{ "count": 45, "next": null, "previous": null, "results": [ { "id": 15025, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/15025/", "result_type": "Visualization", "release_date": "2026-05-06T12:00:00-04:00", "title": "Saudi Arabia’s Desert Agriculture", "description": "In this animation, crop fields in Saudi Arabia cycle through their growing seasons. Corn, barley, sorghum, and wheat—Saudi Arabia’s four main crops—all follow different crop calendars, but the bulk of the harvesting occurs in late spring and early summer. The time series spans 2024 and January 2025.", "hits": 480 }, { "id": 31180, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/31180/", "result_type": "Hyperwall Visual", "release_date": "2022-03-10T10:00:00-05:00", "title": "NASA and Agriculture: From Seeds to Satellites", "description": "Complete transcript available. || ComClas_Final_Cut.00148_print.jpg (1024x576) [55.5 KB] || Screen_Shot_2022-03-03_at_1.29.01_PM.png (2478x1382) [1.5 MB] || ComClas_Final_Cut.00148_searchweb.png (320x180) [45.5 KB] || ComClas_Final_Cut.00148_web.png (320x180) [45.5 KB] || ComClas_Final_Cut.00148_thm.png (80x40) [4.1 KB] || ComClas_Final_Cut.webm (1920x1080) [8.0 MB] || ComClas_Final_Cut.mp4 (1920x1080) [126.1 MB] || ComClas_Final_Cut_otter_ai.en_US.srt [1009 bytes] || ComClas_Final_Cut_otter_ai.en_US.vtt [1022 bytes] || ", "hits": 311 }, { "id": 31172, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/31172/", "result_type": "Hyperwall Visual", "release_date": "2022-01-13T00:00:00-05:00", "title": "First Light from Landsat 9", "description": "The first image collected by Landsat 9, on Oct. 31, 2021, shows remote coastal islands and inlets of the Kimberly region of Western Australia. In the top middle section of the image, the Mitchell River carves through sandstone, while to the left Bigge Island and the Coronation Islands stand out in the Indian Ocean. Australia is a major international partner of the Landsat 9 program, and operates one of the Landsat Ground Network stations in Alice Springs. || l9_australia_hyperwall_rgb_nolabels.jpg (5760x3240) [10.7 MB] || l9_australia_hyperwall_rgb_nolabels_thm.png (80x40) [7.7 KB] || l9_australia_hyperwall_rgb_nolabels_searchweb.png (320x180) [124.3 KB] || first-light-from-landsat-9-western-australia.hwshow [338 bytes] || ", "hits": 86 }, { "id": 13987, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/13987/", "result_type": "Produced Video", "release_date": "2021-11-05T17:00:00-04:00", "title": "Landsat 9 First Light Images", "description": "The first data from Landsat 9, of Australia's Kimberley Coast in Western Australia, shows off the capabilities of the two instruments on the spacecraft. This image, from the Operational Land Imager 2, or OLI-2, was acquired on Oct. 31, 2021. Although similar in design to its predecessor Landsat 8, the improvements to Landsat 9 allow it to detect more subtle differences, especially over darker areas like water or the dense mangrove forests along the coast. || L9_Australia_20211031_p109r070-lrg.jpg (7621x7811) [24.2 MB] || L9_Australia_20211031_p109r070-lrg_searchweb.png (320x180) [106.1 KB] || L9_Australia_20211031_p109r070-lrg_thm.png (80x40) [7.1 KB] || L9_Australia_20211031_p109r070-lrg.tif (7621x7811) [340.6 MB] || ", "hits": 53 }, { "id": 13910, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/13910/", "result_type": "Produced Video", "release_date": "2021-08-18T14:00:00-04:00", "title": "Snack Time with NASA", "description": "Snack Time with NASA digs into the science behind what’s on your plate from a tasty cheese board, to seafood, to fresh produce, to chips and dip.Food can bring us a sense of home, and it connects people all around the world. With observations from space and aircraft, combined with high-end computer modeling, NASA scientists work together with partner agencies, organizations, farmers, ranchers, fishermen, and decision makers to understand the relationship between the Earth system and the environments that provide us food. || ", "hits": 35 }, { "id": 13712, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/13712/", "result_type": "Produced Video", "release_date": "2020-11-30T11:00:00-05:00", "title": "Landsat 9: Continuing the Legacy series", "description": "Five decades ago, NASA and the US Geological Society launched a satellite to monitor Earth’s land from space. It was the beginning of a legacy. The Apollo era had given us our first looks at Earth from space and inspired the idea of regularly collecting images of our planet. The first Landsat — originally known as the Earth Resources Technology Satellite, or ERTS — rocketed into space in 1972. Since then, there have been eight Landsats and we’re preparing to launch number nine.The Landsat legacy stretches far and wide. Using visible and infrared light, Landsat helps track the health of crops, shows ocean pollution, and tracks coral reefs, icebergs and more. Thanks to sensor that can record wavelengths beyond what we can see with our eyes, Landsat can record vital information about Earth's surface.Narrated by the actor Marc Evan Jackson, who played a Landsat scientist in the movie Kong: Skull Island (2017), this series of videos tells the story of Landsat 9. From the birth of the Landsat program to the present preparations for launching Landsat 9 and even a look to the future with Landsat NeXt. || ", "hits": 61 }, { "id": 13592, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/13592/", "result_type": "Produced Video", "release_date": "2020-04-23T12:00:00-04:00", "title": "Guiding Farmers with NASA Satellites", "description": "Agriculture in Pakistan is dependent on irrigation from the Indus River, but over the years, these freshwater resources have become scarce. Today, it is one of the world’s most depleted basins. To tackle this, farmers are attempting to predict and track freshwater resources with the help of NASA satellites and cell phones. || ", "hits": 38 }, { "id": 13543, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/13543/", "result_type": "Produced Video", "release_date": "2020-02-12T10:00:00-05:00", "title": "Landsat: Farming Data From Space", "description": "Landsat satellites have been gathering data for 48 years, equipping scientists