Good News: Ozone Hole Continues Shrinking in 2022
The depleted area of the ozone layer over the South Pole was slightly smaller than last year and generally continued the overall shrinking trend of…
Earth Observatory News
Low Water Levels Are Causing Barge Backups on the Mississippi River
Low water levels are making it difficult to ship goods down the Mississippi River and allowing a wedge of saltwater to move upstream. In the…
South African Town Covered in Mining Waste After Dam Collapse
Nearly one month after the collapse of a tailings dam, the South African mining town Jagersfontein and nearby water systems remained capped with muddy debris….
Autumn in the Adirondacks – Vibrant Fall Colors Pop In Satellite Photos
Vibrant leaf color in northeast New York has not disappointed leaf-peepers. Dry conditions in the summer of 2022 dulled autumn foliage in many parts of…
Satellite Images Reveal a Rough Year for Rice in California
The ongoing drought has cut rice acreage in the Sacramento Valley in half. Normally the largest rice-growing region in California, the Sacramento Valley produces hundreds…
Gorgeous Watercolor Seas in the Wake of Hurricane Ian
Storm-stirred sediment produced colorful swirls along the western coast of Florida. Hurricane Ian barreled into Florida’s southwestern coast on September 28, 2022, as a powerful…
Dramatic Satellite Images Show Power Outages After Hurricane Ian
Several cities on the west coast of Florida lost much of their electric power for days after the storm. Hurricane Ian roared across Florida over…
Staring Into Hurricane Ian’s Eye: NASA Scientists Are Analyzing the Forces That Made the Storm So Catastrophic
NASA scientists are studying the latest satellite imagery of Hurricane Ian and analyzing the forces that made the storm so catastrophic. As Hurricane Ian headed…
Fuel for Hurricane Ian: Fearsome Power Comes From the Ocean
Warm seas provide fuel for extreme storms, and can then be cooled by them. Even though tropical cyclones are atmospheric phenomena, much of their fearsome…
Hurricane Ian Enters the Gulf of Mexico – Headed Toward the West Coast of Florida
After making landfall in Cuba, the category 3 storm entered the Gulf of Mexico and appeared headed toward the west coast of Florida. On September…
Deadly Super Typhoon Noru Strikes the Philippines
After making landfall in the Polillo Islands and Luzon, the storm strengthened again as it headed toward Vietnam. “Rapid intensification” of a tropical cyclone, according…
A Brand New Island Appears in the Pacific Ocean
Home Reef Erupts in the Southwest Pacific Ocean The underwater volcano has again created a small island. In the southwest Pacific Ocean, a seafloor ridge…
Hurricane Fiona & Typhoon Nanmadol: Powerful Storms Hit Puerto Rico and Japan
Fiona and Nanmadol dropped several feet of rain on the islands on opposite sides of the world. On September 18, 2022, potent tropical cyclones made…
New Zealand’s Mount Ruapehu Captured in Stunning Image by Space Station Astronaut
A lake at the summit of the volcano provides the main clues to what is happening below. While passing over the North Island of New…
Feeling the Heat in the Extremes: Where To Expect Heat Waves in the United States in the Future
New climate research shows where to expect hot and humid heat waves in the United States in the coming decades. In the summer of 2022,…
Typhoon Muifa Lands Near Shanghai – Near China’s Largest Metropolitan Area and Major Shipping Ports
Typhoon Muifa made landfall twice near China’s largest metropolitan area and several of the world’s major shipping ports on September 14, 2022. First, the typhoon…
Parched Poyang Lake – China’s Largest Freshwater Lake Dries Out
China’s largest freshwater lake drained by prolonged heat and drought. Between the winter and summer seasons, Poyang Lake, in China’s Jiangxi Province, routinely fluctuates in…
Lake Manchar Is Overflowing – Extreme Monsoon Flooding
In the face of extreme monsoon flooding, Pakistan’s largest lake has had several breaches. Lake Manchar, Pakistan’s largest freshwater lake, overflowed in early September 2022…
