NASA's Earth Observatory "Aircraft Contrails" webpage summarizes the key mechanism, measurements, and predictions of how cirrus clouds produced by contrails contribute to global warming. The page also includes an image showing a large number of contrails produced over the southeastern U. S.

This report describes the findings of two scientists who studied the chemical makeup of crystals of zircon from rocks in Western Australia's Jack Hills. The zircon crystals are thought to be 4.5 billion years old, making them some of the oldest materials yet found on Earth. The ratios of oxygen isotopes found in the crystals suggest that conditions during the Hadean Eon, the first 500 million years of Earth's history when the crystals were formed, were cooler and wetter than previously thought. Links to a glossary are embedded in the text.

This article describes the urban heat island phenomenon and provides an overview of a research project investigating the effect as seen in New York City. Topics include the large proportion of earth's population now living in cities and the exacerbating effect of climate change on heat islands. A discussion of the study in New York describes how researchers used LandSat imagery to correlate the hottest areas of the city with a lack of vegetation (especially trees) in those areas. Suggested mitigation solutions included planting more trees, converting roof surfaces to reflect light, and the use of 'green roofs', specially constructed systems that use living plants as the outermost layer.

This lithograph shows the break-off of a large iceberg from the Pine Island Glacier in West Antarctica. This event occurred between November 4th and 12th, 2001, and provides powerful evidence of rapid changes underway in this area of Antarctica. The three images presented were acquired by the vertical-viewing (nadir) camera of the Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) instrument aboard NASA's Terra spacecraft.

This Earth Observatory site contains detailed information on the carbon cycle of the Earth. It provides an explanation of the role of carbon in the geologic carbon cycle followed by a discussion of carbon in the life process, including photosynthesis and respiration. Carbon sinks on land and in the ocean are covered next, followed by the human role in the cycle. Lastly, the activity of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, (NASA), and that of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, (NOAA) in the exploration of the connection of the carbon cycle to weather and climate is covered.

This feature article from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Earth Observatory discusses the use of satellite imagery to evaluate desertification which is occurring in the Sahel, a region of central African savannah that forms the boundary between the Sahara Desert to the north and the wetter, more fertile regions to the south. Topics include the use of Very High Resolution Radiometer (VHRR) data, obtained from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) meteorological satellites, to develop a vegetation index, and exactly how the term 'desertification' should be defined in order to distinguish temporarily degraded land from that which has permanently lost productivity.

This feature article from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Earth Observatory discusses the use of satellite imagery to evaluate desertification which is occurring in the Sahel, a region of central African savannah that forms the boundary between the Sahara Desert to the north and the wetter, more fertile regions to the south. Topics include the use of Very High Resolution Radiometer (VHRR) data, obtained from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) meteorological satellites, to develop a vegetation index, and exactly how the term 'desertification' should be defined in order to distinguish temporarily degraded land from that which has permanently lost productivity.

The study of clouds (where they occur, their characteristics, etc) plays a key role in the understanding of climate change. This site discusses how the relative thickness and altitude of various cloud types result in their either reflecting solar radiation or transmitting and trapping it, thereby warming Earth's surface. It features text, a scientific illustration, and links to other relevant topics and datasets.

The study of clouds (where they occur, their characteristics, etc) plays a key role in the understanding of climate change. This site discusses how the relative thickness and altitude of various cloud types result in their either reflecting solar radiation or transmitting and trapping it, thereby warming Earth's surface. It features text, a scientific illustration, and links to other relevant topics and datasets.

This Earth Observatory site contains data and images from NASA's Earth Observatory project. The purpose of NASA's Earth Observatory is to provide an accessible publication on the Internet where the public can obtain new satellite imagery and scientific information about our home planet. The focus is on Earth's climate and environmental change. The site is useful to public media and educators. Data and images can be obtained for a variety of subjects, the Earth's atmosphere, land, life on earth, oceans and heat and energy. Users can enter data on a variety of topics and produce animations depicting the data entered. The site also contains a helpful section explaining how to build animations and globe animations.