and farmers to answer big questions about how to improve agriculture around the world. From tracking crop production, assessing crop health, and monitoring water use, Landsat data provides tangible benefits to the USA and the world. Landsat satellites are built and lauched by NASA, and operated by USGS. Complete transcript available.Music: \"Lines of Enquiry\" by Theo Golding [PRS], published by Atmosphere Music [PRS]Watch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel. || LandsatAg-Thumbnail.png (1920x1080) [4.0 MB] || LandsatAg-Thumbnail_print.jpg (1024x576) [166.3 KB] || LandsatAg-Thumbnail_searchweb.png (320x180) [109.3 KB] || LandsatAg-Thumbnail_thm.png (80x40) [6.6 KB] || LandsatAg-FINAL.mov (1920x1080) [3.2 GB] || LandsatAg-FINAL_youtube_1080.mp4 (1920x1080) [148.1 MB] || LandsatAg-FINAL_facebook_720.mp4 (1280x720) [110.9 MB] || LandsatAg-FINAL_twitter_720.mp4 (1280x720) [20.1 MB] || LandsatAg-FINAL.webm (960x540) [39.3 MB] || LandsatAg-FINAL-captions.en_US.srt [1.8 KB] || LandsatAg-FINAL-captions.en_US.vtt [1.8 KB] || ", "hits": 154 }, { "id": 13292, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/13292/", "result_type": "Produced Video", "release_date": "2019-08-23T15:00:00-04:00", "title": "TIRS-2 Ready For Integration", "description": "The Thermal Infrared Sensor 2 (TIRS-2) has passed its tests at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center and traveled across the country to be integrated onto Landsat 9.Music: Last Outpost by Lennert Busch [PRS], published by Sound Pocket Music [PRS]Complete transcript available.Watch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel. || TIRS-2_shipping_20190813-28_print.jpg (1024x576) [83.4 KB] || TIRS-2_shipping_20190813-28.png (3840x2160) [10.7 MB] || TIRS-2_shipping_20190813-28_searchweb.png (320x180) [82.4 KB] || TIRS-2_shipping_20190813-28_thm.png (80x40) [5.8 KB] || 13292_TIRS-2_Ships_MASTER_V3.mov (1920x1080) [2.6 GB] || 13292_TIRS-2_Ships.mp4 (1920x1080) [160.5 MB] || 13292_TIRS-2_Ships_MASTER_V3_facebook_720.mp4 (1280x720) [91.2 MB] || 13292_TIRS-2_Ships_MASTER_V3.webm (960x540) [33.0 MB] || 13292_TIRS-2_Ships-captions.en_US.srt [1.2 KB] || 13292_TIRS-2_Ships-captions.en_US.vtt [1.2 KB] || ", "hits": 38 }, { "id": 31022, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/31022/", "result_type": "Hyperwall Visual", "release_date": "2019-03-25T00:00:00-04:00", "title": "The Padma River", "description": "Padma River changes over time || padma_woc_1080p.00001_print.jpg (1024x576) [271.0 KB] || padma_woc_1080p.00001_searchweb.png (320x180) [126.4 KB] || padma_woc_1080p.00001_thm.png (80x40) [7.1 KB] || padma_woc_1080p.mp4 (1920x1080) [44.3 MB] || padma_woc_720p.mp4 (1280x720) [19.7 MB] || padma_woc_1080p.webm (1920x1080) [4.9 MB] || 4104x2304_16x9_30p (4104x2304) [64.0 KB] || padma_woc_2304p.mp4 (4096x2304) [181.9 MB] || ", "hits": 122 }, { "id": 12876, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/12876/", "result_type": "Produced Video", "release_date": "2018-05-16T13:00:00-04:00", "title": "For 15 Years, GRACE Tracked Freshwater Movements Around the World", "description": "NASA scientists used GRACE data to identify regional trends of freshwater movement, and combined that information with data from other satellites, climate models and precipitation measurements to determine the causes of major regional trends in freshwater storage. || ", "hits": 43 }, { "id": 40348, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/esddatafor-societal-benefits/", "result_type": "Gallery", "release_date": "2018-04-24T00:00:00-04:00", "title": "ESD data for Societal Benefit", "description": "No description available.", "hits": 166 }, { "id": 12647, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/12647/", "result_type": "Produced Video", "release_date": "2017-06-26T12:00:00-04:00", "title": "Trading Water", "description": "Crops sold in the international market trade away they water they're grown with. || usa_west.1974_1024x576.jpg (1024x576) [83.6 KB] || usa_west.1974_thm.png (80x40) [5.6 KB] || usa_west.1974_searchweb.png (320x180) [66.6 KB] || usa_west.1974.tif (1920x1080) [4.0 MB] || ", "hits": 30 }, { "id": 40323, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/applied-science/", "result_type": "Gallery", "release_date": "2017-03-30T00:00:00-04:00", "title": "Applied Science", "description": "Discovering innovative and practical uses of Earth observations\n\nappliedsciences.nasa.gov", "hits": 74 }, { "id": 4523, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/4523/", "result_type": "Visualization", "release_date": "2017-03-29T13:00:00-04:00", "title": "Irrigation and Groundwater Depletion", "description": "A time series of global irrigation and groundwater depletion maps reveals geographical patterns in the use of fresh water for agriculture.The amount of water involved is enormous. Worldwide, the irrigation of farmland accounts for about 70% of the fresh water diverted by human activity. We might each drink only a few liters (quarts) of water per day, but the food we eat can require a thousand times as much water to produce. Some of the underground aquifers tapped for irrigation replenish so slowly that they are considered a non-renewable resource. The overuse of this groundwater could have long-term consequences for food security and the stability of global markets in food, cotton, and other agricultural products.A new study by researchers at University College London and NASA's Goddard Institute of Space Studies in New York City combines trade data and a global water usage model to determine which crops are grown with non-renewable groundwater and where those crops are consumed. The study appears in the March 30, 2017 issue of Nature. || ", "hits": 335 }, { "id": 12429, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/12429/", "result_type": "Produced Video", "release_date": "2017-03-29T12:00:00-04:00", "title": "Crop Irrigation Is Closely Tied to Groundwater Depletion Around the World", "description": "The irrigation that grows crops, especially in dry countries, can also be responsible for taxing aquifers beyond their capacities. Groundwater depletion is embedded in the international food trade, with countries exporting crops grown