Tracking Spring Flooding – NASA

Tracking Spring Flooding – NASA

Ural River levels peak in this April 13, 2024, enhanced color image from Landsat 9; here, vegetation appears red, while water is blue-green. After heavy rain and rapid snowmelt, rivers in southern Russia and northern Kazakhstan swelled, flooding homes and displacing thousands of people. Landsat 9, the latest satellite in the Landsat series, contributes a … Read more

NASA Selects New Aircraft-Driven Studies of Earth and Climate Change – NASA Science

NASA Selects New Aircraft-Driven Studies of Earth and Climate Change – NASA Science

5 min read Students Celebrate Rockets, Environment at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center At NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, sustainability and preservation efforts here on Earth are as much of a priority as rocket launches, spacecraft, and the exploration of worlds beyond our own. In celebration of Earth Day 2024, nearly 100 students from Andrew Jackson Middle … Read more

NASA Data Shows How Drought Changes Wildfire Recovery in the West

NASA Data Shows How Drought Changes Wildfire Recovery in the West

“This study highlights the dominant control of drought on altering resilience of vegetation to fires in the West,” said Erin Urquhart, the water resources program manager at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “With ongoing climate change, it is imperative that land managers, policymakers, and communities work together, informed by such research, to adapt to these changes, … Read more

NASA Leader Casey Swails Learns About Wildfire Work at NASA Ames – NASA

NASA Leader Casey Swails Learns About Wildfire Work at NASA Ames – NASA

NASA Deputy Associate Administrator Casey Swails views a demonstration on screen in the Airspace Operations Laboratory at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley. Researchers presented the diverse, long-running efforts in aeronautics at Ames that have helped lay the foundation for agency work related to wildfire response. These include a project to help integrate … Read more

Studying a Planned Fire – NASA

Studying a Planned Fire – NASA

Flames burn orange through green conifers and golden aspen on the slopes of Monroe Mountain in Utah’s Fishlake National Forest, sending gray and brown smoke billowing into the sky in this image from Oct. 9, 2023. This fire was intentionally set with a fire-dripping device suspended from a helicopter. The burn aimed to reintroduce fire to the Monroe Mountain … Read more

Satellite Data Can Help Limit the Dangers of Windblown Dust – NASA Science

Satellite Data Can Help Limit the Dangers of Windblown Dust – NASA Science

The next generation of FENGSHA will soon be integrated into an atmospheric model developed by NASA called the Goddard Chemistry Aerosol Radiation and Transport (GOCART). Features of Earth’s surface like rocks, vegetation, and uneven soil all influence how much dust the wind can kick up. As a result, both the amount of dust in the … Read more

NASA Flights Link Methane Plumes to Tundra Fires in Western Alaska – NASA

NASA Flights Link Methane Plumes to Tundra Fires in Western Alaska – NASA

Methane ‘hot spots’ in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta are more likely to be found where recent wildfires burned into the tundra, altering carbon emissions from the land. In Alaska’s largest river delta, tundra that has been scorched by wildfire is emitting more methane than the rest of the landscape long after the flames died, scientists have … Read more

Losses from extreme events over 31 years were $3.8 trillion | Data

Losses from extreme events over 31 years were $3.8 trillion | Data

Homes are surrounded by floodwaters in Sohbat Pur city, a district of Pakistan’s southwestern Baluchistan province | Photo Credit: Zahid Hussain Disaster events are not only becoming more frequent and severe but their impact is also expected to worsen. The year 2023 brought an end to the warmest decade on record, marked by unprecedented extreme … Read more

NASA, Pacific Disaster Center Increase Landslide Hazard Awareness – NASA

NASA, Pacific Disaster Center Increase Landslide Hazard Awareness – NASA

Communities worldwide now have access to a powerful tool to increase their awareness of landslide hazards, thanks to NASA and the Pacific Disaster Center. After years of development and testing, NASA’s Landslide Hazard Assessment for Situational Awareness model (LHASA) has been integrated into the Pacific Disaster Center’s (PDC) multi-hazard monitoring, alerting, and decision-support platform, DisasterAWARE. … Read more