As more cities strive to meet climate goals, space-based observations may help fill in the gaps on tracking emissions.
satellite imagery
Marine Protected Areas Show Promise for Kelp Forest Recovery
Kelp forests are under increasing stress as oceans warm, but decades of satellite data have revealed the importance of maintaining fishing-restricted areas for climate resilience.
Mysteriously Bright Waters near Antarctica Explained
Shiny-shelled diatoms make a remote part of the Southern Ocean appear especially reflective in satellite imagery.
How Researchers Have Studied the Where, When, and Eye of Hurricanes Since Katrina
Twenty years after one of the country’s deadliest storms, scientists reflect on improvements in the ability to understand and predict disasters.
A Burst of Subglacial Water Cracked the Greenland Ice Sheet
When a lake beneath the Greenland Ice Sheet drained, its water burst through the ice sheet’s surface. This surprising event may have affected the movement of a nearby glacier.
Scientists Track Down Fresh Boulder Falls on the Moon
By poring over thousands of satellite images, researchers geolocated 245 fresh boulder tracks, revealing signs of seismic activity or impact events within the last half-million years.
Scrambling to Study Smoke on the Water
Timely action shows the impact of urban fires on freshwater and marine ecosystems.
Glacier Monitoring from Space Is Crucial, and at Risk
A new community effort shows that Earth has lost 5% of its global glacier mass since 2000. The work highlights the necessity of spaceborne glacier observations and upcoming gaps in long-term monitoring.
Nearly 94 Million Boulders Mapped on the Moon Using Deep Learning
Scientists used a deep learning algorithm to map the size and location of nearly 94 million boulders on the lunar surface, highlighting differences in boulder densities and size distributions.