from overexploited aquifers and setting up potential future food crises if the aquifers run dry. || ", "hits": 38 }, { "id": 11919, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/11919/", "result_type": "Produced Video", "release_date": "2015-10-06T11:00:00-04:00", "title": "The Changing Shape Of Farming", "description": "Satellite images taken over the last half-century tell the story of America's evolving agricultural landscape. || c-1920.jpg (1920x1080) [1.4 MB] || c-1280.jpg (1280x720) [863.3 KB] || c-1024.jpg (1024x576) [615.4 KB] || c-1024_print.jpg (1024x576) [642.1 KB] || c-1024_searchweb.png (320x180) [187.4 KB] || c-1024_web.png (320x180) [187.4 KB] || c-1024_thm.png (80x40) [38.6 KB] || ", "hits": 37 }, { "id": 11974, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/11974/", "result_type": "Produced Video", "release_date": "2015-08-17T19:00:00-04:00", "title": "Mining for Water in Kansas", "description": "This image from 2015, and the accompanying images from 1972, 1988, and 2011 show the transformation of Kansas farmland from dryland, rectangular fields to circular irrigated fields from center-pivot irrigation systems. The mining of ground water for agriculture has been a significant trend globally over the last half-century, and these images of a region in Kansas highlight the trend within the United States. || Garden_city_KS-2015_print.jpg (1024x975) [580.9 KB] || Garden_city_KS-2015_searchweb.png (320x180) [147.7 KB] || Garden_city_KS-2015_thm.png (80x40) [9.3 KB] || Garden_city_KS-2015.tif (3920x3736) [41.9 MB] || ", "hits": 47 }, { "id": 11845, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/11845/", "result_type": "Produced Video", "release_date": "2015-05-19T11:00:00-04:00", "title": "Raising Crops In The Desert", "description": "Over the past three decades, Saudi Arabia has been drilling for a resource more precious than oil. || c-1280.jpg (1280x720) [584.6 KB] || c-1024.jpg (1024x576) [435.4 KB] || c-1024_print.jpg (1024x576) [405.3 KB] || c-1024_searchweb.png (320x180) [158.8 KB] || ", "hits": 92 }, { "id": 30599, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/30599/", "result_type": "Hyperwall Visual", "release_date": "2015-05-17T00:00:00-04:00", "title": "Soil Moisture Maps and Australian Rainfall", "description": "A series of images shows soil moisture and flooding in Australia. || smap_rainfall_australia_april_2015_print.jpg (1024x574) [129.9 KB] || smap_rainfall_australia_april_2015.png (4104x2304) [1.6 MB] || smap_rainfall_australia_april_2015_searchweb.png (180x320) [62.4 KB] || smap_rainfall_australia_april_2015_thm.png (80x40) [6.9 KB] || smap_rainfall_australia_april_2015_30599.key [4.6 MB] || smap_rainfall_australia_april_2015_30599.pptx [2.0 MB] || smap_rainfall_australia_april_2015.hwshow [236 bytes] || ", "hits": 22 }, { "id": 4134, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/4134/", "result_type": "Visualization", "release_date": "2014-01-16T00:00:00-05:00", "title": "Groundwater Depletion in India Revealed by GRACE -Extended", "description": "Scientists using data from NASA's Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) have found that the groundwater beneath Northern India has been receding by as much as one foot per year over the past decade. After examining many environmental and climate factors, the team of hydrologists led by Matt Rodell of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. concluded that the loss is almost entirely due to human consumption.Groundwater comes from the natural percolation of precipitation and other surface waters down through Earth's soil and rock, accumulating in aquifers - cavities and layers of porous rock, gravel, sand, or clay. In some subterranean reservoirs, the water may be thousands to millions of years old; in others, water levels decline and rise again naturally each year. Groundwater levels do not respond to changes in weather as rapidly as lakes, streams, and rivers do. So when groundwater is pumped for irrigation or other uses, recharge to the original levels can take months or years. The animation shown here depicts the change in groundwater levels with respect to the 2003-2009 mean, as measured each month from January 2003 to June 2013. || ", "hits": 120 }, { "id": 30469, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/30469/", "result_type": "Hyperwall Visual", "release_date": "2013-11-01T12:00:00-04:00", "title": "Landsat Data Help Water-Resource Managers", "description": "In the Western United States between 80 and 90% of freshwater is used for agriculture. In Southern California irrigated farmland stretches southward across the desert from the Salton Sea—an artificial inland sea—to the Mexico border. In the natural-color image [left] acquired on May 15, 2013, by Landsat 8’s Operational Land Imager, blocks of square farmland appear in shades of green and tan, while urban areas such as El Centro, California and Mexicali, Mexico appear in shades of gray. Accurate estimates of total crop area provided by Landsat satellites can be used to help forecast commodities in the United States and the world food market. On that same day, thermal measurements from Landsat 8’s Thermal Infrared Sensor [right] show different temperatures between crop fields as well as urban and desert areas. Cooler areas (e.g., irrigated crops) appear as dark purple and red shades, while warmer areas (e.g., urban and desert areas) appear as shades of bright yellow and white. Plants cool down when they transpire, so the combination of water evaporating from the plants and the ground (i.e., evapotranspiration) lowers the temperature of the irrigated land. Pixels representing cooler areas in thermal images from TIRS help water-resource managers determine where water is being used for irrigation, allowing them to make management decisions on water distribution to preserve this scarce resource. When an earlier design of Landsat 8 did not include a thermal infrared band, the Western States Water Council advocated for its inclusion.Used in 2014 Calendar. || ", "hits": 15 }, { "id": 30218, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/30218/", "result_type": "Hyperwall Visual", "release_date": "2013-10-21T12:00:00-04:00", "title": "Ataturk