El Yunque National Forest, Puerto Rico Canopy Change Nadir View (2017-2018)

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    ID: 4735 Visualization

    NASA Surveys Hurricane Damage to Puerto Rico's Forests (Data Viz Version)

    July 29th, 2019
    (updated May 3rd, 2023)

    Hurricane Maria transformed the lush rainforests of Puerto Rico leaving lots of openings in the forest canopy. NASA scientists studied the island's forests before and after the storm. Goddard's Lidar, Hyperspectral, and Thermal Imager (G-LiHT) is a portable instrument that maps forest health and structure from a small airplane resulting in detailed 3-D views of the forest. G-LiHT sends out 600,000 laser pulses every second mapping leaves and branches, rocks and streams. Almost 60% of the canopy trees lost branches, snapped in half, or were uprooted. Trees with wide, spreading crowns were reduced to a slender main trunk. Forests in Puerto Rico are now one-third shorter on average, after Hurricane Maria. The disturbances affected the whole ecosystem, from soils and streams to birds and frogs. G-LiHT data will help scientists understand how forests and wildlife respond to future changes. ||

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    ID: 13188 Produced Video

    Earth from Orbit 2019: How NASA Satellites #PictureEarth

    April 19th, 2019
    (updated May 3rd, 2023)

    Music: After the Sun by Andrew Michael Britton [PRS], David Stephen Goldsmith [PRS], Andrew Skeet [PRS]Complete transcript available. || This Earth Day, NASA invites you to share how you #PictureEarth. For inspiration, NASA collected some of the best and most inconic satellite images and data visualizations capture over the last year. NASA's space-based view of our planet, and the way it's changing, helps humans understand Earth better. Image Sources:International Space Station: Clouds and Continentshttps://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/BeyondThePhotography/CrewEarthObservationsVideos/Earth Observing Fleet (June 2018)https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/4662A Clear Spring View of the Great Lakeshttps://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/144747/a-clear-spring-view-of-the-great-lakesA Spacecraft’s Journey to the Space Stationhttps://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/144408/a-spacecrafts-journey-to-the-space-stationEtna Awakens on its Sidehttps://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/144493/etna-awakens-on-its-sideUrban Growth in Las Vegashttps://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/30215Pinwheel Squares in Boliviahttps://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/144717/pinwheel-squares-in-boliviaAquaculture in China https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/144624/seaweed-and-fish-worldGrowth of Medina, Saudi Arabia https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/144471/living-on-lavaPhytoplankton Bloom in the Baltic Seahttps://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/144643/jupiter-or-earthTyphoon Mangkhut https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/92749/mangkhut-bearing-down-on-the-philippinesHurricane Maria and Disaster Recovery in Puerto Ricohttps://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/4658Damage to El Yunque National Forest, Puerto Ricohttps://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/4621Global Temperature Anomalies from 1880 to 2018https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/4626City Lights from the International Space Stationhttps://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/92912/earth-awash-in-lights-of-the-nightEarth’s Magnetospherehttps://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/4663Ozonewatch 2018https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/30985Sea Ice Maximum Extent 2018https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/4628Annual Arctic Sea Ice Minimum 1979 - 2018https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/4686Average Motion of Greenland Ice Sheethttps://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/4688Wide View of a Shrinking Glacier: Retreat at Pine Islandhttps://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/features/pine-islandChanges of the Padma River https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/world-of-change/PadmaRiverEvolution of the Meteorological Observing System https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/4654Global Fire Weather Databasehttps://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/4634Tropical Storm Michael Drenches the Carolinashttps://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/4692GPM Captures Super Typhoon Mangkhut Approaching the Philippineshttps://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/4682Ice Cube Cubesat Measures High Altitude Atmospheric Icehttps://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/4636Interface to Space: The Equatorial Fountainhttps://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/4617Midsummer Sunrise, Gulf of Saint Lawrence https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/92622/midsummer-sunrise-gulf-of-saint-lawrenceLove in the Air: Von Kármán Vorticeshttps://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/144556/love-is-in-the-airCloudy Congo River Basin https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/144608/cloudy-congo-river-basinEurope at Night https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/features/NightLightsInternational Space Station: Canada at Night https://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/BeyondThePhotography/CrewEarthObservationsVideos/ ||

