The vegetation line in places like Nepal and Bhutan is shifting upward by meters per year, with implications for how water moves through the planet’s “Third Pole.”
satellites
Posted inNews
Urban Methane Emissions Are Rising, Despite Cities’ Pledges
Eyes in the sky could help cities get on track to decrease emissions of the potent greenhouse gas—and monitor whether their efforts are working.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Taking the Pulse of Atmospheric Drag to Predict Satellite Trajectory
Scientists present a new method for estimating the density of the upper atmosphere to account for atmospheric drag when predicting satellite trajectory.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
How Space Plasma Can Bend the Laser of Gravitational Wave Detectors
A new study reveals how and to what extent laser beams are bent during propagation through space plasma in TianQin, a geocentric space-borne gravitational wave detector.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
More Braided Rivers from Increasing Flow Variability
Global analysis of satellite data and river flow records show that higher flow intermittency after climate change may lead to an increasing number of threads in braided rivers, thus impacting ecosystems.
Posted inEditors' Vox
Can Any Single Satellite Keep Up with the World’s Floods?
How well does our current satellite fleet capture the world’s major floods? Scientists turn to the Dartmouth Flood Observatory record for a data-driven answer.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Amazon River Breezes Mimic Pollution in Clouds
Natural river breezes create clouds over the Amazon that mimic the signs of pollution, complicating climate impact assessments.
Posted inEditors' Vox
Synergistic Integration of Flood Inundation Modeling Methods
Recent flood modeling advances are trending into silos that compete rather than complement each other, hampering the opportunity for transformative progress toward protecting lives and communities.
Posted inScience Updates
Geostationary Satellite Applications Expand into Land Monitoring
Known for their weather-observing prowess, these satellites can also track land surface processes and disturbances over broad areas in near-real time.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Satellite View of the California Wildfires of January 2025
Satellite observations of the southern California wildfires of 2025 reveal that almost all the burned areas were reached by fire within 24 hours, and wildfires in residential areas burned more intensely than nearby natural vegetation fires at night.