New Lava Flow on Bagana Volcano
May 22, 2012 | NASA Earth Observatory
“Despite being one of the most active volcanoes in Papua New Guinea, Bagana is poorly monitored. Located on the mountainous spine of Bouganville Island, it is both far from any cities or large towns and hard to reach due to the rough terrain. [...] Satellites provide the most reliable way to watch this activity. [...] This natural-color image reveals a fresh lava flow on Bagana’s eastern flank. Imagery from Landsat 7 shows that the flow was established some time between March 2011 and February 2012.” Quoted from the Earth Observatory image release.
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Smoke Over the Bering Sea
May 18, 2012 | NASA Earth Observatory
“A plume of smoke stretched across the Bering Sea on May 11, 2012, just off of far eastern Russia. [...] The smoke may have arisen from wildfires in the region around Lake Baikal, where numerous wildfires burned in early May.” Quoted from the Earth Observatory image release.
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Dead Sea Salt Works
April 20, 2012 | NASA
“The expansion of massive salt evaporation projects on the Dead Sea are clearly visible in this time series of images taken by Landsat satellites operated by NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey.” Quoted from the NASA image release.
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Bolivia Deforestation Sequence
April 20, 2012 | NASA
“This area lies east of Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia, in an area of tropical dry forest. Since the mid-1980s, the resettlement of people from the Altiplano and a large agricultural development effort have led to deforestation in this area.”
Left: June 17, 1975. Middle: July 10, 1992. Right: August 1, 2000.
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ESA Image
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Monitoring Volcanoes from Space
April 16, 2012 | European Space Agency
“Satellites are finding that volcanoes previously thought to be dormant are showing signs of unrest.” Quoted from the European Space Agency press release. |
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Counting Penguins from Satellites
April 16, 2012 |
The Los Angeles Times has an article about how researchers are using satellite technology to gather population data about penguins in Antarctica. |
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Gulf of Aden Dust Storm
March 20, 2012 | NASA Earth Observatory
“The dust storm that started on March 17 continued its southward movement two days later, drifting off the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula and over the Gulf of Aden.” Quoted from the Earth Observatory image release.
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Hydrogen Sulfide Emissions off Namibia
March 6, 2012 | NASA Earth Observatory
Pale green patterns tinted the water along the Namibian coast in late February 2012. But unlike other bright hues that occasionally show up in the ocean, these colors didn’t result from a phytoplankton bloom. [...] The sediments in the local seafloor are also rich with organic matter. When organic matter decays in an oxygen-poor environment, hydrogen sulfide emissions can result.
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New Island in the Zubair Group (Red Sea)
March 5, 2012 | NASA Earth Observatory
“Volcanic activity in the Zubair Island Group appears to have ceased. On December 19, 2011, satellites detected sulfur dioxide and a small volcanic plume in the area, and by December 23 a new island had formed in the Red Sea. The island continued to grow in early January, but stopped by January 15th.” Quoted from the Earth Observatory image release.
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Pyroclastic Flow on Shiveluch Volcano
February 28, 2012 | NASA Earth Observatory
“Dark volcanic debris mars the otherwise pristine lower flanks of Shiveluch Volcano in this false-color satellite image. The debris traveled about 10 kilometers (6 miles) from Shiveluch’s growing lava dome. Rock falls and pyroclastic flows (avalanches of hot volcanic material) are common at Shiveluch, due to the steep sides and unstable rock of the growing dome.” Quoted from the Earth Observatory image release. |
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Heavy Snow in Syria and Lebanon
February 22, 2012 | Earth Observatory
“From February 17 to 19, a severe storm blasted the Lebanese coast with 100-kilometer (60-mile) winds and dropped as much as 2 meters (7 feet) of snow on parts of the country! Temperatures dropped to near freezing along the coast, while snowplows struggled to clear the main roadway between Beirut and Damascus.” Quoted from the Earth Observatory website. |
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NASA’s Global Map of Tree Canopy Height
February 22, 2012 | NASA
“A NASA-led science team has created an accurate, high-resolution map of the height of Earth’s forests. The map will help scientists better understand the role forests play in climate change and how their heights influence wildlife habitats within them, while also helping them quantify the carbon stored in Earth’s vegetation.” Quoted from the NASA press release. |
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Powerful and Geologically Recent Earthquakes on Mars
February 22, 2012 | MSNBC
A study of ruptures in the Martian surface and associated “displaced” boulder suggest that earthquakes as powerful as M7.0 could have occurred in the past few million years. |
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Queensland Flooding Satellite Image
February 7, 2012 | NASA Earth Observatory
“Severe flooding affected multiple communities along Australia’s Queensland-New South Wales border in early February 2012. On February 5, 2012, the Australian Associated Press reported that several thousand residents were isolated from the outside world by an inland sea.” Quoted from the Earth Observatory image release. |
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Making Blue Marble Images of Earth
February 7, 2012 | NASA
NASA has a short article that summarizes how the “Blue Marble” images of earth were created from satellite data. “The new image is a composite of six separate orbits taken on January 23, 2012 by the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership satellite.” Quoted from the NASA article. |
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Blue Marble Horn of Africa Perspective
February 6, 2012 | NASA
NASA has produced a new “Blue Marble image. This one is an eastern hemisphere perspective featuring the Horn of Africa.
