Applied Sciences

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.

Keeping Tabs on North Cascades Glaciers
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Keeping Tabs on North Cascades Glaciers

Scientists use satellites in orbit and boots on the ice to monitor glacial changes on the flanks of Mount Baker and elsewhere in Washington state.

Published Sep 19, 2024

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Confronting Florida’s Coral Collapse
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Confronting Florida’s Coral Collapse

After a brutally hot summer in 2023 that caused widespread bleaching and coral death, summer 2024 was more favorable for the state’s vulnerable reefs. 

Published Sep 17, 2024

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Lake Erie Blooms
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Lake Erie Blooms

Algal 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, 2024

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California’s Park Fire Spread Fast and Hot
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California’s Park Fire Spread Fast and Hot

An array of satellite sensors observed the long-duration, episodic spread of the state’s historic fire.

Published Aug 31, 2024

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Running Through Paris Heat  
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Running Through Paris Heat  

The city’s urban heat island could add to the challenge for Olympic marathoners.

Published Aug 10, 2024

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Beating the Heat in Pakistan
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Beating the Heat in Pakistan

Greening projects in Lahore could help cool the city as climate change and rapid urbanization intensifies the urban heat island effect. 

Published Jul 16, 2024

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Carriacou After Beryl
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Carriacou After Beryl

The Category 4 hurricane caused widespread damage to infrastructure and vegetation on the Grenadine island.

Published Jul 9, 2024

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Groundwater Declines in the U.S. Southwest
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Groundwater Declines in the U.S. Southwest

Record snowfall has not been enough to offset groundwater losses amid long-term drying and a heightened demand for the resource.

Published Jun 25, 2024

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Tracking Forest Cover in Belize
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Tracking Forest Cover in Belize

Decades of satellite data paint a picture of how forests in this Central American country are changing.

Published Jun 19, 2024

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The Shrinking Selva Maya
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The Shrinking Selva Maya

The largest tropical rainforest in Mesoamerica is shrinking as pastures and croplands spread across Guatemala, Belize, and Mexico.  

Published Jun 18, 2024

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Grass Fire Chars California
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Grass Fire Chars California

Strong winds and ample fuel helped spread flames over 14,000 acres of grassland in San Joaquin County.

Published Jun 5, 2024

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Southern Brazil Submerged
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Southern Brazil Submerged

This map reveals the depth of floodwater that covered Rio Grande do Sul in May 2024.

Published May 31, 2024

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Parched Kafue Flats
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Parched Kafue Flats

Severe drought in Zambia jeopardizes electricity supplies and food security for millions of people.

Published Apr 30, 2024

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Severe Drought in Southern Africa
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Severe Drought in Southern Africa

One of the driest growing seasons in decades has decimated crops and left millions hungry.

Published Apr 22, 2024

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Tracking the Invisible Movement of Water
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Tracking the Invisible Movement of Water

A moisture measurement tool known as OpenET is improving the way farmers, ranchers, and water resource managers steward one of Earth’s most precious resources.

Published Feb 2, 2024

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Earthquake Lifts the Noto Peninsula
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Earthquake Lifts the Noto Peninsula

Some parts of the peninsula rose up to 4 meters (13 feet), shifting the position of coastlines and leaving some ports dry.

Published Jan 23, 2024

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New Fissures Spill Lava in Iceland
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New Fissures Spill Lava in Iceland

The latest round of eruptions on the Reykjanes peninsula destroyed homes in the town of Grindavík.

Published Jan 19, 2024

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Making Fire Sense on Monroe Mountain
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Making Fire Sense on Monroe Mountain

A high-intensity prescribed burn in south-central Utah will help restore the region’s aspen trees. It could also improve the lives of people managing, fighting, and living with fire.

Published Dec 14, 2023

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Devastating Flooding in East Africa
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Devastating Flooding in East Africa

Heavy rainfall in the Horn of Africa submerged entire towns in floodwater.

Published Nov 21, 2023

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El Niño Forecast to Contribute to Food Insecurity
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El Niño Forecast to Contribute to Food Insecurity

Shifting rainfall patterns are projected to leave millions of people without consistent access to food in late 2023 and early 2024.

Published Oct 30, 2023

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Tracking Canada’s Extreme 2023 Fire Season
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Tracking Canada’s Extreme 2023 Fire Season

A new system that draws upon active fire data from satellites is making it easier for scientists to track the spread of wildland fires in near real-time.  

Published Oct 25, 2023

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Karamoja Beset with Drought
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Karamoja Beset with Drought

Poor harvests stemming from a prolonged dry spell have exacerbated food insecurity in northeastern Uganda.

Published Oct 23, 2023

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Drought Fuels Wildfires in the Amazon
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Drought Fuels Wildfires in the Amazon

With an El Niño brewing in the Pacific, uncontrolled fires are burning beneath the canopy in some parts of the rainforest.

Published Oct 19, 2023

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Indigenous Communities Protect the Amazon
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Indigenous Communities Protect the Amazon

Indigenous people are protecting carbon-rich forests in South America, and satellites are helping.

Published Oct 9, 2023

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Tracking Nightlights in Libya
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Tracking Nightlights in Libya

Cities and towns darkened after a cyclone unleashed torrential flooding along the country’s coast.

Published Sep 25, 2023

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Devastation in Morocco
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Devastation in Morocco

Communities in the High Atlas Mountains were among the hardest hit after a magnitude 6.8 earthquake caused widespread damage.

Published Sep 20, 2023

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The Best Places to Plant Trees in Maryland
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The Best Places to Plant Trees in Maryland

Using remote sensing, researchers have developed a method to guide the state of Maryland’s tree-planting efforts.

Published Sep 7, 2023

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Idalia Spawns Major Winds
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Idalia Spawns Major Winds

The hurricane rapidly intensified over the Gulf of Mexico, weakening only slightly before making landfall over Florida.

Published Aug 30, 2023

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Idalia Roars Into the Gulf of Mexico
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Idalia Roars Into the Gulf of Mexico

Fueled by unusually warm waters, the hurricane is forecast to rapidly intensify before barreling into Florida.

Published Aug 29, 2023

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Winds and Hail Scar the Great Plains  
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Winds and Hail Scar the Great Plains  

A new database details two decades of damage swaths left after winds and hail pulverize crops and vegetation.  

Published Aug 23, 2023

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