The polar vortex elongated and weakened over Antarctica, causing rare warming events.
An extratropical storm system dropped torrential rains on parts of Morocco and Algeria.
Images of nighttime lights reveal patterns in population and urban development.
Published Sep 15, 2024Scientists at sea are making measurements to validate the observations from NASA's new ocean-observing satellite.
Published Sep 13, 2024
Rugged terrain on New Zealand’s South Island gives rise to a distinctive lenticular cloud formation, known locally as the Taieri Pet.
Published Sep 13, 2024Fueled by warm water in the Gulf of Mexico, the hurricane will be the third to make landfall in the 2024 season.
Published Sep 11, 2024Intense blazes, including the Line fire, supercharged afternoon convective clouds.
Published Sep 10, 2024The glacier’s Main Branch pulled away from a stabilizing rocky outcrop, while melting along the West Branch exposed “new gravelly real estate.”
Published Sep 10, 2024China’s capital city boasts a diversity of structures, from its historic city center to the concentric roads and high-speed railway that surround it.
Published Sep 9, 2024Drought has amplified fire activity across the continent, contributing to exceptionally high carbon emissions in Bolivia and Brazil.
Published Sep 6, 2024Algal communities flourish in Lake Erie’s western basin each summer. Scientists are looking to new NASA technology to better track them from space.
Published Sep 5, 2024In 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.
Snow and ice influence climate by reflecting sunlight back into space. When it melts, snow is a source of water for drinking and vegetation; too much snowmelt can lead to floods. These maps show average snow cover by month.
After hitting the Philippines, the powerful storm is churning toward landfall near China’s Hainan Island.
Published Sep 5, 2024Flash flooding has inundated villages, swamped farmland, and damaged infrastructure.
Published Sep 4, 2024Burning for weeks, the Wapiti and Middle Fork Complex fires have charred tens of thousands of acres.
Published Sep 3, 2024Have 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 Aug 28, 2020Smooth beaches meet rugged alpine terrain along this section of coastline in southwestern Italy.
Published Sep 1, 2024What 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, 2013NASA satellites document how our world—forests, oceans, human landscapes, even the Sun—changes over months, seasons, and years.
Published Apr 29, 2009Ocean temperatures can influence weather, such as hurricane formation, and climate patterns, such as El Niño. These maps show the temperature at the surface of the world’s seas and oceans.
Excerpts from a scientist's emails home to family provide a glimpse of what life was like on one of the world’s most northern scientific outposts in the world.
Published Aug 23, 2024These 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.
12 months of high-resolution global true color satellite imagery.
Published Oct 13, 2005Researchers trekked to Alaska’s Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes to better understand the icy volcanic landscapes on Earth, Mars, and beyond.
Published Aug 22, 2024
Hurricane season in the basin runs from June 1 to November 30.
Published Jul 1, 2024People have developed systems to harvest and store energy from sources such as wind, sunlight, and tidal action. Many of these installations are visible from orbit.
Published May 10, 2024Satellite 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, 2017When 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.
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.
From ground-level ozone to particulate matter to nitrogen dioxide, an array of gasses and particles can affect the air people breathe, with implications for human health.
Published Apr 8, 2024Warmer-than-average temperatures are showing up locally and globally, with consequences for people, landscapes, and ecosystems.
Published Mar 26, 2024Whether sparked by lightning, intentional land-clearing, or human-caused accidents, wildland fires are burning longer and more often in some areas as the world warms.
Published Feb 27, 2024Warmer-than-average temperatures are showing up locally and globally, with consequences for people, landscapes, and ecosystems.
Published Aug 15, 2023