Island Obliterated: Dramatic Changes at Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai
NASA scientists have been closely watching the evolution of the volcanic island near Tonga since 2015. When a volcano in the South Pacific Kingdom of…
Earth Observatory
Hunga Tonga Island Obliterated – NASA Satellites Capture Massive Blast
Several Earth-observing satellites collected data during and after the potent blast. One of the most potent volcanic eruptions in decades has obliterated a small, uninhabited…
Southern Hemisphere Scorchers: Summer Heatwaves South of the Equator
A summer heatwave knocked out power in Argentina, while heat in Western Australia likely tied the hottest temperature ever measured south of the equator. Summer…
Flash Floods Swamp Iran: Burst of Rain Causing Problems After Months of Severe Drought
After months of severe drought, a burst of rain is causing problems. For much of 2021, drought gripped southern Iran, parching crops, drying wells, and fueling protests over…
Red Tide off Rio – “It Is Very Worrying”
A dark, rainy spring gave way to a vast, long-lived phytoplankton bloom off the coast of Brazil. Beachgoers in the Brazilian state of Rio de…
2021 Continued Earth’s Warming Trend: The Past 8 Years Have Been the Warmest in the Global Record
Earth’s global average surface temperature in 2021 tied 2018 as the sixth-warmest year on record, according to independent analyses from NASA and the National Oceanic…
A New Look at Earth’s Lightning – From a Sensor Installed on the International Space Station
A sensor installed on the International Space Station is yielding fresh insights on the global distribution of lightning. Since the dawn of humanity, lightning has…
A View of Mount Vesuvius – One of the Most Dangerous Volcanoes on Earth
Clouds parted for a glimpse of one of the most dangerous volcanoes on Earth. Mount Vesuvius, located 12 kilometers (7.5 miles) southeast of Naples, Italy,…
Failed Rainy Seasons Create Massive Food Emergency in Eastern Africa
More than 20 million people in Somalia, Kenya, and Ethiopia now face some of the worst food security risks in 35 years. Following three consecutive…
A Wolf Awakens in the Galápagos Islands at Night
The glow of a volcanic eruption in the Galápagos Islands was captured by the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) on the NOAA-NASA Suomi NPP…
Cold Case File: Mysterious Deaths in the Arctic
Through the use of remotely sensed data, scientists were able to understand the mysterious deaths of caribou in Canada and reindeer in the Bering Sea…
Colorado Faces Winter Urban Firestorm – Whipped Up by Hurricane-Force Winds
Hurricane-force winds whipped fires across drought-parched grasslands and into suburban neighborhoods. On December 30, 2021, high winds roared out of the west and down the…
Study Confirms Southern Ocean Is Absorbing Carbon – Important Buffer for Greenhouse Gas Emissions
January 3 – August 15, 2012 The waters circling Antarctica absorb more carbon from the atmosphere than they release, serving as a strong carbon sink…
Lunar Views and Beyond – Incredible Image Captured by Astronaut
Astronauts traveling within Earth’s largest artificial satellite can capture unique shots of the planet’s only natural satellite. Astronauts traveling within Earth’s largest artificial satellite—the International…
Earth in 2021: Some Highlights From Another Year on Our Planet [Video]
From extreme weather to volcanic eruptions, these images highlight another year on our planet. Earth in 2021: Some Highlights From Another Year on Our Planet…
Otherworldly Earth: This NASA Photo Isn’t Really Mars, It’s the Libyan Desert
The Libyan Desert is often cited as a Mars analogue. The vast Libyan Desert stretches toward the Mediterranean Sea, which itself fades into the horizon…
Seeing Suomi: Reindeer, Indigenous People, and Modern Meteorology Converge in a Winter Scene From Scandinavia
It is the land of reindeer husbandry—one of the few places on Earth where deer have been domesticated. It is the home of Europe’s only…
Grazing With Iceland’s Reindeer – Herds of Wild Reindeer Prosper in East Iceland
While efforts to raise domesticated reindeer on the island failed, herds of wild reindeer prosper in East Iceland. While most of the world’s populations of…