Melting Point: Rapid Retreat at Petermann Glacier
Decades of retreat are visible from above, but harder-to-see changes below the waterline could also affect this iconic glacier’s future. Petermann Glacier is one of…
Earth Observatory News
Blown Away: How Desert Dust Fuels Ocean Life
Researchers have found that even modest amounts of desert dust can improve the health of the ocean’s microscopic, plant-like organisms. A new study reveals that…
Popocatépetl Keeps On Puffing – One of Mexico’s Most Active Volcanoes
One of Mexico’s most active volcanoes continues to put on a show for satellites and astronauts. Popocatépetl, an active stratovolcano 43 miles southeast of Mexico…
Utah’s Hidden Time Capsule: The Dark Canyon Complex
Petroglyphs, hanging gardens, and deep canyons make this remote landscape a notable part of Bears Ears National Monument. Deep, meandering canyons cut through the Colorado…
Curious Tracks Criss-Cross an Icy Fjord – NASA Scientists Investigate
Paths that cut across the still-frozen Tunulliarfik Fjord in southern Greenland were likely made by people. Images from Landsat 9’s OLI-2 captured in March 2023…
Western Australia’s Fiery Forecast: Combating Bushfires With Controlled Burns
Wet weather set the stage for prescribed burning to ramp up through April 2023 in the state’s southwest, near Perth. In April 2023, increased rainfall…
Record Low Antarctic Sea Ice: Lowest Extent Ever Observed Since Start of Satellite Record in 1979
The long-term trend for sea ice in the south is still flat, while the global trend points downward. In February 2023, sea ice around Antarctica…
Unprecedented Wonder: Tropical Cyclone Freddy’s Record-Breaking Month-Long Journey Across the Indian Ocean
Tropical Cyclone Freddy, an unusually long-lived storm, wandered in the Indian Ocean for more than a month. For more than a month, Tropical Cyclone Freddy…
Incredible Astronaut Photo of New York and New Jersey From Space
Shadows from skyscrapers and other city buildings give the photograph a 3D look. Orbiting over the Gulf of Maine, an astronaut aboard the International Space…
More Than 100 Landslides Strike Turkey Following Devastating Earthquakes
Scientists are using satellite images to locate landslides following the powerful earthquakes that struck in early February. The magnitude 7.8 and 7.5 earthquakes that shook…
Tropical Cyclone Freddy Hits Madagascar
The tropical cyclone made landfall on February 21, 2023, after traveling for more than two weeks across the Indian Ocean. After traveling for 15 days…
Fires Scar the Chilean Landscape – Burned Areas Visible From Space
Although the outbreak of fires in early February 2023 has subsided, the burned area remained visible from space. Wildland fires raged across central and southern…
Unusually Low Ice Levels on Great Lakes Breaks Record
This winter, ice cover in the Great Lakes Basin has hovered at unusually low levels. The Great Lakes have been unusually ice-free so far this…
NASA Satellites Map Earthquake Damage in Turkey
Scientists from NASA and other agencies are using satellites to map damage caused by the devastating earthquake in the Republic of Türkiye. On February 6,…
Deadly Fires Blaze Through South-Central Chile, Destroying More Than 1,000 Homes
Hot, dry winds fanned the flames of widespread fires in Chile. Stoked by a summer heat wave and strong winds, widespread fires have been raging…
Massive Antarctic Iceberg – Twice the Size of New York City – on the Move
After breaking from the Brunt Ice Shelf, Iceberg A-81 and other pieces of ice drift south with the Weddell Gyre. On January 22, 2023, the…
Antarctica’s Brunt Ice Shelf Finally Breaks – Spawns Iceberg Twice the Size of New York City
A long-watched rift has spawned an iceberg about twice the size of New York City. In February 2019, a rift spanning most of the Brunt…
Mysteries Remain About Puzzling Bahamas Whiting Events
Researchers used satellite imagery to reveal where and when the discolored patches of water appeared between 2003 and 2020 and found a puzzling temporary increase…
