With a data record of more than 50 years, Landsat is known for tracking long-term changes of Earth’s surface. However, the combined 8-day revisit of Landsat 8 and 9 allows scientists to monitor shorter-term shifts as well. Researchers use near-infrared wavelengths to measure seasonal vegetation health, as healthy vegetation reflects high amounts of near-infrared light due to chlorophyl absorption. Tracking how crops fare throughout a season helps farmers and land managers allocate water more efficiently and effectively, especially in arid regions like the desert.

In this animation, crop fields in Saudi Arabia cycle through their growing seasons. Corn, barley, sorghum, and wheat—Saudi Arabia’s four main crops—all follow different crop calendars, but the bulk of the harvesting occurs in late spring and early summer. The time series spans 2024 and January 2025. In this false-color band combination, which combines near-infrared, red, and green wavelengths of light, bright red represents healthy plants, whereas black or grey represents stressed vegetation or fallow fields. The circular fields are a result of center-pivot irrigation. In the water-scarce desert of Saudi Arabia, water for crops is pumped from aquifers buried deep underground. This water dates back to the last Ice Age. To reach it, Saudi Arabians have drilled wells as much as a kilometer below the region’s sandy surface. Since these farms get very little rainfall each year, these aquifers don’t get replenished; it’s likely that they’ll run dry within decades.