Earth Science in Action

Putting NASA Science to Work

NASA uses the vantage point of space to increase our understanding of our home planet, improve lives, and safeguard our future. The end-to-end capability of NASA Earth Science Division – from developing new technology to delivering actionable science –makes it unique among U.S. government science agencies. NASA’s Earth science measurements, research, models, and applications form the basis for the operational services of other public agencies, such as the U.S. EPA, National Weather Service, FEMA, USDA, and more.

Smoke from the Red Fire, Yosemite National Park, August 12, 2022.

Watching Wildfire Smoke Impacts for Healthier Communities

The smoke from wildfires obeys no boundaries, it crosses state lines and irritates people’s eyes, nose, throat, and lungs. Working at the intersection of climate data and health equity, Jason Vargo, a senior researcher at the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, uses NASA satellite data to better understand wildfire smoke impacts and build healthier communities.

Quantifying Bangladesh’s Vast Water Resources

Bangladesh is a small country with a huge amount of water that moves over its surface. The Ganges, Brahmaputra, and Meghna rivers form the world’s largest river delta as they flow south to the Bay of Bengal and ultimately into the Indian Ocean. Just how much water fills these vast floodplains?

Photo of petri dish with mosquitoes in it

How NASA Helps Fight Mosquitoes from Space

Mosquitoes are sometimes hard to spot, even with the human eye. But NASA can help track these disease-spreading insects with satellite data. Earth observations help pinpoint environmental conditions where mosquito populations will thrive.

NASA Data Tracks Veterans’ Exposure to Smoke and Air Pollution

Researchers are using NASA Earth observations of smoke and other air pollution to study the health impacts on veterans who were deployed to Afghanistan, Iraq, and other areas of Southwest Asia in the years after September 11, 2001.

Enabling Earth Science at NASA

Impacts And Benefits

NASA Applied Sciences

The Applied Sciences Program works with individuals and institutions worldwide to inform decision-making, enhance quality of life and strengthen the economy.

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NASA and Agriculture

In the satellite era, Earth observing data has increasingly become part of the food farming process. With observations from space and aircraft, combined with high-end computer modeling, NASA scientists work with partner agencies, organizations, farmers, ranchers, fishermen, and decision makers to share our understanding of the relationship between the Earth system and the environments that provide us food.

Ensuring Food Security

NASA promotes the use of Earth observations to strengthen food security, support market stability and protect human livelihoods. Together with partners in the United States and around the world, we help bolster food security, improve agricultural resilience and reduce price volatility for vulnerable communities.

NASA At Your Table: The Space Agency’s Surprising Role in Agriculture

Everybody needs to eat. With observations from space and aircraft, combined with high-end computer modeling, NASA scientists work with partner agencies, organizations, farmers, ranchers, fishermen, and decision makers to share our understanding of the relationship between the Earth system and the environments that provide us food.

Food and Agriculture

From soil conditions to crop productivity, satellite data help inform farmers, scientists, and decision-makers in the U.S. and around the world.

NASA Harvest

NASA Harvest’s mission is to enable and advance adoption of satellite Earth observations by public and private organizations to benefit food security, agriculture, and human and environmental resiliency in the US and worldwide.

NASA Acres

NASA Acres Consortium is focused on U.S. agriculture and food security. The consortium applies satellite Earth observation (EO) information to the most pressing agricultural and food security challenges facing U.S. farmers, ranchers, and agrifood system stakeholders.

Human Faces of Earth Science

Meet Amber Soja, a physical scientist at NASA's Langley Research Center. Amber is part of the Health and Air Quality Applied Science Team (HAQAST) that is studying how the transport of smoke affects air quality and human health. Her team uses NASA satellite data, ground sensors, and field campaigns to put together a comprehensive picture of fires, making the NASA data applicable to communities across the globe.

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Meet the People Behind the SWOT Water-Tracking Satellite

Assistant Research Scientist Nikki Tulley

Nikki Tulley is a member of the Navajo Nation, and a summer 2020 intern with Water Resources in NASA’s Western Water Applications Office (WWAO). She is pursuing a Ph.D. at the University of Arizona.

Cindy Schmidt: Finding A Career in Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Systems

Science mentor, world traveler, remote sensing teacher, research scientist, and Indigenous Peoples Pilot program lead – it’s hard to keep track of everything Cindy Schmidt does in her role as an associate program manager for the Ecological Conservation program.

It takes a lot of field work in challenging conditions to gather important snow data. This is the story of NASA’s last SnowEx campaign and those who participated in it. In March 2023, scientists traveled to research sites in the northern tundra and in Fairbanks, Alaska. Ground crews looked to validate data collected from airborne instruments, while the flight crews continued collecting snow data in order to see what instruments best measure snow globally. The goal for SnowEx is to determine the best remote-sensing techniques for a potential future satellite. Snow data is extremely important and can tell us things like how much spring runoff can be expected, which is vital for water resource management.

Science in Action