Earth

NASA studies our own planet more than any other. We operate 26 missions in orbit and sponsor hundreds of research programs and studies each year. We observe our planet’s oceans, land, ice, and atmosphere, and measure how a change in one drives change in others. We develop new ways to observe and study Earth's interconnected systems and we build long-term data records of how our planet evolves. The agency freely shares this unique knowledge and works with institutions around the world.

Recent News and Articles

NASA Data Helps International Community Prepare for Sea Level Rise

How NASA Studies Fires in a Changing World

From forest floor to space, NASA scientists and collaborators are advancing tools and methods to predict, remotely detect, and ultimately mitigate wildfires. That process starts with understanding fire behavior, tracking them with satellites, and getting that data in the hands of land managers and communities facing record-breaking fire seasons.

Greenhouse Gases

NASA has several instruments and tools for measuring and modeling greenhouse gases – where they come from, where they go, and how they are driving climate change. The agency works with federal, state, and international partners to make this information freely available.

Explore Climate Change Drivers

4 min read

New NASA Study Tallies Carbon Emissions From Massive Canadian Fires

This is a still of a data visualization of global carbon dioxide that orbits Earth from a distance.

5 min read

Watch Carbon Dioxide Move Through Earth’s Atmosphere

NASA-Designed Greenhouse Gas-Detection Instrument Launches

A satellite viewpoint of the United States in black with state outline overlays has a pixelated colorscale overlay indicating how much methane was released in a given area that ranges from black or dark brown into brassier colors until you reach white. While most of the map is a very dark shade, indicating little methane emissions, there are a few spots on the map that range into, or very nearly reach a white coloration. The two most significant of these white spots in size and lightness are in Texas Eastern and Western Borders. Other large population centers also show elevated levels such as the California Valley and Bay Area.

Satellite Data Suggest U.S. Methane Emissions Underestimated

A Globe that is primarily facing the Americas and Pacific Ocean with an atmospheric overlay showing CO2 concentrations, with dense swirls over the United States

NASA, Partners Launch US Greenhouse Gas Center to Share Climate Data

5 min read

As the Arctic Warms, Its Waters Are Emitting Carbon

Why Is NASA Tracking Seaweed From Space?

Something strange has been happening to the beaches across the Caribbean in recent years. Large amounts of a brown seaweed – called Sargassum – have been washing up on shorelines. In the open ocean, Sargassum is essential habitat, but can cause a whole host of issues when it washes up on Caribbean coastlines. So where is this seaweed coming from? And how is NASA tracking it?

Images of the Day

More Earth Observatory Images of the Day

The satellite image shows Northern Italy valley with dense fog coverage. At the top of the image are the snow covered alps, at the bottom the Ligurian Sea. Milan is labeled under the northern edge of the fog.

A Hazy, Foggy Day in Italy’s Po Valley

Research suggests that airborne particles called aerosols contribute to longer-lasting outbreaks of fog.

Dense swirling clouds are shown, centered off the coast of Washington State. The Dense clouds channel into the coastal region around Northern California and nearly fully obscure Washington and Nevada.

Extratropical Cyclone Whips Over the Pacific Northwest

Damaging winds from the strong storm knocked out power for thousands of people in Washington state.

A global map with a temperature overlay gradient showing where temperatures are warmer or cooler than the 1951-1980 average shown in shades of blue where the world is cooler and shades of red where warmer. There are some regions of blue and white off the Antarctic coast, including the southernmost point of South America. Some regions show up neutral, though they are sparse, the remainder of the world has a red shade overlay. The Antarctic region is notably a dark red shade almost universally. Northern Canada and Europe also appear in the deepest shades of red on the map

Charting the Exceptional, Unexpected Heat of 2023 and 2024

Global temperatures have soared in recent years and climate scientists are trying to understand why.

A top down view of Mount Fuji. In the exact center is the crater which matches the color of the surrounding circular field of slopes, primarily light brown. To the lower right the color takes on a more faded black look. Sparse clouds occupy the lower right of the image beyond the volcanic slopes. The remainder of the image gives way to deep green foliage and lighter patches, possibly farmed fields, primarily on the upper right portion of the image.

Mount Fuji Bare Again After Fleeting Snow

The volcano’s first snow of the season fell in early November 2024—the latest in a 130-year record—only to apparently vanish within a few days.

Signs of Sea Level Rise in the Bahamas

Rising seas have redistributed cyanobacterial mats blanketing part of Andros Island and restructured the island’s marshes and mudflats.

Tajikistan’s Fedchenko Glacier

The exceptionally long high-mountain glacier in Central Asia ranges from snowy white near the mountain peaks to dusty brown at lower elevations.

Antarctic Icebergs Show Their Colorful Undersides

The blue underbellies of icebergs were spotted floating near the Amery Ice Shelf.

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The Ocean and Climate Change

With 70 percent of the planet covered in water, the seas are important drivers of the global climate. Yet increasing greenhouse gases from human activities are altering the ocean before our eyes.

What NASA is Seeing

Visualization of ocean currents in the North Atlantic. The colors show sea surface temperature (orange and yellow are warmer, green and blue are colder). Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

Earth Information Center

For more than 50 years, NASA satellites have provided data on Earth's land, water, air, temperature, and climate. NASA's Earth Information Center allows visitors to see how our planet is changing in six key areas: sea level rise and coastal impacts, health and air quality, wildfires, greenhouse gases, sustainable energy, and agriculture.

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