Earth

NASA studies our own planet more than any other. We operate 26 missions in orbit and sponsor hundreds of research programs and studies each year. We observe our planet’s oceans, land, ice, and atmosphere, and measure how a change in one drives change in others. We develop new ways to observe and study Earth's interconnected systems and we build long-term data records of how our planet evolves. The agency freely shares this unique knowledge and works with institutions around the world.

Recent News and Articles

NASA Study: Crops, Forests Responding to Changing Rainfall Patterns

NASA, NOAA 2024 Ozone Hole Update

This year, the ozone hole over Antarctica reached its annual maximum extent on September 28th, 2024, with an area of 8.5 million square miles (22.4 square million kilometers.) The hole, which is actually a region of depleted ozone, was the 20th smallest since scientists began recording the ozone hole in 1979. The average size of the ozone hole between September and October this year was the 7th-smallest since the Montreal Protocol began to take effect.

Images of the Day

More Earth Observatory Images of the Day

The image shows the Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas region with state border overlays. At the top of the image the Starbuck fire crosses from Kansas into Oklahoma. Just South of this fire is the 238 fire, to the east of which is the Selman fire. The Perryton fire is shown in the bottom left, almost entirely within the Texas border.

The Fast Fire Threat

Two decades of satellite data show that the most destructive U.S. fires burn in grasslands and shrublands fanned by strong winds.

Image of island chain arc in the dark blue Atlantic Ocean. The land is a blend of green to brown shades. The water that separates these islands from more mainland areas is labeled The Minch and The Little Minch. Skye and Rum are inland islands, shown right. The archipelago consists of Stornoway on the largest land section, Lewis, and downward from there is Harris, North Uist, South Uist and finally Barra.

Scotland’s Outer Hebrides

The rugged chain of islands is home to thousands of sheep and known for its white sand beaches.

A rust brown colored landscape is interrupted by a lighter brown Lake Mungo in the center of the image. Along the right edge of Lake Mungo are bright white Dunes. To the left of most of Lake Mungo is a Park boundary line that seems to separate a lighter shade of landscape on the left from a darker one on the right.

Lake Mungo’s Geological and Archaeological Treasures

A lunette dune fringing this dried Australian lake preserves relics from ancient times, while today’s grazing patterns create sharp visible contrasts on the land.

Map of the Arctic circle with an overlay of where human generated lighting can be found shows only increasing light coverage from 1992 to 2013. Increases are primarily in Scandinavian countries and western to central Russia.

Nighttime Lights Reveal Industrial Activity in the Arctic

Satellite observations at night indicate that oil, gas, and mining have expanded across Earth’s northern latitudes.

Photo of Earth from the ISS shows the Atlantic Ocean in the foreground with some sporadic cloud coverage. Along the coast is the town of Oranjemund, Lüderitz and the Sand sea. Slightly inland is Springbok/Okiep. Near the end of visible Earth is Gaborone, Rustenberg, Witwatersrand, and Bloemfontein. Each of these settlements appear illuminated by human-made lighting. The Orange river is also illuminated by the peoples who live along the river.

Lighting the Night in Southern Africa

An astronaut’s sweeping nighttime photograph of Namibia and South Africa reveals the region’s lighted communities, many of which are centered around mining.

satellite image with a color coded overlay indicating what areas of forest have burned in yellow and orange. While the vast majority is green, denoting forests, with some blue indicating surface water, it is consistently interspersed with yellows and red, particularly biased toward the lower portion of the image.

An Unusual Year for Fire in Bolivia

Fire activity in the South American nation was remarkably intense and widespread in 2024.

Lake Castias appears as a dark void in the image center. mountain peaks surround, more on the left side of the lake than the right. On the right the towns of Oak View and Casitas Springs appear to run vertically along the edge of a a riverbed.

Rapid Rebound for Lake Casitas

The southern California reservoir refilled from historic lows after two above-average years of rain.

How NASA Studies Fires in a Changing World

From forest floor to space, NASA scientists and collaborators are advancing tools and methods to predict, remotely detect, and ultimately mitigate wildfires. That process starts with understanding fire behavior, tracking them with satellites, and getting that data in the hands of land managers and communities facing record-breaking fire seasons.

Explore Earth

The Ocean and Climate Change

With 70 percent of the planet covered in water, the seas are important drivers of the global climate. Yet increasing greenhouse gases from human activities are altering the ocean before our eyes.

What NASA is Seeing

Visualization of ocean currents in the North Atlantic. The colors show sea surface temperature (orange and yellow are warmer, green and blue are colder). Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

Greenhouse Gases

NASA has several instruments and tools for measuring and modeling greenhouse gases – where they come from, where they go, and how they are driving climate change. The agency works with federal, state, and international partners to make this information freely available.

Explore Climate Change Drivers

4 min read

New NASA Study Tallies Carbon Emissions From Massive Canadian Fires

This is a still of a data visualization of global carbon dioxide that orbits Earth from a distance.

5 min read

Watch Carbon Dioxide Move Through Earth’s Atmosphere

NASA-Designed Greenhouse Gas-Detection Instrument Launches

A satellite viewpoint of the United States in black with state outline overlays has a pixelated colorscale overlay indicating how much methane was released in a given area that ranges from black or dark brown into brassier colors until you reach white. While most of the map is a very dark shade, indicating little methane emissions, there are a few spots on the map that range into, or very nearly reach a white coloration. The two most significant of these white spots in size and lightness are in Texas Eastern and Western Borders. Other large population centers also show elevated levels such as the California Valley and Bay Area.

Satellite Data Suggest U.S. Methane Emissions Underestimated

A Globe that is primarily facing the Americas and Pacific Ocean with an atmospheric overlay showing CO2 concentrations, with dense swirls over the United States

NASA, Partners Launch US Greenhouse Gas Center to Share Climate Data

5 min read

As the Arctic Warms, Its Waters Are Emitting Carbon

Earth Information Center

For more than 50 years, NASA satellites have provided data on Earth's land, water, air, temperature, and climate. NASA's Earth Information Center allows visitors to see how our planet is changing in six key areas: sea level rise and coastal impacts, health and air quality, wildfires, greenhouse gases, sustainable energy, and agriculture.

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