Earth: Our Living Planet (Updated)

  • Released Thursday, November 16, 2017
View full credits

Twenty years of global biosphere data mapped on a slowly spinning globe.

By monitoring the color of reflected light via satellite, scientists can determine how successfully plant life is photosynthesizing. A measurement of photosynthesis is essentially a measurement of successful growth, and growth means successful use of ambient carbon. This data visualization represents twenty years' worth of data taken primarily by SeaStar/SeaWiFS, Aqua/MODIS, and Suomi NPP/VIIRS satellite sensors, showing the abundance of life both on land and in the sea. In the ocean, dark blue to violet represents warmer areas where there is little life due to lack of nutrients, and greens and reds represent cooler nutrient-rich areas. The nutrient-rich areas include coastal regions where cold water rises from the sea floor bringing nutrients along and areas at the mouths of rivers where the rivers have brought nutrients into the ocean from the land. On land, green represents areas of abundant plant life, such as forests and grasslands, while tan and white represent areas where plant life is sparse or non-existent, such as the deserts in Africa and the Middle East and snow-cover and ice at the poles.

Colorbar for the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) land cover data. Shades of brown depict little to no vegetation (for example, the Sahara Desert), whereas deep green are large amounts of vegetation (for example, the South American Rainforest).

Colorbar for the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) land cover data. Shades of brown depict little to no vegetation (for example, the Sahara Desert), whereas deep green are large amounts of vegetation (for example, the South American Rainforest).

Colorbar representing the Ocean's chlorophyll. Blues down to violet are areas with little to no chlorophyll. Green to red indicate high chlorophyll concentrations or other color dissolved organic materials.

Colorbar representing the Ocean's chlorophyll. Blues down to violet are areas with little to no chlorophyll. Green to red indicate high chlorophyll concentrations or other color dissolved organic materials.

Date overlay for post-production use.

Date overlay for post-production use.

Credits

Please give credit for this item to:
NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, The SeaWiFS Project and GeoEye, Scientific Visualization Studio. NOTE: All SeaWiFS images and data presented on this web site are for research and educational use only. All commercial use of SeaWiFS data must be coordinated with GeoEye (NOTE: In January 2013, DigitalGlobe and GeoEye combined to become DigitalGlobe).

This page was originally published on Thursday, November 16, 2017.
This page was last updated on Sunday, January 19, 2025 at 10:30 PM EST.

Datasets used

  • Chlorophyll Concentration [SeaStar: SeaWiFS]

    ID: 469
    Sensor: SeaWiFS Dates used: 1997/09 - 2007/11

    All SeaWiFS images and data presented on this web site are for research and educational use only. All commercial use of SeaWiFS data must be coordinated with GeoEye.

    Credit: NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, The SeaWiFS Project and GeoEye, Scientific Visualization Studio. NOTE: All SeaWiFS images and data presented on this web site are for research and educational use only. All commercial use of SeaWiFS data must be coordinated with GeoEye (NOTE: In January 2013, DigitalGlobe and GeoEye combined to become one DigitalGlobe.).

    This dataset can be found at: http://oceancolor.gsfc.nasa.gov/PRODUCTS/

    See all pages that use this dataset

  • Comiso's Daily Sea Ice Concentration

    ID: 539
    Type: Data Compilation Collected by: NASA/GSFC Dates used: 1997/09 - 2007/11
    See all pages that use this dataset

  • NDVI [SeaStar: SeaWiFS]

    ID: 601
    Sensor: SeaWiFS Dates used: 1997/09 - 2007/11

    All SeaWiFS images and data presented on this web site are for research and educational use only. All commercial use of SeaWiFS data must be coordinated with GeoEye.

    Credit: NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, The SeaWiFS Project and GeoEye, Scientific Visualization Studio. NOTE: All SeaWiFS images and data presented on this web site are for research and educational use only. All commercial use of SeaWiFS data must be coordinated with GeoEye (NOTE: In January 2013, DigitalGlobe and GeoEye combined to become one DigitalGlobe.).

    See all pages that use this dataset

  • NDVI [Aqua: MODIS]

    ID: 739
    Type: Data Compilation Sensor: MODIS Dates used: 2007/10 - 2012/2
    See all pages that use this dataset

  • IMS Daily Northern Hemisphere Snow and Ice Analysis (IMS Daily Northern Hemisphere Snow and Ice Analysis - 24 km Resolution) [Interactive Multisensor Snow and Ice Mapping System (IMS)]

    ID: 778
    Type: Analysis Collected by: NOAA Dates used: 1997/9 - 2017/9

    This dataset can be found at: http://nsidc.org/data/docs/noaa/g02156_ims_snow_ice_analysis/

    See all pages that use this dataset

  • chlor_a (Chlorophyll Concentration OCl) [Aqua: MODIS]

    ID: 935
    Sensor: MODIS Dates used: 2007/10 - 2012/2

    Credit: Ocean Biology Processing Group (OBPG)

    This dataset can be found at: http://oceancolor.gsfc.nasa.gov/cms/atbd/chlor_a

    See all pages that use this dataset

  • Chlorophyll (Chlorophyll Concentration) [Suomi NPP: VIIRS]

    ID: 987
    Type: Observed Data Sensor: VIIRS Dates used: 2012/2 - 2017/9
    See all pages that use this dataset

  • Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) [Suomi NPP: VIIRS]

    ID: 988
    Type: Analysis Sensor: VIIRS Dates used: 2012/2 - 2017/9
    See all pages that use this dataset

Note: While we identify the data sets used on this page, we do not store any further details, nor the data sets themselves on our site.