Winter Sea Ice Reached New Lows in the Arctic
Image of the Day Apr 4, 2025

Winter Sea Ice Reached New Lows in the Arctic

The region’s ice extent on March 22, 2025, was the lowest maximum observed in the satellite record.
Antarctic Sea Ice Plunged in Summer 2025
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Antarctic Sea Ice Plunged in Summer 2025

The region’s ice extent on March 1 tied for the second-lowest minimum observed in the satellite record.

Published Apr 2, 2025

Image of the Day Snow and Ice

Seamounts and Abyssal Hills Mapped From Space
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Seamounts and Abyssal Hills Mapped From Space

Depictions of the seafloor derived from satellite data can improve underwater navigation and increase knowledge of how heat and life move around the world’s ocean.

Published Apr 1, 2025

Image of the Day Land Water

Mangrove Pioneers
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Mangrove Pioneers

The right climatic and geographic conditions in the southeastern U.S. have allowed mangroves to migrate northward to Georgia.

Published Mar 31, 2025

Image of the Day Land Water

National Parks Under Snow
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National Parks Under Snow

Gateway towns in Wyoming and Montana flank the Rocky Mountains and provide an access point to Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks.

Published Mar 30, 2025

Image of the Day Land Snow and Ice

Wildland Fires Char U.S. Southeast Forests
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Wildland Fires Char U.S. Southeast Forests

In late March 2025, several blazes burned in the western Carolinas and northeastern Georgia amid windy, dry conditions.

Published Mar 28, 2025

Image of the Day Atmosphere Land Fires

Tornadoes Rip Through Mississippi 
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Tornadoes Rip Through Mississippi 

Tracks of damage extended dozens of miles after 18 tornadoes plowed through several parts of the state.

Published Mar 27, 2025

Image of the Day Land Severe Storms

Spring Thunderstorm Thrashes Louisiana
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Spring Thunderstorm Thrashes Louisiana

The severe weather delivered large hail and damaging wind to parts of the state.

Published Mar 26, 2025

Image of the Day Atmosphere Water Severe Storms

A Swirl of a Day for Phytoplankton
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A Swirl of a Day for Phytoplankton

In the Gulf of Oman, eddies drew seasonal phytoplankton blooms into mesmerizing whirls. 

Published Mar 25, 2025

Image of the Day Remote Sensing Water Color

Outbreak of Fire Across South Korea
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Outbreak of Fire Across South Korea

Several wildland fires burned amid dry and windy conditions in the country’s southeast.

Published Mar 24, 2025

Image of the Day Atmosphere Land Fires

Aerosol Size
Global Maps Jan 2005 — Sep 2016

Aerosol Size

Sea salt, volcanic ash, dust, wildfire smoke, and industrial pollution are types of airborne aerosols. Natural aerosols tend to be larger than human-made aerosols. These maps show when and where aerosols come from nature, humans, or both.

Atmosphere

Geometric Connections in Puglia
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Geometric Connections in Puglia

The Italian region displays a network of lines—and one nearly perfect circle—that connect inland settlements and agricultural areas with the bustling Adriatic coast.

Published Mar 23, 2025

Image of the Day Land Human Presence

Low Ice in the Gulf of St. Lawrence
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Low Ice in the Gulf of St. Lawrence

The body of water off eastern Canada is one of the southernmost locations where Arctic sea ice forms, but its extent in winter 2024-2025 was well below normal.

Published Mar 21, 2025

Image of the Day Water Snow and Ice

Signs of Life in Thawing Lake Erie
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Signs of Life in Thawing Lake Erie

As winter turned to spring, ice cover on the lake diminished to reveal colorful billows of sediment and phytoplankton.

Published Mar 20, 2025

Image of the Day Water Snow and Ice Water Color

Vegetation
Global Maps Feb 2000 — Jan 2025

Vegetation

Greenness is an important indicator of health for forests, grasslands, and farms. The greenness of a landscape, or vegetation index, depends on the number and type of plants, how leafy they are, and how healthy they are.

