Listening to the Amazon: Tracking Deforestation Through Sound
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- Scientific consulting by:
- Danielle Rappaport
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- Produced by:
- Kathleen Gaeta
- View full credits
Complete transcript available.
Media provided by Danielle Rappaport.
Credits
Please give credit for this item to:
NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio
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Writer
- Erica McNamee (Telophase Corp)
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Scientists
- Danielle Rappaport (Conservation 4.0) [Lead]
- Doug C. Morton (NASA/GSFC)
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Producer
- Kathleen Gaeta (Advocates in Manpower Management, Inc.) [Lead]
Series
This visualization can be found in the following series:Related pages
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ID: 4827 Visualization
Novo Progresso Surrounding Region Land Use Data Over Time
Read moreThis data visualization begins with a wide view of Northern Brazil. It then zooms down to the region surrounding the town of Novo Progresso and compare its relative size to the San Francisco Bay region. Next we cycle through over three decades of transformation in the region showing how the north/south corridor of this area opened up over time. Lastly, we fade in 2019 fire data to indicate how the data will continue to change into the upcoming year. || The Amazon has undergone major transformations throughout the past three decades (1985 - 2018). Working closely with their Brazilian counterparts, NASA scientists have mapped the entire country of Brazil to show different kinds of land use throughout the country. This data is based on the Landsat Data Continuity Mission (LDCM) through the MapBiomas project.As part of this research, we look at the general area around Novo Progresso and show how the north/south corridor in this area opened up from 1985 to 2018. 2019 fire data is also used to show controlled burns in order to clear cut forest areas for other use. ||
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ID: 4828 Visualization
Colider Land Use Data Over Time
Read moreThis data visualization begins with a wide view of Northern Brazil. It then zooms down to the region surrounding the town of Colider and compares its relative size to Northern California. Next we cycle through over three decades of land use transformation showing cropland a pasture expansion over time. Lastly, we fade in 2019 fire data to indicate how the data will continue to change into the upcoming year. || The Amazon has undergone major transformations throughout the past three decades (1985 - 2018). Working closely with their Brazilian counterparts, NASA scientists have mapped the entire country of Brazil to show different kinds of land use throughout the country. This data is based on the Landsat Data Continuity Mission (LDCM) through the MapBiomas project.As part of this research, we look at the general area around the town of Colider and show how the land use changed from 1985 to 2018. 2019 fire data is also used to show controlled burns in order to clear cut forest areas for other use. ||
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ID: 4833 Visualization
Northern Brazil Land Use Data Over Time
Read moreThis data visualization begins with a wide view of Northern Brazil. While zooming in a little closer an image of the United States fades in to get the relative size of the region. Next we cycle through over three decades of transformation in the region showing land use change over time. Lastly, we fade in 2019 fire data to indicate how the data will continue to change into the upcoming year. || The Amazon has undergone major transformations throughout the past three decades (1985 - 2018). Working closely with their Brazilian counterparts, NASA scientists have mapped the entire country of Brazil to show different kinds of land use throughout the country. This data is based on the Landsat Data Continuity Mission (LDCM) through the MapBiomas project.As part of this research, we look at Northern Brazil and show how land use changed from 1985 to 2018. 2019 fire data is also used to show controlled burns in order to clear cut forest areas for other use. ||
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ID: 13694 Produced Video
![The Amazon is the largest tropical rainforest in the world, nearly as big as the continental United States. But every year, less of that forest is still standing. Today's deforestation across the Amazon frontier is tractors and bulldozers clearing large swaths to make room for industrial-scale cattle ranching and crops. Landsat satellite data is used to map land cover in Brazil with a historical perspective, going back to 1984.Music: Organic Circuit by Richard Birkin [PRS]; Into the Atmosphere by Sam Joseph Delves [PRS]; Ethereal Journey by Noé Bailleux [SACEM]; Wildfires by Magnum Opus [ASCAP]; Letter For Tomorrow by Anthony d’Amario [SACEM].Complete transcript available.Watch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.](/vis/a010000/a013600/a013694/Amazon_clearing_poster.jpg)