Dam in Turkey from Landsat", "description": "Turkey’s Ataturk Dam was completed in 1990. It is the largest of a series of dams along the two major rivers of the region, the Tigris and Euphrates, which both have their headwaters in southeastern Turkey. It was built both to generate electricity for the region and to irrigate the plains between the Euphrates and the Tigris. In this triplet of Landsat images, the dramatic growth of the Ataturk Dam Lake in the space of 19 years is quite apparent. The newly formed lake, sometimes referred to as a sea by locals, covers some 817 square kilometer in total surface area. When the dam and its associated irrigation channels were finished, agriculture in the Harran Plains expanded. Crops such as cotton could now be grown in the dry season, where previously irrigation was limited to borewater . || ", "hits": 203 }, { "id": 30165, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/30165/", "result_type": "Hyperwall Visual", "release_date": "2013-10-17T12:00:00-04:00", "title": "Shrinking Aral Sea", "description": "In the 1960s, the Soviet Union undertook a major water diversion project on the arid plains of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan. The lake they made, the Aral Sea, was once the fourth largest lake in the world. Although irrigation made the desert bloom, it devastated the Aral Sea. At the start of the series in 2000, the lake was already a fraction of its 1960 extent (black line). The Northern Aral Sea (small) had separated from the Southern (large) Aral Sea. The Southern Aral Sea had split into an eastern and a western lobe that remained tenuously connected at both ends. By 2001, the southern connection had been severed, and the shallower eastern part retreated rapidly over the next several years. After Kazakhstan built a dam between the northern and southern parts of the Aral Sea, all of the water flowing into the desert basin from the Syr Darya stayed in the Northern Aral Sea. The differences in water color are due to changes in sediment.Images acquired from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satelliteReference: NASA’s Earth Observatory || ", "hits": 454 }, { "id": 30045, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/30045/", "result_type": "Hyperwall Visual", "release_date": "2013-06-18T00:00:00-04:00", "title": "Looking for Water Amidst the Heat", "description": "In Southern California irrigated farmland stretches north- and southward from the Salton Sea—an artificial inland sea in the desert. Blocks of square farmland appear in shades of green and tan in the natural-color image acquired on March 24, 2013 by the Operational Land Imager onboard the Landsat Data Continuity Mission—now renamed Landsat-8. On that same day, thermal measurements from the Thermal Infrared Sensor (grayscale image) show that the crops had different temperatures—specifically, cooler areas appear as dark shades, while warmer areas appear as bright shades. Dark pixels—representing cooler areas—in thermal images from TIRS help water managers determine where water is being used for irrigation. Plants cool down when they transpire, so the combination of water evaporating from the plants and the ground (i.e., evapotranspiration) lowers the temperature of the irrigated land. Scientists use these thermal measurements to calculate how much water agricultural fields are using. || ", "hits": 12 }, { "id": 11290, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/11290/", "result_type": "Produced Video", "release_date": "2013-05-23T12:00:00-04:00", "title": "Pivot Irrigation in Saudi Arabia", "description": "Saudi Arabia is drilling for a resource possibly more precious than oil.Over the last 24 years, it has tapped hidden reserves of water to grow wheat and other crops in the Syrian Desert. This time series of data shows images acquired by three different Landsat satellites operated by NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey.The green fields that dot the desert draw on water that in part was trapped during the last Ice Age. In addition to rainwater that fell over several hundred thousand years, this fossil water filled aquifers that are now buried deep under the desert's shifting sands.Saudi Arabia reaches these underground rivers and lakes by drilling through the desert floor, directly irrigating the fields with a circular sprinkler system. This technique is called center-pivot irrigation.Because rainfall in this area is now only a few centimeters (about one inch) each year, water here is a non-renewable resource. Although no one knows how much water is beneath the desert, hydrologists estimate it will only be economical to pump water for about 50 years.In this series of four Landsat images, the agricultural fields are about one kilometer (.62 miles) across. The images were created using reflected light from the short wave-infrared, near-infrared, and green portions of the electromagnetic spectrum (bands 7, 4, and 2 from Landsat 4 and 5 TM and Landsat 7 ETM+ sensors). Using this combination of wavelengths, healthy vegetation appears bright green while dry vegetation appears orange. Barren soil is a dark pink, and urban areas, like the town of Tubarjal at the top of each image, have a purple hue.Landsat 4 launched in 1982 and provided scientific data for 11 years until 1993. NASA launched Landsat 5 in 1984 and it ran a record-breaking 28 years, sending back what was likely its last data in 2011. Landsat 7 is still up and running; it was launched in 1999. The data from these and other Landsat satellites has been instrumental in increasing our understanding of forest health, storm damage, agricultural trends, urban growth, and many other ongoing changes to our land.NASA and the U.S. Department of the Interior through the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) jointly manage Landsat, and the USGS preserves a 40-year archive of Landsat images that is freely available data over the Internet. Download a still image showing four of the years: 1987, 1991, 2000, and 2012. || ", "hits": 237 }, { "id": 4071, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/4071/", "result_type": "Visualization", "release_date": "2013-05-08T12:00:00-04:00", "title": "Normalized