Land Life

Aerosol Optical Depth
Global Maps Mar 2000 — Feb 2025

Aerosol Optical Depth

Airborne aerosols can cause or prevent cloud formation and harm human health. These maps depict aerosol concentrations in the air based on how the tiny particles reflect or absorb visible and infrared light.

Atmosphere

March Puzzler
Earth Matters

March Puzzler

Your challenge is to tell us the location of the satellite image and why it is interesting.

Published Mar 11, 2025

Earth at Night
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Earth at Night

Satellite images of Earth at night have been a curiosity for the public and a tool of fundamental research for at least 25 years. They have provided a broad, beautiful picture, showing how humans have shaped the planet and lit up the darkness.

Published Apr 12, 2017

Atmosphere Land Human Presence Remote Sensing

Sea Surface Temperature
Global Maps Jul 2002 — Jan 2025

Sea Surface Temperature

Ocean temperatures can influence weather, such as hurricane formation, and climate patterns, such as El Niño. These maps show the temperature at the surface of the world’s seas and oceans.

Heat Water

2024 North Atlantic Hurricane Season
Article

2024 North Atlantic Hurricane Season

Hurricane season in the basin runs from June 1 to November 30.

Published Jul 1, 2024

Atmosphere

How to Interpret a Satellite Image: Five Tips and Strategies
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How to Interpret a Satellite Image: Five Tips and Strategies

What do you do when presented with a new satellite image? Here's what the Earth Observatory team does to understand the view.

Published Nov 18, 2013

Remote Sensing

Renewable and Alternative Energy
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Renewable and Alternative Energy

People have developed systems to harvest and store energy from sources such as wind, sunlight, and tidal action. Many of these installations are visible from orbit.

Published May 10, 2024

Land Human Presence

Air Quality
Article

Air Quality

From ground-level ozone to particulate matter to nitrogen dioxide, an array of gasses and particles can affect the air people breathe, with implications for human health.

Published Apr 8, 2024

Atmosphere Human Presence

Temperature Extremes 2024
Article

Temperature Extremes 2024

Warmer-than-average temperatures are showing up locally and globally, with consequences for people, landscapes, and ecosystems.

Published Mar 26, 2024

Heat

Blue Marble Next Generation
Article

Blue Marble Next Generation

12 months of high-resolution global true color satellite imagery.

Published Oct 13, 2005

Atmosphere Land Water Snow and Ice

2024 Fires in the Northern Hemisphere
Article

2024 Fires in the Northern Hemisphere

Whether sparked by lightning, intentional land-clearing, or human-caused accidents, wildland fires are burning longer and more often in some areas as the world warms.

Published Feb 27, 2024

Atmosphere Land Human Presence

Chlorophyll
Global Maps Jul 2002 — Jan 2025

Chlorophyll

Chlorophyll is used by algae and other phytoplankton--the grass of the sea--to convert sunlight and carbon dioxide into sugars. These maps show chlorophyll concentrations in the ocean, revealing where phytoplankton are thriving.

Life Water

World of Change
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World of Change

NASA satellites document how our world—forests, oceans, human landscapes, even the Sun—changes over months, seasons, and years.

Published Apr 29, 2009

Atmosphere Heat Land Life Human Presence Snow and Ice

Fire
Global Maps Mar 2000 — Feb 2025

Fire

Whether started by humans (farming, logging, or accidents) or by nature (lightning), fires are always burning somewhere on Earth. These maps show the locations of fires burning around the world each month.

Land

Temperature Extremes 2023
Article

Temperature Extremes 2023

Warmer-than-average temperatures are showing up locally and globally, with consequences for people, landscapes, and ecosystems.

Published Aug 15, 2023

Heat

Mission: Biomes
Article

Mission: Biomes

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live in a different part of the world? What would the weather be like? What kinds of animals would you see? Which plants live there? By investigating these questions, you are learning about biomes.

Published Aug 28, 2020

Land Life