Earth
Your home. Our Mission.
And the one planet that NASA studies more than any other.
NASA studies our own planet more than any other. We operate 26 missions in orbit and sponsor hundreds of research programs and studies each year. We observe our planet’s oceans, land, ice, and atmosphere, and measure how a change in one drives change in others. We develop new ways to observe and study Earth’s interconnected systems and we build long-term data records of how our planet evolves. The agency freely shares this unique knowledge and works with institutions around the world.
Filling an Air Pollution Data Gap
Many cities have shortages of air quality monitors. NASA scientists have developed a tool called GEOS-CF that can help.
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Air Quality
Air pollution is a significant threat to human health and our environment. Instruments on NASA satellites, along with airborne and ground-based sensors, are constantly collecting data on major pollutants in our atmosphere.
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Recent News
NASA, Partners Launch US Greenhouse Gas Center to Share Climate Data
The U.S. Greenhouse Gas Center will serve as a hub for collaboration between agencies across the U.S. government as well as non-profit and private sector partners.
NASA to Showcase Earth Science Data at COP28
NASA Mission Excels at Spotting Greenhouse Gas Emission Sources
Vanishing Corals, Part Two: Climate Change is Stressing Corals, But There's Hope
Data from NASA and other institutions show that the global decline in coral reefs is mainly driven by climate change and other human actions, including pollution.
Why Does Climate Change Matter?
Why does climate change matter? Because it’s happening and we’re already feeling its effects around the world. But there’s hope. NASA Chief Scientist and Senior Climate Advisor, Dr. Kate Calvin, explains how NASA collects data and develops tools that can help us better understand and prepare for climate change.
Images of the Day
Atmospheric River Flows into the Pacific Northwest
A warm, moisture-laden weather system soaked western Washington and Oregon.
Unrest at Anak Krakatau
This small, unimposing volcano between the Indonesian islands of Java and Sumatra has a destructive past.
Flooding in Southern Brazil
Storms brought flooding to Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina in November 2023, continuing a trend of wet weather in the region.
Antarctic Iceberg Sails Away
Stuck on the seafloor for decades, Iceberg A-23A now freely drifts northward toward warmer, iceberg-destroying waters.
Erebus Breaks Through
The fiery and icy upper reaches of the Antarctic volcano pierced through a canopy of clouds.
SWOT: The First Year
Launched in December 2022, the Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite – led by NASA and France's Centre National d’Études Spatiales (CNES) – is giving scientists unprecedented detail about the water on Earth’s surface. Here are a few stories from its first year.
NASA has a unique vantage point for observing the beauty and wonder of Earth and for making sense of it. Looking back from space, astronaut Edgar Mitchell once called Earth “a sparkling blue and white jewel,” and it does dazzle the eye.
Earth: a photo-essay. about
Earth Information Center (EIC)
Visit the EIC in person
In an interactive exhibit at NASA Headquarters in Washington, visitors are invited to see Earth as NASA and its research partners see it from space. Open to visitors from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. ET each Monday through Friday.
Visit the EIC Online
For six decades, satellites, sensors, and scientists have collected data on Earth’s land, water, air, and climate. On this website, you can glimpse what this data has taught us about sea level rise, air quality, wildfires, greenhouse gases, ice cover, and agriculture.