Differential Vegetation Index critical to Agricultural Monitoring in Ukraine, Russia, and Kazakhstan", "description": "On April 29-30, 2012 the G8 International Conference on Open Data for Agriculture brought together open data and agriculture experts along with the U.S. Agriculture Secretary U.S. Chief Technology Officer, and the World Bank Vice President for Sustainable Development to explore more opportunities for open data and knowledge sharing. Governments want to help their farmers protect crops from pests and extreme weather, monitor water supplies and anticipate planting seasons that are shifting due to climate change. New satellite technologies offer enhanced capabilities for early forecasting of food production at national, regional, and global scales. The Group on Earth Observations (GEO) Global Agricultural Monitoring (GEOGLAM) program aims to strengthen national capacity in all countries from freely available data.These visuals show MODIS' satellite-derived crop NDVI Anomaly relative to average (2000-2011). Orange and brown indicate crop with below average conditions. Green indicates crop with above averate conditions. || ", "hits": 66 }, { "id": 4072, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/4072/", "result_type": "Visualization", "release_date": "2013-05-08T12:00:00-04:00", "title": "Normalized Differential Vegetation Index critical to Agricultural Monitoring in the United States", "description": "On April 29-30, 2012 the G8 International Conference on Open Data for Agriculture brought together open data and agriculture experts along with the U.S. Agriculture Secretary U.S. Chief Technology Officer, and the World Bank Vice President for Sustainable Development to explore more opportunities for open data and knowledge sharing. Governments want to help their farmers protect crops from pests and extreme weather, monitor water supplies and anticipate planting seasons that are shifting due to climate change. New satellite technologies offer enhanced capabilities for early forecasting of food production at national, regional, and global scales. The Group on Earth Observations (GEO) Global Agricultural Monitoring (GEOGLAM) program aims to strengthen national capacity in all countries from freely available data.These visuals show MODIS' satellite-derived crop NDVI Anomaly relative to average (2000-2011). Orange and brown indicate crop with below average conditions. Green indicates crop with above averate conditions. The visual compares the crop conditions or NDVI anomaly from year 2011-2012 to year 2012-2013. In the 2012-2013 year 7,342 more metric tons (MT) of wheat were produced then in the previous year, but 40,086 fewer metric tons of corn were produced. || ", "hits": 115 }, { "id": 4044, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/4044/", "result_type": "Visualization", "release_date": "2013-02-27T00:00:00-05:00", "title": "The Distributed Water Balance of the Nile Basin", "description": "This visualization shows how satellite data and NASA models are being applied to study the hydrology of the Nile basin. The Tropical Rainfall Measurement Mission (TRMM) Multisensor Precipitation Analysis (TMPA) provides three-hourly estimates of rainfall rate across much of the globe. Here we see the seasonal cycle of monthly precipitation derived from TMPA for Africa, including the Nile Basin. The annual migration of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) from the Nile Equatorial Lakes region around Lake Victoria, source of the White Nile, northward into Sudan and the highlands of Ethiopia, headwaters of the Blue Nile, and back is evident in the seasonal cycle in precipitation. This precipitation cycle drives flow through the Nile River system. The Nile basin, however, is intensely evaporative, and the majority of the water that falls as rain leaves the basin as evaporation rather than river flow—either from the humid headwaters regions or from large reservoirs and irrigation developments in Egypt and Sudan. The Atmosphere Land Exchange Inverse (ALEXI) evapotranspiration product, developed by USDA scientists, uses satellite data to map daily evapotranspiration across the entire Nile basin, providing unprecedented information on water consumption. The balance of rainfall and evapotranspiration can be seen in seasonal patterns of soil moisture, as simulated by the NASA Nile Land Data Assimilation System (LDAS), which merges satellite information with a physically-based land surface model to simulate variability in soil moisture—a critical variable for rainfed agriculture and natural ecosystems. Finally, the twin satellites of the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) can be used to monitor variability in total water storage, including surface water, soil moisture, and groundwater. The annual cycle in GRACE estimates of water storage anomalies clearly shows the seasonal movement of water storage due to precipitation patterns and the movement of surface waters from headwaters regions into the wetlands of South Sudan and the reservoirs of the lower Nile basin.The Nile is the longest river in the world and its basin is shared by 11 countries. Reliable, spatially distributed estimates of hydrologic storage and fluxes can provide critical information for water managers contending with multiple resource demands, a variable and changing climate, and the risk of damaging floods and droughts. NASA observations and modeling systems offer unique capabilities to meet these information needs. || ", "hits": 79 }, { "id": 10973, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/10973/", "result_type": "Produced Video", "release_date": "2012-05-15T00:00:00-04:00", "title": "Crop Circles", "description": "In the fields of the dry Texas panhandle, near the town of Dalhart, the traditional patchwork of working farms has been replaced by polka dots. This geometric transformation was sparked by a farming method called center-pivot irrigation, which pumps water through an extended sprinkler system that rotates like the hand of a clock, necessitating circular fields. Farmers around Dalhart have gradually adopted center-pivot irrigation since its introduction in 1949; it is ideal for the region's