The high spatial resolution and high orbit of ICESat-2 make it suited for measuring sea level close to the coast and in the polar regions, filling a gap in our sea level observational system.
Remote sensing
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Una mirada global al carbono orgánico superficial del suelo
El carbono orgánico del suelo es un elemento importante para la salud de los ecosistemas y del clima. En la actualidad la teledetección permite a los científicos observar globalmente esta importante pieza del rompecabezas del carbono.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Urban Vegetation Key Regulator for Heat Island Intensity
Satellite data reveals that urban vegetation, especially urban forests, is the most important factor regulating Urban Heat Island intensity.
Posted inScience Updates
Using Earthquake Forensics to Study Subduction from Space
Researchers combined satellite geodetic measurements of surface motion with a new geophysical data inversion method to probe the Chilean subduction zone in the wake of the 2010 Maule earthquake.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
High Climatic Response of High-Latitude Forests
The seasonal amplitude of atmospheric CO2 is increasing, partly due to boreal forest responses to warming. Photosynthesis and expansion of boreal forests are shown here to be temperature-limited.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
How Forest Degradation Affects Carbon and Water Cycles
Forest degradation may be as widespread as deforestation in the Amazon, but its impact on energy, carbon, and water fluxes is less well understood.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Machine Learning Predicts Subsidence from Groundwater Pumping
Machine learning and data on aquifer type, sediment thickness, and proxies for irrigation water use has been used to produce the most comprehensive map of land subsidence in the western U.S. to date.
Posted inNews
Canada’s Rocky Mountain Forests Are on the Move
Using century-old surveying photos, scientists have mapped 100 years of change in the Canadian Rockies to document the climate-altered landscape.
Posted inScience Updates
Earth Observations Inform Cities’ Operations and Planning
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and Chicago, Ill., are using NASA Earth observations to map, monitor, and forecast water and air quality, urban heat island effects, landslide risks, and more.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Great Plains Plants Bounce Back After Large Wildfires
An analysis of nearly 1,400 wildfires suggests that some postfire techniques used to help restore vegetation may be unnecessary.