The EOS Data and Information System distributes Earth Science Enterprise data through the Distributed Active Archive Centers, the institutions responsible for archiving and making data products readily available to anyone who wants them.

While scientists have learned to interpret receding glaciers as well as changing trends in snow cover, sea ice extent, and sea level as "indicators" of climate change, they are still working to better understand the role that frozen soils play within the Earth's climate system.

Many processes that shape the Earth's landscape happen too slowly to be witnessed in a human lifetime. But analysis of satellite imagery shows that the large glacier tongue of the Ninnis Glacier on the coast of East Antarctica has disintegrated, changing the shape of the coastline almost overnight.

In 2000, NASA launched Earth Observing-1 (EO-1). While flying at an altitude of 705-kilometers, EO-1's primary focus is to test advanced instruments, spacecraft systems, and mission concepts in flight. EO-1 will also return scientific data which is used in comparison with other satellite data to…

Tracking urbanization, the conversion of rural landscape to urban habitat, has always been difficult due to the speed at which it progresses. Recently, NASA scientists came across a solution. Using satellite images of city lights at night, they constructed a map of urbanized areas and integrated…

For the past six years, researchers have been looking for ways to measure the effects of urbanization on biological productivity in countries around the world. To assist them with their research, they have created a method of mapping urbanization on a countrywide scale by using satellite images of…

Robert Goddard developed and test-launched some of the first liquid fueled rockets.

Teams of scientists and resource planners assess their region’s most critical vulnerabilities in the United States National Assessment on the Potential Consequences of Climate Variability and Change. The report covers agricultural productivity, coastal areas, water resources, forests, and…

NASA’s Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission helps scientist study hurricanes and predict their paths by looking inside the storms.

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.

Recurring droughts are common in the American West, and a 2008 report from the U.S. Climate Change Science Program cautions that they may become more common (press release). This article from 2000 describes how scientists use data from satellites and rain…

Volcanic aerosols play a significant role in driving Earth's climate.

In an effort to monitor major fluctuations in vegetation and understand how they affect the environment scientist use satellite remote sensors to measure and map the density of green vegetation over the Earth. By carefully measuring the wavelengths and intensity of visible and near-infrared light…

Though it is a gradual disaster, drought can have devastating effects on agriculture and water supplies, but monitoring and forecasts can allow people to take early actions that prevent harsh impacts later.

The availability of the Canadian RADARSAT Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data and new algorithms allow the detection of open water in polar ice from space.

Researchers examine the implications of melting permafrost in the northern forests.

Vilhelm Bjerknes is considered by many to be one of the founders of modern meteorology and weather forecasting.

Climate models predict a dramatic shift in phytoplankton communities that live in the icy waters of the Southern Ocean.

Daniel Rosenfeld and a team of scientists from the Hebrew University of Israel recently discovered that aerosol particles from factories and power plants increase the number of droplets in clouds they pollute. In doing so, the pollutants create brighter clouds that retain their water and do not…

Satellite observations help landowners and land managers monitor the health of their land by providing a larger perspective.

The water cycle describes the pilgrimage of water as water molecules make their way from the Earth's surface to the atmosphere, and back again.

Stars' brightness influences planting practices in the Andes.

Scientists are using sea surface height data collected by satellites to monitor eddies (vortices of water) in the Gulf of Alaska. These eddies are important because they carry nutrients from coastal waters into the open ocean, thereby nourishing the phytoplankton (microscopic plants) that form the…

Understanding the complex interplay between clouds and radiation is critical for developing general circulation models that precisely represent the global climate.

Newly available upward-looking sonar shows significant decreases in sea ice thickness in recent decades.

The Active Cavity Radiometer Irradiance Monitor III will monitor the sun's total radiation output so scientists can better predict the sun's effect on global climate change.

Researchers define an ocean’s seasonal cycle.

NASA and Robert Mondavi Winery researchers worked together to use airborne remote sensing technology to classify grapevines and produce better wine.

Roger Revelle was one of the world's most articulate spokesmen for science and an early predictor of global warming.

Scientists have developed a new method to measure rainfall in the open ocean with underwater microphones. By measuring rainfall over the oceans the scientists will be able to improve global climate models.

Researchers study long-term effects of disturbances to desert ecosystems.

International teamwork yields a high-resolution map of Antarctica.

Mission managers had to work through some "exciting" episodes during the launch and initial deployment of NASA’s Terra satellite.

Paradoxically, an increase in global temperature may both increase and decrease atmospheric carbon dioxide. The key is timing.

Remote sensing data help scientists understand large river systems and basin hydrology.

Satellite imagery helps fossil hunters find dinosaurs in the Gobi Desert.

With increasingly sophisticated satellite remote sensors, we can measure a wide range of geophysical parameters (such as surface temperature, distribution of clouds and aerosol particles, the abundance of trace gases in the atmosphere, or the distribution and types of life on land and in the ocean)…

Researchers establish a baseline for understanding net primary productivity: the total amount of carbon plants take out of the atmosphere and use for growth.

Samuel Langley was one of America's most accomplished scientists. His work as an astronomy, physics, and aeronautics pioneer was highly regarded by the international science community.

The eruption of Mt. Pinatubo led to new techniques for detecting short-term climate variation.

Researchers clarified the issues encountered in modeling clear-sky shortwave radiation by assembling a long-term data set of cloud-free days to test the models.

Researchers use satellite data to characterize the seasonal dynamics of arctic vegetation.

Recent studies indicate that clouds absorb significantly more shortwave radiation than previously thought.

The Serbian astrophysicist Milutin Milankovitch is best known for developing one of the most significant theories relating Earth motions and long-term climate change. He dedicated his career to developing a mathematical theory of climate based on the seasonal and latitudinal variations of solar…

How well do climate models work?

In the wake of Hurricane Floyd, polluted runoff threatened North Carolina’s rivers and beaches.

Satellite data fill the gaps in shore-based ice observations.

Lahars are landslides composed of slurries of volcanic rock, ash, and water, that often occur after eruptions.

How does the upper atmosphere influence Earth's climate?

Hurricane Floyd struck eastern North Carolina on September 15, 1999. In it's wake the storm left polluted floodwaters and sediment-choked rivers.

In December 1998, field support crews had to find a way to locate regions of sea ice dense enough to allow the U.S. Coast Guard ice breaker Polar Star to dock.

This fact sheet describes solar phenomenon such as sunspots and the solar wind.

Researchers map ozone's global distribution using data from the Global Tropospheric Experiment.

Overnight from January 24–25, 2000 residents of Washington, DC were hit with a surprise snowstorm. Despite this misstep, weather forecasts are now more accurate than ever.

SOLSTICE, an instrument aboard the UARS satellite, created a standard against which future monitoring of the Sun could be measured.

Using modern global databases, hundreds of research reports, satellite photos, and computerized drafting methods, a group of researchers at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center has pieced together what’s considered a series of objective and comprehensive maps (what’s known as a…

Global warming could lead to another ice age.

Global surface temperatures in 1999 fell back from the record setting high level of 1998, which was the warmest year in the period of instrumental data.

Svante Arrhenius was the first person to investigate the effect that doubling atmospheric carbon dioxide would have on global climate.

Krill fight for survival as sea ice melts.

For the past fifteen years Don Roberts and a group of scientists at the Uniformed Services University and NASA have been working on a system to pinpoint houses and areas at high risk for the malaria using medical databases of malaria, airplane photographs, and even remote sensing satellites.

The Greenland Ice Sheet is losing ground.