Tracking Amazon Deforestation
Read moreThe Amazon is the largest tropical rainforest in the world, nearly as big as the continental United States. But every year, less of that forest is still standing. Today's deforestation across the Amazon frontier is tractors and bulldozers clearing large swaths to make room for industrial-scale cattle ranching and crops. Landsat satellite data is used to map land cover in Brazil with a historical perspective, going back to 1984.Music: Organic Circuit by Richard Birkin [PRS]; Into the Atmosphere by Sam Joseph Delves [PRS]; Ethereal Journey by Noé Bailleux [SACEM]; Wildfires by Magnum Opus [ASCAP]; Letter For Tomorrow by Anthony d’Amario [SACEM].Complete transcript available.Watch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel. ||
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ID: 12398 Produced Video
A 3D Forest Map
Read moreLasers, droughts, and a 3D view: NASA maps the Amazon to examine tree mortality. || For the tall tree canopy of the Amazon rainforest, 3-dimensional maps made by airborne laser technology are giving scientists a new perspective on tree mortality. The high-resolution scans are created from a light detection and ranging, or LiDAR, instrument that sends out 300,000 pulses of light per second that bounce off of leaves and branches and record their height. NASA researchers used these detailed 3D maps of the forest canopy taken in 2013, 2014, and 2016 to find gaps where trees and large branches have fallen and analyze how the forest responds to environmental changes over time. During the non-El Niño period from 2013 to 2014, the branch and tree fall events altered 1.8 percent of the forest canopy in the study area, a small number on the surface but scaled up to the size of the entire Amazon, it's the equivalent of losing canopy trees or branches over 38,000 square miles, or the area of Kentucky. Tree and branch mortality was 65 percent higher during the El Niño drought period from 2014 to 2016, or 65,000 square miles, the size of Wisconsin. Small changes in the Amazon add up. In addition to understanding the immediate effects of dryer years, droughts are also good indicators of how forests will behave in future warmer climates. Watch the video to learn more. ||
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ID: 12982 Produced Video
Amazon Canopy Comes to Life through Laser Data
Read moreFlying over the Brazilian Amazon with an instrument firing 300,000 laser pulses per second, NASA scientists have made the first 3D measurements of forest canopies in the region. With this research they hope to shed light on the effects of prolonged drought on forest ecosystems and to provide a potential preview of stresses on rainforests in a warming world.Complete transcript available. || Flying over the Brazilian Amazon with an instrument firing 300,000 laser pulses per second, NASA scientists have made the first 3D measurements of forest canopies in the region. With this research they hope to shed light on the effects of prolonged drought on forest ecosystems and to provide a potential preview of stresses on rainforests in a warming world. ||
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ID: 11300 Produced Video
An Increasing Number of Fires and Burned Area Seen from Space
Read moreOne of the most practical and efficient ways to monitor global fire is via satellites. From space, it's possible to create long-term records of burned areas on the earth. And these records show a disturbing trend: the millions of hectares burned every year by fires is increasing in the United States and most areas around the world. Some of these fires are caused by lightning, but the majority are man-made and used as a tool for forest and brush clearing, crop and pasture maintenence, or cooking. Drier climate conditions are causing both man-made and natural wildfires to burn more land. And as a result, a larger amount of carbon, stored in vegetation and biomass, is being released into the atmosphere. Studies conducted by scientists at NASA show that if we continue to rely on fossil fuels then the frequency and length of these extreme fire events is likely to increase in the future. ||
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ID: 2407 Visualization
Mapping the Amazon: The Mouth of the Amazon
Read moreThe Amazon rain forest is the largest tropical forest in the world. It stretches across South America from nearly ocean to ocean. No seasonal view of this territory existed until a NASA-university collaboration began mapping the Amazon - from space. Scientists listed worked as a team on Mosaicking Software and Mosaic Production. || Mosaic zoom to mouth of the Amazon || Mosaic zoom to mouth of the Amazon || Mosaic zoom to mouth of the Amazon || Video slate image reads, "Mosaic zoom to the mouth of the Amazon river". ||
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