In keeping with the trend towards global-scale monitoring, NASA has launched this Website to highlight NASA research on "regional and global changes on the planet." The site is comprised of five main sections: Modeling Earth's Land Biosphere, Reckoning With Winds (tropical cyclones), Climate Modeling, El Nino, and Benjamin Franklin (earth science). Each section contains an illustrated summary of related research with links to further information and numerous spectacular color satellite images. The section entitled Observation Deck features a data chart showing all environmental measurements displayed by the Earth Observatory and for which months data are available. Further sections include Laboratory (hurricane research), Study (where scientists report from the field), Library (includes links to data sets), and Newsroom, among others. For those interested in participating in or learning about global-scale monitoring research, this is a solid, user-friendly site.

This site provides a brief description of the Dustbowl in the American Great Plains during the 1930s and relates its effects to what is occurring presently in the Sahel of North Africa. In this dry savannah environment, human activity coupled with prolonged drought are causing desertification. The site features text, satellite imagery, and links to other related materials.

The Earth Observatory Glossary defines words from space science, ecology and Earth science. It is part of the NASA Earth Observatory site, which provides new satellite imagery and scientific information about Earth with a focus on climate and environmental change. The new glossary mode allows users to browse the Earth Observatory site with special terms highlighted that, when selected, will take you to the appropriate entry in the glossary.

This webpage from NASA's Earth Observatory site offers a picture of the Sarychev Peak eruption taken from the International Space Station. It also includes a description of the event and a link to an animation beneath the picture.

This article, from the NASA Earth Observatory, describes the formation in 1963 of the new island, Surtsey, off the southern coast of Iceland, and includes a striking satellite image. The site explains the overall geography of the small island and describes how NASA has been monitoring its erosion patterns using satellites.

This NASA page offers a brief introduction to the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ). It includes a summary of how the ITCZ is formed along with a high-definition picture of the region.

This webpage from National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) provides an astronautå�è÷€�åÜ€�_s photograph of the moon viewed from the top of the atmosphere. The appearance of the nearly translucent moon is described in regards to optics, and an introduction to NASAå�è÷€�åÜ€�_s observations of the top of the atmosphere is provided. The site also contains links to numerous new images from the Earth Observatory.

The forests of North America have seen plenty of change in a pretty short period of time, at least geologically speaking. Up until about 18,000 years ago, the Laurentide Ice Sheet covered Canada and much of the eastern United States. When temperatures climbed and the ice sheet retreated, forests gradually reemerged. But how? Did pockets of trees find refuge in sheltered areas during the Ice Age? Or were all tree species pushed to the southern tier of the United States, only to spread north again after the ice disappeared? Scientists still debate the topic, but one thing is clear: today‰Ûªs forests in the eastern United States bear little resemblance to post-glacial forests. Starting with European colonial settlers and marching through four centuries of development, drought, and fire, the tree cover of North America became fragmented.

The latest releases from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA's) Earth Observatory include a satellite image from GOES 11, the newest NOAA Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES), showing smoke plumes and heat signature from many of the fires in the western United States, including those at Mesa Verde, on the evening of July 27, 2000. This summer is the worst fire season in four years. This page also provides links to information about GOES and to other remotely-sensed images, such as Mediterranean dust cover and Pacific typhoons.

The ocean and atmosphere each react to changes in the other. These reactions and counter-reactions can snowball until the system builds to a point where potentially disastrous effects occur, such as the El Nino events of 1982-83 and 1997-98. This site describes how the Jet Propulsion Laboratory's TOPEX-Poseidon satellite was used to monitor the amount of sea level rise in the Eastern Pacific Ocean, and consequently the amount of heat stored in the water. Sea level and temperature data from TOPEX-Poseidon was used successfully to predict the 1997-98 El Nino event earlier than ever before. It features text, remotely-sensed imagery and a link to JPL's Physical Oceanography website.