Landsat's Role in Understanding Climate Change
Long-term weather patterns averaged over 30 years or more make up our climate. Human well-being—our infrastructure and agriculture—depend on a reliable climate. This reliability allows farmers to plant seeds in the spring with confidence that temperatures and rainfall will sustain crops in the coming months. It allows communities to build and maintain roads, buildings, and drainage systems best suited to local conditions. Earth’s climate is controlled by the amount of energy that flows through the atmosphere, oceans, and land. By adding heat-trapping gases to the atmosphere—primarily carbon dioxide—people are increasing the amount of energy in the Earth system that would otherwise escape to space. This increase in energy is changing Earth’s climate, and consequently, the weather patterns that people rely on are shifting. Changes in long-term weather patterns have wide-ranging impacts on ecosystems and peoples’ lives. Designed to observe land and coastal ecosystems, Landsat instruments provide an unparalleled space-based record of the impact of climate change on Earth’s landscapes, the growth and loss of carbon- storing.
What Satellites Can Tell Us About How Animals Will Fare in a Changing Climate
From the Arctic to the Mojave Desert, terrestrial and marine habitats are quickly changing. Satellites are particularly well-suited to observe habitat transformation and help scientists forecast what animals might do next.
Glacier Behavior in High Mountain Asia
How do glaciers respond to present climate change, in particular how have ice flows evolved over the last few decades?
The Mechanics of Glacier Motion
Using Landsat 8 to document glacier velocity patterns on a mountain-range-wide scale.
How Louisiana's Coastal Marshes are Responding to Climate Change
Louisiana’s coastal marshes are responding to climate change.
Dust on a Glacier
The authors use Landsat imagery collected between 1996–2016 to analyze trends and variability in snow/ice albedo over the Himalayas.
The Eroding Hamlet of Paulatuk
The potential impacts of climate change on the Hamlet of Paulatuk in the Canadian Arctic are erosive.