rolling, sandy terrain and delivers water with minimal loss to evaporation. The false-color, time-lapse images below show the square-to-circle revolution, as captured by four USGS-NASA Landsat satellites from 1972 to 2011. Red areas show healthy crops, while plots ranging in color from white to green represent bare soils and sparsely vegetated grasslands. || ", "hits": 1149 }, { "id": 10967, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/10967/", "result_type": "Produced Video", "release_date": "2012-04-30T00:00:00-04:00", "title": "Dalhart, Texas 1972-2011", "description": "A water-rich polka dot pattern takes over the traditional rectangular patchwork of fields in this 40 year sequence of Landsat images showing the dry Texas panhandle near the town of Dalhart. In this series, vegetation appears red and the bare soil of fallow fields or sparsely vegetated grasslands appear white to green. The blue-gray X near the center of the images marks the town of Dalhart. || ", "hits": 33 }, { "id": 10926, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/10926/", "result_type": "Produced Video", "release_date": "2012-03-08T12:00:00-05:00", "title": "Evaporation and Transpiration", "description": "Much of the water that soaks into the soil from irrigation or rain ultimately returns the the atmosphere as water vapor through direct evaporation from the surface or by transpiration through plant leaves as the plants use the water for growth and seed production. This loss cools the surface and plant canopy just like the evaporation of sweat cools our skin. A cool field in an arid area indicates water use by irrigation. Using the surface temperatures measured by satellites, and some additional information, water resource managers can determine the rate at which water is used in a farm field. || ", "hits": 542 }, { "id": 40098, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/landsat/", "result_type": "Gallery", "release_date": "2012-02-23T00:00:00-05:00", "title": "Landsat", "description": "Since 1972, Landsat satellites have consistently gathered data about our planet for the benefit of the U.S. and the world. The Landsat data archive is the longest continuous remotely sensed global record of Earth’s surface, with all the data free and available to the public. The Landsat satellite missions, jointly managed by NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey, are a central pillar of our national remote sensing capability and established the U.S. as a leader in land imaging.\n\nLandsat 9 is the next satellite in the program, and will add more than 700 scenes a day to this invaluable archive. As Earth’s population approaches 8 billion, Landsat 9 will extend our ability to detect and characterize land surface changes, and will do so at a scale where researchers can differentiate between natural and human-induced change. \r\n \r\nLand cover and land use are changing globally at rates unprecedented in human history. These changes bring profound consequences for weather, ecosystems, resource management, the economy, carbon storage and emissions, human health, and other aspects of society. Landsat datasets are a critical tool in monitoring and managing essential resources in a changing world.\r\n\nBelow are highlights of Landsat videos and graphics. Follow this link to see the entire collection of Landsat multimedia.\n", "hits": 454 }, { "id": 10862, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/10862/", "result_type": "Produced Video", "release_date": "2012-02-16T00:00:00-05:00", "title": "Shrinking Aral Sea", "description": "In the 1960s, the Soviet Union undertook major water diversion projects on the Syr Darya and Amu Darya rivers, capturing water that once fed into the Aral Sea. Irrigation projects made the desert bloom, but they spelled doom for the natural freshwater lake. As the Aral Sea dried up, fisheries collapsed, as did the communities that depended on them. The remaining water supply became increasingly salty and polluted with runoff from agricultural plots. Dust blowing from the exposed lakebed eventually degraded the soils, forcing further water diversion efforts to revive them. On a larger scale, loss of the Aral Sea's water influenced regional climate, making the winters even colder and the summers much hotter. Fifty years later, the lake is virtually gone. View the dramatic changes that took place over decades in this collection of satellite images. || ", "hits": 647 }, { "id": 40026, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/nasaand-agriculture-old/", "result_type": "Gallery", "release_date": "2010-03-03T00:00:00-05:00", "title": "NASA and Agriculture", "description": "NASA's fleet of satellites has been watching over Earth for more than half a century, collecting valuable data about the crops that make up our food supply and the water it takes to grow them. This wealth of information allows scientists to monitor farmland – tracking the overall food supply, where specific crops are grown, and how much water it takes to grow them with data from the Landsat satellites and others.", "hits": 35 }, { "id": 40005, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/warmingworld-snapsfromspace/", "result_type": "Gallery", "release_date": "2010-03-01T00:00:00-05:00", "title": "Warming world: Snaps from space", "description": "No description available.", "hits": 115 }, { "id": 10512, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/10512/", "result_type": "Produced Video", "release_date": "2009-10-27T00:00:00-04:00", "title": "Science for a Hungry World: Growing Water Problems", "description": "One of the biggest changes to global agriculture is less about the food itself as it is about the water we use to grow it. In some areas, farmers are using freshwater resources - including groundwater - at an alarming rate. The GRACE satellites enable scientists to discover changes to underground aquifers by monitoring changes in the Earth's gravity. In northern India, farmers rely heavily on irrigation to grow crops, and the resulting massive aquifer depletion creates an uncertain future for the region. For complete transcript, click here. || Agriculture_Episode_5_Water_512x288.05177_print.jpg (1024x576) [180.7 