
Identifying drought-prone areas and developing an early warning system for crop damage. Protecting biologically diverse areas of the National Park System with a trail monitoring tool. Confirming flooded areas to better inform decision-makers during a disaster.
Each program area supports a variety of projects that utilize Earth observations to identify challenges around the world and create innovative solutions. Our portfolio demonstrates the benefits of using NASA Earth observations to enhance decision-making and improve life on Earth.
Sort by program area to find specific projects or explore them all below.
Virginia Kalb
Sixteen years after Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Ida made landfall in the southern US on August 29, 2021. More than 1 million people lost power. NASA's Black Marble HD helped evaluate the impact of Hurricane Ida on electric grids within the neighborhoods of New Orleans...
Charlie Devine (Project Co-lead)
The Belize Barrier Reef is a biodiverse marine ecosystem and the largest coral reef system in the western hemisphere. The reef also provides ecosystem services in the form of fisheries and tourism and is estimated to be responsible for 12...
Vanessa Valenti
The Great Lakes Basin is one of the world’s largest freshwater ecosystems. The Basin harbors over 200,000 acres of wetlands that provide a variety of environmental, ecological, and recreational functions to over 30 million people in the region. Some of...
Krishna Sharma (Project Co-Lead)
The Sahtu Dene people of Délįnę have a strong traditional tie to Great Bear Lake (GBL), which they refer to as “The Water Heart.” The indigenous community is concerned with how changes in the lake may affect their livelihoods and fisheries. Arctic lakes like the...
Neda Kasraee
Since the early 2000s, wind-deposited sediment mounds have been growing and encroaching onto the Black Rock Playa of the Black Rock Desert-High Rock Canyon Emigrant Trails National Conservation Area. These sedimentary structures along the edge of the playa potentially increase dust emissions and alter the...
Abhishek Kumar
Mangroves, one of the most productive ecosystems on Earth, play a major role in coastal ecosystem processes, from mitigating erosion to acting as a barrier against tidal and storm surges associated with tropical cyclones. India has about 5 % of the world's mangrove vegetation...
Abhishek Kumar
Across the globe, mangroves play a major role in coastal ecosystem processes mitigating erosion and serving as barriers against storm surges. India holds approximately 5% of the world's mangroves, over half of which are along its east coast. Situated in the state of Odisha, Chilika...
Liping Di
Timely and accurate information on weekly crop progress and development is essential to a dynamic agricultural industry in the U. S. and the world. By law, the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) of the U. S. Department of Agriculture?s (USDA) is responsible for monitoring and...
Margaret Mulhern
The rapid expansion of human population in conjunction with industrialization has resulted in increased artificial light pollution, also known as sky glow. Anthropogenic light pollution hinders the reproductive, migratory, and predatory habits of wildlife relying on the predictable diurnal cycle. Artificial light pollution not only...
Jason Otkin
This proposal addresses the needs of the Lake Michigan Air Directors Consortium (LADCO), which conducts State Implementation Plan (SIP) air quality assessment modeling for its member states: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin. SIP modeling is required under the Clean Air Act to demonstrate strategies...