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Temperature agreement - Climate 365 graphic
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Temperature agreement - Cli...
Graphic: Earth's temperature record
B-roll for media on the sea level-observing Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich satellite.
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Video: Sentinel-6 Michael F...
Video: Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich Media Reel
This view of Earth from space is a fusion of science and art, drawing on data from multiple satellite missions and the talents of NASA scientists and graphic artists.
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Twin Blue Marbles
Twin Blue Marbles
Perhaps the most impressive of cloud formations, cumulonimbus (from the Latin for “pile” and “rain cloud”) clouds form due to vigorous convection (rising and overturning) of warm, moist and unstable air. Surface air is warmed by the sun-heated ground surface and rises; if sufficient atmospheric moisture is present, water droplets will condense as the air mass encounters cooler air at higher altitudes. The air mass itself also expands and cools as it rises due to decreasing atmospheric pressure, a process known as adiabatic cooling. This type of convection is common in tropical latitudes year-round and during the summer season at higher latitudes. As water in the rising air mass condenses and changes from a gas to a liquid state, it releases energy to its surroundings, further heating the surrounding air and leading to more convection and rising of the cloud mass to higher altitudes. This leads to the characteristic vertical “towers” associated with cumulonimbus clouds, an excellent example of which is visible in this astronaut photograph. If enough moisture is present to condense and heat the cloud mass through several convective cycles, a tower can rise to altitudes of approximately 10 kilometers at high latitudes and to 20 kilometers in the tropics before encountering a region of the atmosphere known as the tropopause—the boundary between the troposphere and the stratosphere. The tropopause is characterized by a strong temperature inversion. Beyond the tropopause, the air no longer gets colder as altitude increases. The tropopause halts further upward motion of the cloud mass. The cloud tops flatten and spread into an anvil shape, as illustrated by this astronaut photograph. The photo was taken from a viewpoint that was at an angle from the vertical, rather than looking straight down towards the Earth’s surface. The image, taken while the International Space Station was located over western Africa near the Senegal-Mali border, shows a fully formed anvil cloud with numerous smaller cumulonimbus towers rising near it. The high energy levels of these storm systems typically make them hazardous due to associated heavy precipitation, lightning, high wind speeds and possible tornadoes.
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Cumulonimbus cloud over Africa
Cumulonimbus cloud over Africa
Video: Images created from GRACE data showing changes in Antarctic ice mass since 2002.
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Antarctic ice loss 2002-2016
Video: Antarctic ice loss 2002-2016
Now you see it, now you don't - Climate 365 graphic
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Now you see it, now you don...
Graphic: Dramatic glacier melt
This animation shows the change in atmospheric nitrogen dioxide (NO2) levels as a result of COVID-19 stay-at-home restrictions.
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COVID-19 Mitigation Leads t...
COVID-19 Mitigation Leads to Reduced Pollution Associated with Decreased Fossil Fuel Use
Visualization that captures sea surface temperature anomalies around the world from 1982 to 2017.
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Sea surface temperature ano...
Sea surface temperature anomaly timeline: 1982-2017
The water cycle is a never-ending global process of water circulation from clouds to the land, to the ocean, and back to the clouds. Print this page to color with your kids at home.
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Coloring Page: The Water Cycle
Coloring Page: The Water Cycle
The carbon dioxide cycle is the movement of carbon dioxide (CO2) between the land, the atmosphere, and the ocean. Print this page to color with your kids at home.
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Coloring Page: The Carbon D...
Coloring Page: The Carbon Dioxide Cycle
Video: The NASA satellite fleet in 2017, from low Earth orbit to the DSCOVR satellite taking in the million-mile view.
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Video: NASA's vantage point...
Video: NASA's vantage point to view Earth
Video: NASA scientists release the first new global map of Earth at night since 2012.
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Video: Lights of human acti...
Video: Lights of human activity shine in NASA's image of Earth at night
Video: Global sea level rise is accelerating incrementally over time rather than increasing at a steady rate.
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New study finds sea level r...
Video: New study finds sea level rise accelerating
City vs. desert - Climate365 graphic
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City vs. desert - Climate36...
Graphic: City vs. desert temperatures
Animated GIF of the Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich satellite, scheduled to launch in November 2020.
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Animated GIF: Sentinel-6 Mi...
Animated GIF: Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich
This visualization shows the complex patterns of methane emissions produced globally from January 2018 to November 2018.
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Video: Methane Sources
Video: Methane Sources
Video: Images created from GRACE data showing changes in Greenland ice mass since 2002.
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Greenland ice loss 2002-2016
Video: Greenland ice loss 2002-2016
This image shows a spinning formation of ice, clouds and low-lying fog off the eastern coast of Greenland. This image was acquired by the Landsat 7 satellite on May 14, 2001. This is a false-color composite image made using infrared, red and green wavelengths.
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Whirlpool
Whirlpool
Video: total sea level change between 1992 and 2014, based on data collected from the TOPEX/Poseidon, Jason-1 and Jason-2 satellites.
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Video: 22-year sea level rise
Video: 22-year sea level rise
Oceanographer Josh Willis discusses the heat capacity of water, performs an experiment to demonstrate heat capacity using a water balloon and describes how water's ability to store heat affects Earth's climate.
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Oceanographer Josh Willis d...
Video: Oceans of Climate Change
This visualization shows sea surface temperature (SST) data from January 2016 through March 2020.
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Sea Surface Temperature (SS...
Sea Surface Temperature (SST) from January 2016 through March 2020
A super high-definition view of how carbon dioxide in the air moves around the world with the winds.
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Super HD view of global car...
Video: Super HD view of global carbon dioxide
Rivers of ice - Climate365 graphic
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Rivers of ice - Climate365 ...
Graphic: Rivers of ice
NASA's Landsat 8 satellite captured water mixing between Georgia's ick-colored Suwannee River and the deep blue Gulf of Mexico.
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Suwannee blackwater river m...
Suwannee blackwater river meets the sea
The Mackenzie River in Canada plays a major role in Arctic climate as warmer fresh water mixes with cold seawater.  This image was taken by the Operational Land Imager on the Landsat 8 satellite on July 18, 2017.
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The Mackenzie River in Cana...
Mackenzie River

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Interactives, galleries and apps

Images of Change

Images of Change

Explore a stunning gallery of before-and-after images of Earth from land and space that reveal our home planet in a state of flux.
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Climate Mobile Apps

Climate Mobile Apps

Keep track of Earth's vital signs, see the planet in a state of flux and slow the pace of global warming with NASA's free mobile apps.
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Climate Time Machine

Climate Time Machine

Travel through Earth's recent climate history and see how increasing carbon dioxide, global temperature and sea ice have changed over time.
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Eyes on the Earth

Eyes on the Earth

Track Earth's vital signs from space and fly along with NASA's Earth-observing satellites in an interactive 3D visualization.
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Global Ice Viewer

Global Ice Viewer

Earth's ice cover is shrinking. See how climate change has affected glaciers, sea ice, and continental ice sheets.
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