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Continued Eruption at Puyehue-Cordón Caulle
February 3, 2012 | NASA Earth Observatory
“Eight months of ceaseless activity have covered the landscape around Chile’s Puyehue Cordón Caulle Volcanic Complex in ash. The light-colored ash appears most clearly on the rocky, alpine slopes surrounding the active vent and Puyehue’s 2,236 meter (7,336 foot)-tall caldera.” Quote from the Earth Observatory image release.
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Satellites Rescued 207 People in 2011
February 2, 2012 | NOAA
“In 2011, NOAA satellites were critical in the rescues of 207 people from life-threatening situations [...]. The satellites picked up distress signals from emergency beacons carried by downed pilots, shipwrecked boaters and stranded hikers, and relayed the information about their location to first responders on the ground.” Quoted from the NOAA press release. |
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Satellite Image of Kilauea Caldera
February 1, 2012 | NASA Earth Observatory
“Shown here are two natural-color views: a close-up of the Kilauea Caldera and the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, and a wide-area view showing Mauna Ulu and Pu’u ’O’o. Within the Kilauea Caldera lies Halema’uma’u Crater. A small plume of water vapor emerges from this crater and blows toward the southwest.” Quoted from the NASA image release.
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Coastal Topography Data
January 31, 2012 | USGS
USGS has released a large number of coastal topography data sets for the eastern coast and Gulf of Mexico acquired using lidar technology. |
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NASA Releases a New Blue Marble
January 26, 2012 | NASA
“A ‘Blue Marble’ image of the Earth taken from the VIIRS instrument aboard NASA’s most recently launched Earth-observing satellite – Suomi NPP. This composite image uses a number of swaths of the Earth’s surface taken on January 4, 2012. The NPP satellite was renamed ‘Suomi NPP’ on January 24, 2012 to honor the late Verner E. Suomi of the University of Wisconsin.” Quoted from the NASA press release.
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Monitoring Floods and Fires with LandSat
January 24, 2012 | USGS
USGS has recently published: “Monitoring Floods and Fires during the Summer of 2011 — The Value of the Landsat Satellite 40-Year Archive“ |
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Eruption at Kizimen Continues
January 16, 2012 | Earth Observatory
NASA’s Earth Observatory has a new satellite image of the eruption of Kizimen Volcano on Russia’s Kamchatka peninsula. It shows a gas-steam plume and lava flow on the eastern flank of the mountain. |
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New Island in the Red Sea
January 10, 2012 | NASA Earth Observatory
A January 7th satellite image of the Red Sea shows the new volcanic island about 40 miles off the cost of Yemen. The pushpin on the Google Map at right shows the location of the new island. For an image showing steam and ash escaping from the vent visit the Earth Observatory website. If you look closely at the zoomed in map you will see that the island is located in the center of the Red Sea Rift. |
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Torrential Rain in Brazil
January 9, 2012 | NASA Earth Observatory
“Torrential rain inundated southeastern Brazil in early January 2012, causing severe damage in multiple states. The floods forced thousands from their homes, damaged roads and homes, and broke through a levee in northern Rio de Janeiro State.” Quoted from the Earth Observatory image release.
Earth Observatory has a rainfall contour map and satellite image.
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Volcanic Activity Near Nyamuragira
January 8, 2012 | Earth Observatory
This image from Earth Observatory shows the heat of an active lava flow near Nyamuragira Volcano and a lava lake within the summit crater of Nyiragongo.
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Snow on Erupting Kizimen Volcano
January 4, 2012 | Earth Observatory
Kizimen Volcano on Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula has been erupting since November 2010. Earth Observatory has a satellite image of the volcano showing ash-covered snow, a lava flow and steam plumes from the summit and a fumarole. |
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A New Island in the Red Sea?
December 29, 2011 | NASA Earth Observatory
“An eruption occurred in the Red Sea in December 2011. According to news reports, fishermen witnessed lava fountains reaching up to 30 meters tall on December 19.
By December 23, 2011, what looked like a new island appeared in the region.” Quote from the NASA image release. |
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Landsat Data to Track Resource Trends
December 27, 2011 | USGS
“Remote-sensing satellites help scientists to observe our world beyond the power of human sight, to monitor changes, and to detect critical trends in the conditions of natural resources.” Quoted from the USGS press release. |
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Dust Storms in Afghanistan
December 26, 2011 | NASA Earth Observatory
NASA’s Earth Observatory has a satellite image that shows dust storm in Afghanistan carrying plumes of dust out over the Arabian sea.
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Flooding in New South Wales, Australia
December 4, 2011 | Earth Observatory
NASA’s Earth Observatory has satellite images of recent flooding along the Namoi River in New South Wales, Australia. The waters cut off numerous communities and swamped others. |
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Moving Sand Dunes on Mars
November 30, 2011 | NASA
New images from NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter show sand dunes moving across the surface of Mars at dozens of locations. The images are providing new information about the power and frequency of surface winds on Mars. |
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Rowley Shoals Coral Reef Atolls
November 7, 2011 | NASA Earth Observatory
NASA’s Earth Observatory posts an interesting astronaut photo of Rowley Shoals a cluster of coral reef atolls in the southwestern Timor Sea, north of Australia. |
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Northwest Passage Was Open in 2011
November 6, 2011 | USA.gov Blog
NASA satellite data revealed that the Northwest Passage was open this year during the minimum sea ice extent that occurred on September 9th.