KB] || Agriculture_Episode_5_Water_512x288_web.png (320x180) [321.0 KB] || Agriculture_Episode_5_Water_512x288_thm.png (80x40) [18.0 KB] || Agriculture_Episode_5_Water_960x540_AppleTV.webmhd.webm (960x540) [72.9 MB] || Agriculture_Episode_5_Water_1280x720_Youtube.mov (1280x720) [76.1 MB] || Agriculture_Episode_5_Water_960x540_AppleTV.m4v (960x540) [176.9 MB] || Agriculture_Episode_5_Water_1280x720_H264.mov (1280x720) [135.9 MB] || Agriculture_Episode_5_Water_640x480_ipod.m4v (640x360) [52.9 MB] || Agriculture_Episode_5_Water_512x288.mpg (512x288) [159.1 MB] || Agriculture_Episode_5_Water_320x240.mp4 (320x180) [23.2 MB] || bigmovie-science_for_a_hungry_world_5-water_problems.hwshow || ", "hits": 30 }, { "id": 10484, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/10484/", "result_type": "Produced Video", "release_date": "2009-09-14T00:00:00-04:00", "title": "Landsat: A Space Age Water Gauge", "description": "Agriculture consumes a great deal of water. As demand for water increases, the pressure's on to make sure every drop counts. || ", "hits": 37 }, { "id": 3623, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/3623/", "result_type": "Visualization", "release_date": "2009-08-12T00:00:00-04:00", "title": "Groundwater Depletion in India Revealed by GRACE", "description": "Scientists using data from NASA's Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) have found that the groundwater beneath Northern India has been receding by as much as one foot per year over the past decade. After examining many environmental and climate factors, the team of hydrologists led by Matt Rodell of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. concluded that the loss is almost entirely due to human consumption.Groundwater comes from the natural percolation of precipitation and other surface waters down through Earth's soil and rock, accumulating in aquifers - cavities and layers of porous rock, gravel, sand, or clay. In some subterranean reservoirs, the water may be thousands to millions of years old; in others, water levels decline and rise again naturally each year. Groundwater levels do not respond to changes in weather as rapidly as lakes, streams, and rivers do. So when groundwater is pumped for irrigation or other uses, recharge to the original levels can take months or years. More than 109 cubic km (26 cubic miles) of groundwater disappeared from the region's aquifers between 2002 and 2008 — double the capacity of India's largest surface water reservoir, the Upper Wainganga, and triple that of Lake Mead, the largest manmade reservoir in the U.S. The animation shown here depicts the change in groundwater levels as measured each November between 2002 to 2008. || ", "hits": 355 }, { "id": 3112, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/3112/", "result_type": "Visualization", "release_date": "2005-02-15T12:00:00-05:00", "title": "Aral Sea Evaporation (WMS)", "description": "The Aral Sea is actually not a sea at all, but an immense fresh water lake. In the last thirty years, more than sixty percent of the lake has disappeared because much of the river flow feeding the lake was diverted to irrigate cotton fields and rice paddies. Concentrations of salts and minerals began to rise in the shrinking body of water, leading to staggering alterations in the lake's ecology and precipitous drops in the Aral's fish population. Powerful winds that blow across this part of Asia routinely pick up and deposit the now exposed lake bed soil. This has contributed to a significant reduction in breathable air quality, and crop yields have been appreciably affected due to heavily salt laden particles falling on arable land. This series of Landsat images taken in 1973, 1987 and 2000 show the profound reduction in overall area at the north end of the Aral, and a commensurate increase in land area as the floor of the sea now lies exposed. || ", "hits": 62 }, { "id": 2105, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/2105/", "result_type": "Visualization", "release_date": "2001-04-19T12:00:00-04:00", "title": "Dramatic Evaporation of the Aral Sea", "description": "Disappearing Water: The Aral Sea Over Time (From 1973 to 2001) A time series is a powerful illustrative tool. Where in the case of Las Vegas we see the direct effects of people on the land, in the case of the Aral Sea, separating the countries of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, we see indirect, but no less dramatic effects on a different part of the world. The Aral Sea is actually not a sea at all. It is an immense lake, a body of fresh water, although that particular description of its contents might now be more a figure of speech than practical fact. In the last thirty years, more than sixty percent of the lake has disappeared. As you'll see in the visualization, the change over time is dramatic. In the 1970s, farmers and state offices opened significant diversions from the rivers supplying water to the lake, sending millions of gallons to irrigate cotton fields and rice paddies. So voluminous were these irrigation sluices that concentrations of salts and minerals began to rise in the shrinking body of water. That change in chemistry has led to staggering alterations in the lake's ecology, causing precipitous drops in the Aral's fish population. A secondary effect of this reduction in the Aral Sea's overall size is the rapid exposure of the lake bed. Powerful winds that blow across this part of Asia routinely pick up and deposit tens of thousands of tons of now exposed soil every year. This has not only contributed to significant reduction in breathable air quality for nearby residents, but also appreciably affected crop yields due to those heavily salt laden particles falling on arable land. In the following sequence of images, we see a series of Landsat scenes taken several years apart. As the years pass, we see the profound reduction in overall area covered by the Aral, and a commensurate increase in land area as the floor of the sea now lies exposed. || ", "hits": 178 }, { "id": 2117, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/2117/", "result_type": "Visualization", "release_date": "2001-04-19T12:00:00-04:00", "title": "Dramatic Evaporation