February 22nd, 2021
Fires Raged in the Amazon Again in 2020

After intense fires in the Amazon captured global attention in 2019, fires again raged throughout the region in 2020. According to an analysis of satellite data from NASA’s Amazon dashboard, the 2020 fire season was actually more severe by some key measures. The Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) sensors on the Suomi NPP and

February 9th, 2021
NASA Satellites Help Quantify Forests’ Impacts on Global Carbon Budget 

Using ground, airborne and satellite data, a diverse team of international researchers—including NASA scientists—created a new method to assess how the changes in forests during the last two decades impacted carbon concentrations in the atmosphere. In addition to better understanding the overall role of forests in the global carbon cycle, the scientists were also able

January 26th, 2021
Sensor Onboard SpaceX Rocket to Detect Greenhouse Gas Emissions

An optical sensor that can map methane emissions from space at a resolution 100 times higher than any other sensors was deployed on Jan. 20, 2021, with the successful launch of satellite Hugo from GHGSat. The new greater granularity will allow the identification of the source of emissions, rather than just the general area.  The

January 12th, 2021
NASA’s AIM Sees First Night-Shining Clouds of Antarctic Summer

Summer in Antarctica is marked by days in which the Sun never sets, balmy temperatures that hover as high as freezing, and electric-blue clouds of ice. NASA’s Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere mission (AIM) spotted the summer’s first noctilucent, or night-shining, clouds on Dec. 8, 2020. In the days that followed, the fine wisps