly significant change in terrain/building properties (including surface roughness and soil moisture). Red is most severe. Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Google/DigitalGlobe/CNES/Astrium/Amy MacDonald/Thornton Tomasetti

Developing Earthquake Damage Maps from Satellite Imagery

Elizabeth Borneman

Researchers are working on developing remotely sensed maps that may assist locals in assessing damage and managing the aftermath with future earthquakes.

NASA Earth Observatory maps by Joshua Stevens, using data from Sandwell, D. et al. (2014).

Seafloor Mapped Using Measurements of the Earth’s Gravity Field

Elizabeth Borneman

Researchers have developed a gravity map used to see the sea floor based on Earth’s gravitational field.

NASA's Orbit Pavilion. Photo: David Delgado / NASA JPL

The Sound of Satellites

Elizabeth Borneman

NASA collaborated with architects Jason Klimoski and Lesley Chang to create a way to hear the sounds of different satellites orbiting above the Earth.

A full year's data collection of carbon dioxide measurements from Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) . Source: NASA

Map of Carbon Dioxide Levels Over a Year

Elizabeth Borneman

NASA's Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 is a major source of information about the life cycle of carbon dioxide on Earth.

Map showing the urban heat island effect. Source: NASA

Vegetation Helps to Lessen the Effects of Urban Heat Islands

Elizabeth Borneman

The abundance, or lack, of vegetation in a city can have an effect on how much heat cities retain, known as the urban heat island effect.

NASA's UAVSAR measured cumulative vertical ground movement impacting the California Aqueduct near Huron and Kettleman City from July 2013 to March 2015. The colored overlay shows areas where subsidence exceeded 7 inches (17.8 centimeters). UAVSAR pixel resolution is 20 by 20 feet (6 by 6 meters). Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech

California is Sinking Faster than Previously Thought

Elizabeth Borneman

Researchers are tracking the changes in California’s geography from the effects of drought using a remote sensing system called interferometric synthetic aperture radar, or InSAR.

GRACE based shallow groundwater drought indicator map for July 7, 2014. Source: NASA.

Using Remote Sensing to Measure the Effect of Drought on Ground Water

Caitlin Dempsey

This map shows a comparison of modeled relative amount of water stored in underground aquifers in the continental United States for July 7, 2014 as compared to the average for comparable weeks for the sixty year average water storage.  

Mapping Soil Moisture from Space

Rebecca Maxwell

Soil moisture might not be considered a critical factor to the health of our planet but a series of satellite ...

NASA’s Global Precipitation Measurement

Rebecca Maxwell

Water is essential for life on the Earth, and the supply of this precious liquid is constantly being recycled through ...

Satellite Imagery Maps Out How Bad the California Drought Really is in 2014

Caitlin Dempsey

California has been suffering from historical drought conditions.  Almost all of California is experiencing drought conditions.  Many parts of California ...

Mapping Ship Logs

Caitlin Dempsey

Ben Schmidt, who is an assistant professor of history at Northeastern University, has mapped out historical shipping routes.

Map of the Earth’s Vegetation

Caitlin Dempsey

NASA and NOAA have released a map of the earth's vegetation. The map was created with NDVI data from VIIRS (Visible-Infrared Imager/Radiometer Suite) sensor aboard the Suomi NPP (National Polar-orbiting Partnership) satellite.

Mapping Antarctica’s Bedrock with Bedmap2

Rebecca Maxwell

The map, called Bedmap2, provides a detailed look at Antarctica from its surface of ice all the way down to the bedrock. The map was compiled by the British Antarctic Survey using data from other research organizations around the globe including NASA

Mapping the Salinity of the Ocean

Rebecca Maxwell

The European Space Agency (ESA) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) are mapping the salinity of the ocean to understand how the ocean helps recycle of our planet’s water resources and our climate.

ZUBAIR ISLANDS ON DECEMBER 23, 2011. SOURCE: NASA’S EO-1 – ALI.

New Baby Island in the Zubair Islands

Caitlin Dempsey

A new island has been added to the Zubair Islands off the Yemeni coast as a result of volcanic activity that erupted on December 19, 2011.

Animation of Southern Lights (Aurora Australis)

Caitlin Dempsey

This animation of the Southern Lights was recorded on September 11, 2005, four days after a solar flare sent an ionized gas of protons and electrons known as plasma towards the earth.