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Flooding at the Bangkok Airport
November 2, 2011 | NASA Earth Observatory
This satellite image shows water-covered runways and stranded planes at the Don Muang Airport, a short distance north of downtown Bangkok. Nearly 400 people have been killed by the flooding and millions have been displaced. |
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NOAA’s Severe Weather Satellite
October 31, 2011 | NOAA
A new satellite to monitor the atmosphere for conditions that could lead to severe weather has been launched. NOAA’s NPOESS Preparatory Project (NPP) satellite will begin transmitting data in about 90 days with the goal of replacing data from the NOAA-19 satellite. |
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Submarine Volcanic Eruption at El Hierro, Canary Islands
October 27, 2011 | Earth Observatory
A volcanic eruption under the sea south of El Hierro Island produces a milky green plume in the marine waters. The plume is most likely caused by volcanic gases, pulverized pumice and sea floor sediments. |
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Flooding in Central Thailand
October 27, 2011 | Earth Observatory
Monsoon rains in Thailand are causing the worst flooding seen on the CDhao Phraya River in decades. Earth Observatory has an satellite image that shows extensive flooding in the city of Ayutthaya, north of Bangkok.
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Watching the Oceans: Free Online Educator Workshop
October 26, 2011 | COSEE West
COSEE West is offering a free 3-week online workshop on “Watching the Oceans” as a professional development event for classroom teachers. |
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New Digital Elevation Model of Earth
October 19, 2011 | NASA
NASA and Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry released a new global digital elevation model of Earth that is the most complete worldwide topographic map ever produced. |
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Satellite Image: Sediment and Algae in the Great Lakes
October 13, 2011 | Earth Observatory
“The brilliant streaks of blue and green that color the Great Lakes in this image are a contradiction.” Quoted from the Earth Observatory image release.
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Satellite Image: Landslides Triggered by the Sikkim Earthquake
October 7, 2011 | Landslide Blog
Dave Petley of the Landslide blog has posted some satellite images of the many landslides that were caused by the Sikkim earthquake in India. |
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Bigach Impact Crater, Kazakhstan
October 5, 2011 | Earth Observatory
“At approximately five million years old, Bigach is a relatively young geologic feature. However, active tectonic processes in the region have caused movement of parts of the structure along faults, leading to a somewhat angular appearance.” Quoted from the Earth Observatory image release.
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Continuing Eruption at Nabro Volcano, Eritrea
September 30, 2011 | NASA Earth Observatory
Nabro Volcano, located in Eritrea near the Danakil Depression continues to show signs of eruption. It is located in a remote, sparsely populated area where satellite monitoring is the only reliable method of monitoring. Image below acquired on June 29, 2011.
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Flooding in India
September 29, 2011 | Earth Observatory
In September 2011, two episodes of heavy rain in a 15-day period inundated the Indian state of Orissa.
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Cyclone Over Lake Michigan
September 29, 2011 | NASA Earth Observatory
“At 3:05 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time on September 26, 2011, NASA’s Aqua satellite observed a mid-latitude cyclone over the midwestern United States. The center of the storm appeared immediately west of Lake Michigan.” Quoted from the NASA Earth Observatory image release. |
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Image by NASA
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The Wembo-Nyama Feature – An Impact Crater?
September 20, 2011 | NASA
“In the center of the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Unia River flows around a circular structure known as the Wembo-Nyama feature. Several things in nature leave a circular footprint such as this, including volcanoes and uplifted domes. However, Italian scientists from the University of Padova believe that the Wembo-Nyama feature is an impact crater.” Quoted from the NASA image release. |
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Geoglyphs of the Middle East
September 19, 2011 | LiveScience
Large stone “drawings” that are recognizable from the air but not from the ground have been a mystery in the Middle East since they were first noticed by pilots. LiveScience has an article and image gallery for these interesting features. |
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Lunar North Pole – Composite Image
September 18, 2011 | NASA / GSFC / Arizona State University
“This image of the moon’s north polar region was taken by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera. The scientific objective was to identify regions of permanent shadow and near-permanent illumination. Scientists produced this mosaic, composed of 983 images taken over a one month period during northern summer. This mosaic shows the pole when it is best illuminated, regions that are in shadow are candidates for permanent shadow.” Edited quote from the NASA image release. |
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Texas: Bastrop Fire Burn Area
September 14, 2011 | Earth Observatory
“The Bastrop County Complex Fire in southern Texas started on September 4, 2011. By September 13, 2011, the fire was 70 percent contained, but had scorched 34,068 acres (13,787 hectares). The Advanced Land Imager on NASA’s Earth Observing-1 (EO-1) satellite captured this image of the affected region on September 12, 2011.” Quoted from the Earth Observatory press release. |
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