Press Releases & Feature Stories Archive - Biospheric Sciences Laboratory

Sudbury Impact Structure

09.20.2021

Few craters are as large, or as old, as this impact structure in southeastern Ontario, Canada.

Climate Change Pushes Fires to Higher Ground

09.07.2021

Wildfires in the western United States have been spreading to higher elevations due to warmer and drier conditions.

Arc of Fires in the U.S. West

09.01.2021

The Caldor fire, nearing the south end of Lake Tahoe, is one of many potent fires still burning at the end of August 2021.

Media Invited to Virtual Briefing on Launch of NASA, USGS Landsat 9

08.27.2021

Officials from NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) will discuss next month’s planned launch of the Landsat 9 satellite during a media briefing at 10 a.m. EDT Tuesday, Aug. 31.

California Burning

08.22.2021

Several destructive fires have charred landscapes in northern California, and their emissions are adding up.

Evapotranspiration: Watching Over Water Use

08.19.2021

As soil and other surfaces dry, water is transferred into the air as water vapor. That is evaporation. Plants actively release water, moving it out of their leaves and stems and into the drier air. That is transpiration. Combine the two and that's evapotranspiration – the process through which water leaves plants, soils and other surfaces.

NASA Unveils New Interactive Website Ahead of Landsat 9 Launch

08.16.2021

Landsat 9, a joint NASA and U.S. Geological Survey satellite mission, is scheduled to launch Thursday, Sept. 16, from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.

NASA at Your Table: Where Food Meets Methane

08.13.2021

Today, human sources are responsible for 60% of global methane emissions, coming primarily from the burning of fossil fuels, decomposition in landfills and the agriculture sector. Nearly a quarter of methane emissions can be attributed to agriculture.

Fire Consumes Large Swaths of Greece

08.12.2021

Fires in the country have consumed five times as much land as they do in an average year.

Sizing Up How Agriculture Connects to Deforestation

08.11.2021

Using satellite data from the past two decades, scientists are starting to pinpoint which crops and farming styles have lasting impacts on forests.

An Unusually Smoky Fire Season in Sakha

08.10.2021

Wildfires are approaching records for estimated carbon emissions.

California’s Dixie Fire Keeps on Growing

08.07.2021

The largest fire currently burning in the United States continues to produce enormous plumes of smoke.

Wildfire Data Resources - From our partners at Earthdata

08.06.2021

Wildland fire is a necessary and natural force that connects terrestrial systems to the atmosphere and shapes Earth's climate. This new resource provides links to data, tools, articles, and other resources to help users familiarize themselves with NASA wildfire-related datasets and serves as a great place to start for those new to working with NASA

Fires Rage in Turkey

08.03.2021

More land has been consumed already this year than usually burns in an entire year in the country.

Trapped Saltwater Caused Mangrove Death After Hurricane Irma, NASA Data Show

08.02.2021

When Hurricane Irma hit southern Florida in September of 2017, the storm buffeted coastal mangrove forests with winds over 116 mph – strong enough to rip off leaves, break branches, and snap tree trunks in half. Of the mangrove forest damaged by Hurricane Irma, about 83% recovered after the first year. But the rest didn’t, leaving scientists wonder

Drought in Madagascar

08.02.2021

The lack of rainfall and other environmental factors have taken a toll on the region’s vegetation and agricultural production, leaving many in the region facing severe hunger.

Shoring up the Corn Belt’s Soil Health With NASA Data

07.28.2021

After the corn harvest last fall, Illinois farmer Paul Jeschke planted a fraction of his fields with cereal rye: 60 acres of the 4,500 he farms with his wife, nephew and brother-in-law, tucked behind a pasture, out of neighbors’ sight. That way they could experiment with cover crops, Jeschke explained, and no one could view potential failures.

Heating Up in Tokyo

07.27.2021

Ever-warmer summers are among the challenges confronting athletes competing in the Olympic Games.

NASA At Your Table: The Space Agency's Surprising Role in Agriculture

07.26.2021

Everybody needs to eat. With observations from space and aircraft, combined with high-end computer modeling, NASA scientists work with partner agencies, organizations, farmers, ranchers, fishermen, and decision makers to share our understanding of the relationship between the Earth system and the environments that provide us food.

Smoke Across North America

07.23.2021

Skies turned hazy from Pittsburgh to Washington to Boston, as smoke from fires in Canada poured into the U.S. Northeast.

Deadly Floods Surprise Europe

07.20.2021

Flash floods have devastated several communities in Germany, Belgium, and The Netherlands.

NASA Invites Media to Launch of Landsat 9 From West Coast

07.19.2021

Media accreditation is open for the upcoming launch of the Landsat 9 satellite, a joint NASA and U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) mission that will continue the legacy of monitoring Earth???s land and coastal regions that began with the first Landsat in 1972.