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 Earth and ClimateExploreClimate ChangeScience in ActionMultimediaDataFor ResearchersExplore This SectionEarth and ClimateExploreClimate ChangeScience in ActionMultimediaDataFor ResearchersEarthYour home. Our Mission.And the one planet that NASA studies more than any other.Earth ActionNASA 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.All MissionsPACEactive MissionPACE will help us better understand our ocean and atmosphere by measuring key variables associated with cloud formation, particles and pollutants in the air, and microscopic, floating marine life (phytoplankton)....Learn MoreArtist's concept of PACE spacecraftRecent News and ArticlesMore News and Articles7 min readNASA’s PACE Data on Ocean, Atmosphere, Climate Now AvailableArticle1 week ago4 min readThe Ocean Touches Everything: Celebrate Earth Day with NASAArticle7 days ago6 min readHow NASA Spotted El Niño Changing the Saltiness of Coastal WatersArticle2 weeks agoBright orange flames from California’s 2017 Thomas Fire burn a hillside as dark smoke rises. A Forest Service truck and worker is in the foreground.4 min readNASA Data Shows How Drought Changes Wildfire Recovery in the WestArticle3 weeks agoNASA Earth DayCelebrate Earth with NASA this year as we delve into how water touches everything. NASA has assembled resources to help you celebrate Earth Day everywhere, prepared an inspiring poster, and is hosting a free public event in Washington, D.C.Join Earth DayThis 2024 Earth Day poster is an ocean themed vertical 15x30 illustration created from NASA satellite cloud imagery overlaid on ocean data. The white cloud imagery wraps around shapes, defining three whales and a school of fish. Swirly cloud patterns, called Von Kármán Vortices, create the feeling of movement in the composition. The focal point is a cyclone in the upper third of the poster. At the center flies the recently launched PACE satellite. The ocean imagery – composed of blues, aquas, and greens – is filled with subtle color changes and undulating patterns created by churning sediment, organic matter and phytoplankton.Recent Videos & VisualizationsOur Oceans from SpaceNASA's exploration of our oceans from space spans a rich history. Delving into the depths of our oceans unveils the mysteries of our own planet, our home. Therefore, NASA remains steadfast in leading the way in oceanic research.Greenhouse GasesNASA 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 Drivers5 min readAs the Arctic Warms, Its Waters Are Emitting CarbonArticle4 months ago6 min readNASA Flights Link Methane Plumes to Tundra Fires in Western AlaskaArticle6 months ago5 min readNASA-Built Greenhouse Gas Detector Moves Closer to LaunchArticle7 months ago6 min readNASA Mission Excels at Spotting Greenhouse Gas Emission SourcesArticle5 months ago6 min readNASA Space Mission Takes Stock of Carbon Dioxide Emissions by CountriesArticle1 year agoA Globe that is primarily facing the Americas and Pacific Ocean with an atmospheric overlay showing CO2 concentrations, with dense swirls over the United StatesNASA, Partners Launch US Greenhouse Gas Center to Share Climate DataRead MoreImages of the DayMore Earth Observatory Images of the DayAn icy lake centers the image with mainland to the right and sporadic islands and some smaller inhabited peninsulas to the left. The land is covered in snow. A vertical line of bright white ice is seen south of the lone visible population center.Spring Shipping in Finland’s Largest LakeWith the help of icebreaking vessels, Saimaa’s icy waters remain navigable for much of the year.Read MoreLight from cities and towns stands out against the darkness of the English Channel and the North Sea. Some of the largest cities in Western Europe are visible in the photo, including the capital cities of Paris, France; Amsterdam, Netherlands; and London, England. Lighted roads and infrastructure connect these bright metropolitan areas. The photo was taken at an oblique angle and includes Earth’s horizon—also known as Earth’s limb—near the top of the image.Europe at NightMajor cities in northwestern Europe shine bright in this nighttime photo, taken by an astronaut aboard the International Space Station.Read MoreThe image is false color (bands 5-4-3) to emphasize the presence of water, which appears blue-green; vegetation appears red. There river in this image fills it's banks and submerged meanders of marsh that exist within them.Spring Floods Sweep Across Central AsiaRivers overtopped their banks and submerged thousands of homes in Russia and Kazakhstan.Read MoreFour images of the same location are side by side. They are shown in false color with dry land being black. The areas with color show some of these changes in the lake’s water depth. Deeper areas are blue, and shallower areas are yellow.How Deep Was Death Valley’s Temporary Lake?Researchers used satellite data to calculate the depth of water in this transient freshwater body.Read MoreNear the western tip of the Mojave Desert and a few miles west of NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center, fields of wildflowers painted the landscape yellow in spring 2024. On April 9, the OLI (Operational Land Imager) on the Landsat 8 satellite acquired this image of fields of yellow wildflowers blanketing Antelope Valley amid solar and wind farms.Antelope Valley AbloomPoppies are sparse, but yellow wildflowers are blooming in Southern California.Read MoreImage shows part of the central Namib Desert just inland from the Atlantic Ocean. Brandberg Massif, a circular mass of rock that forms Namibia’s highest mountain, is visible in the center of the image. The mountain stands 2,573 meters (8,442 feet) above sea level.Towering BrandbergThis reddish “burning mountain” of granite is the highest point in Namibia.Read MoreThe image above, taken as the space station orbited above the North Atlantic, shows the eclipse’s dark shadow along with Earth’s bright horizon, or limb, at the boundary between the atmosphere and space. A crew ship docked to the space station is visible in the lower-left corner of the image.Looking Up and Down During the EclipseAstronauts and photographers captured unforgettable views of Earth and the Sun as the Moon’s shadow swept across North America.Read MoreExplore EarthAir QualityAir pollution is a significant threat to human health and our environment. Instruments on NASA satellites, along with airborne and ground-based sensors, are constantly collecting data on major pollutants in our atmosphere.Learn MoreNASA has a unique vantage point for observing the beauty and wonder of Earth and for making sense of it. Looking back from space, astronaut Edgar Mitchell once called Earth “a sparkling blue and white jewel,” and it does dazzle the eye.Earth: a photo-essay.Earth Information Center (EIC)Visit the EIC in personIn an interactive exhibit at NASA Headquarters in Washington, visitors are invited to see Earth as NASA and its research partners see it from space. Open to visitors from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. ET each Monday through Friday.Read MoreAnimated GIF of Spacecraft Over EarthVisit the EIC OnlineFor six decades, satellites, sensors, and scientists have collected data on Earth’s land, water, air, and climate. On this website, you can glimpse what this data has taught us about sea level rise, air quality, wildfires, greenhouse gases, ice cover, and agriculture.Read MoreConnect with NASAEarth@NASAEarth@NASAEarth@NASAEarthKeep ExploringExplore Earth ScienceClimate ChangeScience crew members retrieve a canister from melt ponds on the Arctic Ocean.Earth Science in ActionEarth ActionEarth Science DataThe sum of Earth's plants, on land and in the ocean, changes slightly from year to year as weather patterns shift.
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