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    ID: 12590 Produced Video

    3-D Views of Puerto Rico's Forests After Hurricane Maria

    Dec. 10th, 2018
    (updated May 3rd, 2023)

    To get a detailed look at vegetation and land cover, NASA uses an airborne instrument called Goddard’s Lidar, Hyperspectral and Thermal Airborne Imager, or G-LiHT. From the belly of a small aircraft flying one thousand feet above the trees, G-LiHT collects multiple measurements of forests, including high-resolution photographs, surface temperatures and the heights and structure of the vegetation. Watch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.Complete transcript available.Music: Letting the Past Go, by Ben Hales [PRS], Matt Hales [PRS] ||

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• Alternate versions

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    ID: 4624 Visualization

    El Yunque National Forest, Puerto Rico Canopy Change from Afar (2017-2018)

    Dec. 10th, 2018
    (updated Aug. 25th, 2023)

    Sample Composite that split screens the lidar swath over the El Yunque National Forest, Puerto Rico. During the split screen, 2017 data is on the upper left and 2018 data on the bottom right. As the camera moves northwest, the viewer can see patches of ground becoming visible in the 2018 data. This is due to the vast numbers of trees that were stripped or fell during Hurricane Maria in September 2017. || In September 2017, Hurricane Maria's lashing rain and winds also transformed Puerto Rico's lush tropical rainforest landscape. Research scientist Doug Morton of Goddard was part of the team of NASA researchers who had surveyed Puerto Rico's forests six months before the storm. The team used Goddard’s Lidar, Hyperspectral, and Thermal (G-LiHT) Airborne Imager, a system designed to study the structure and species composition of forests. Shooting 600,000 laser pulses per second, G-LiHT produces a 3D view of the forest structure in high resolution, showing individual trees in high detail from the ground to treetop. In April 2018 (post-Maria) the team went back and surveyed the same tracks as in 2017 (before Maria).The extensive damage to Puerto Rico's forests had far-reaching effects, Morton said. Fallen trees that no longer stabilize soil on slopes with their roots as well as downed branches can contribute to landslides and debris flows, increased erosion, and poor water quality in streams and rivers where sediments build up. ||

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  • 
    ID: 4576 Visualization

    El Yunque National Forest, Puerto Rico Canopy Change Up Close (2017-2018)

    Dec. 10th, 2018
    (updated Aug. 25th, 2023)

    Sample composite that shows a split screen of 2017 and 2018 lidar data over El Yunque National Forest, Puerto Rico. As the animation plays, one can see a distinct difference between the fullness of the 2017 forest canopy versus the much sparser 2018 canopy. This difference is most noticable around rivers and streams where the neighboring forest canopy was stripped away by Hurricane Maria exposing much more of the water banks. || In September 2017, Hurricane Maria's lashing rain and winds also transformed Puerto Rico's lush tropical rainforest landscape. Research scientist Doug Morton of Goddard was part of the team of NASA researchers who had surveyed Puerto Rico's forests six months before the storm. The team used Goddard’s Lidar, Hyperspectral, and Thermal (G-LiHT) Airborne Imager, a system designed to study the structure and species composition of forests. Shooting 600,000 laser pulses per second, G-LiHT produces a 3D view of the forest structure in high resolution, showing individual trees in high detail from the ground to treetop. In April 2018 (post-Maria) the team went back and surveyed the same tracks as in 2017 (before Maria).The extensive damage to Puerto Rico's forests had far-reaching effects, Morton said. Fallen trees that no longer stabilize soil on slopes with their roots as well as downed branches can contribute to landslides and debris flows, increased erosion, and poor water quality in streams and rivers where sediments build up. ||

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