of the Aral Sea (With Dates)", "description": "Disappearing Water: The Aral Sea Over Time (From 1973 to 2001) A time series is a powerful illustrative tool. Where in the case of Las Vegas we see the direct effects of people on the land, in the case of the Aral Sea, separating the countries of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, we see indirect, but no less dramatic effects on a different part of the world. The Aral Sea is actually not a sea at all. It is an immense lake, a body of fresh water, although that particular description of its contents might now be more a figure of speech than practical fact. In the last thirty years, more than sixty percent of the lake has disappeared. As you'll see in the visualization, the change over time is dramatic. In the 1970s, farmers and state offices opened significant diversions from the rivers supplying water to the lake, sending millions of gallons to irrigate cotton fields and rice paddies. So voluminous were these irrigation sluices that concentrations of salts and minerals began to rise in the shrinking body of water. That change in chemistry has led to staggering alterations in the lake's ecology, causing precipitous drops in the Aral's fish population. A secondary effect of this reduction in the Aral Sea's overall size is the rapid exposure of the lake bed. Powerful winds that blow across this part of Asia routinely pick up and deposit tens of thousands of tons of now exposed soil every year. This has not only contributed to significant reduction in breathable air quality for nearby residents, but also appreciably affected crop yields due to those heavily salt laden particles falling on arable land. In the following sequence of images, we see a series of Landsat scenes taken several years apart. As the years pass, we see the profound reduction in overall area covered by the Aral, and a commensurate increase in land area as the floor of the sea now lies exposed. || ", "hits": 162 }, { "id": 2064, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/2064/", "result_type": "Visualization", "release_date": "2001-02-26T12:00:00-05:00", "title": "Lake Chad Evaporation 1963 to 1997", "description": "Located on the edge of the Sahara and bordering four countries—Chad, Cameroon, Nigeria, and Niger—the immense area of this land locked lake has nearly disappeared in recent years. Persistent drought has caused the lake to drop from its former sixth place position in the list of world's largest lakes; it is now one tenth its former size.The basin of the lake is not naturally deep, so the surface area of the lake tended to spread out, keeping the total depth to little more 23 feet (7 meters). In recent years, rainfall patterns have begun to change, and tributaries to Lake Chad have not been refilling the basin as rapidly as they used to. The lush, productive flora and fauna fed by the wetlands of the shallow lake have suffered as a result.This has led to significant changes for various communities of people that live in the vicinity of the Lake. While for some the now exposed lake bed has enabled new land to be cultivated, much of the available fresh water that might have been used for irrigation is no longer dependable. As rainfall rates appear to be declining year after year, people living nearby develop even greater dependence on the lake, draining it even faster. || ", "hits": 78 }, { "id": 2065, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/2065/", "result_type": "Visualization", "release_date": "2001-02-26T12:00:00-05:00", "title": "Lake Chad Evaporation 1973 to 1987", "description": "Located on the edge of the Sahara and bordering four countries—Chad, Cameroon, Nigeria, and Niger—the immense area of this land locked lake has nearly disappeared in recent years. Persistent drought has caused the lake to drop from its former sixth place position in the list of world's largest lakes; it is now one tenth its former size.The basin of the lake is not naturally deep, so the surface area of the lake tended to spread out, keeping the total depth to little more 23 feet (7 meters). In recent years, rainfall patterns have begun to change, and tributaries to Lake Chad have not been refilling the basin as rapidly as they used to. The lush, productive flora and fauna fed by the wetlands of the shallow lake have suffered as a result.This has led to significant changes for various communities of people that live in the vicinity of the Lake. While for some the now exposed lake bed has enabled new land to be cultivated, much of the available fresh water that might have been used for irrigation is no longer dependable. As rainfall rates appear to be declining year after year, people living nearby develop even greater dependence on the lake, draining it even faster. || ", "hits": 69 }, { "id": 2066, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/2066/", "result_type": "Visualization", "release_date": "2001-02-26T12:00:00-05:00", "title": "Lake Chad 2001", "description": "Sweep of Lake Chad, February 2001.Located on the edge of the Sahara and bordering four countries—Chad, Cameroon, Nigeria, and Niger—the immense area of this land locked lake has nearly disappeared in recent years. Persistent drought has caused the lake to drop from its former sixth place position in the list of world's largest lakes; it is now one tenth its former size.The basin of the lake is not naturally deep, so the surface area of the lake tended to spread out, keeping the total depth to little more 23 feet (7 meters). In recent years, rainfall patterns have begun to change, and tributaries to Lake Chad have not been refilling the basin as rapidly as they used to. The lush, productive flora and fauna fed by the wetlands of the shallow lake have suffered as a result.This has led to significant changes for various communities of people that live in the vicinity of the Lake. While for some the now exposed lake bed has enabled new land to be cultivated, much of the available fresh water that might have been used for irrigation is no longer dependable. As rainfall rates appear to be declining year after year, people living nearby develop even greater dependence on the lake, draining it even faster. || ", "hits": 40 } ] }