Winds flowing around Heard Island in the southwestern Indian Ocean shaped the clouds into a line of spirals.| earthobservatory.nasa.gov
When Arctic permafrost thaws, it emits gases into the atmosphere that warm the climate.| earthobservatory.nasa.gov
Temperatures are warming faster in the Arctic than anywhere else in the world. Here’s why.| earthobservatory.nasa.gov
False-color imagery of the Pilbara Craton reveals billions of years of the rich geologic history of Western Australia.| earthobservatory.nasa.gov
Powerful Santa Ana winds and dry conditions contributed to the rapid spread of several brush fires in the county.| earthobservatory.nasa.gov
The Earth Observatory shares images and stories about the environment, Earth systems, and climate that emerge from NASA research, satellite missions, and models.| earthobservatory.nasa.gov
In the early 1980s, scientists began to realize that CFCs were creating a thin spot—a hole—in the ozone layer over Antarctica every spring. This series of satellite images shows the ozone hole on the day of its maximum depth each year from 1979 through 2019.| earthobservatory.nasa.gov
Scientists’ annual checkup on Earth’s carbon cycle found that burning oil, coal, and natural gas is impeding progress to limit climate change.| earthobservatory.nasa.gov
As global and regional warming continues, winter emissions of carbon dioxide from Arctic lands are offsetting what plants absorb in the summer.| earthobservatory.nasa.gov
Using NASA data, researchers can track vegetation changes around the planet, not just in forests but also in grasslands and savannas like the Brazilian Cerrado.| earthobservatory.nasa.gov
The early season hurricane downed trees and cut off power for over two million homes and businesses near Houston.| earthobservatory.nasa.gov
Carbon flows between the atmosphere, land, and ocean in a cycle that encompasses nearly all life and sets the thermostat for Earth's climate. By burning fossil fuels, people are changing the carbon cycle with far-reaching consequences.| earthobservatory.nasa.gov
Ice fragments from Greenland and the Arctic form elaborate swirls as they are swept south.| earthobservatory.nasa.gov
The average global temperature has increased by a little more than 1° Celsius (2° Fahrenheit) since 1880. Two-thirds of the warming has occurred since 1975.| earthobservatory.nasa.gov
El Niño has not yet reached its peak, but the tiniest marine life is starting to feel the loss of its nutrient supply.| earthobservatory.nasa.gov
Two years of record global temperatures and a potent El Niño have led to extensive damage to coral reefs around the world, including the Great Barrier Reef.| earthobservatory.nasa.gov
In 2015, parts of Indonesia faced a grim season of smoke and fire.| earthobservatory.nasa.gov