Landsat’s Role in Managing Water Resources
Water is essential for life. A third of Earth’s populace has unreliable access to clean water. With current population growth and environmental trends, the U.N. Environmental Program estimates that 1.8 billion people will face water scarcity by 2025. Water means survival for people and other species we rely upon to thrive, making proper stewardship of our water resources vital. Good decisions require good data. Since 1972 the Landsat series of satellites has been providing such data. Landsat-based decisions on how to manage limited water resources have impacted millions of people worldwide. From finding water for refugees in arid nations to reducing pollution in our national waterways, Landsat enables decisions that directly help people.
Landsat Reveals Bird Habitat Loss in California
Drought and reduced seasonal flooding of wetlands and farm fields threaten a globally important stopover site for tens of thousands of migratory shorebirds in California’s Sacramento Valley, a new Duke University-led study shows.
Where the Wetlands Are
Documenting and protecting wetlands has become crucial to the eight states and two Canadian provinces thronging the Great Lakes.
Landsat Provides Global View of Speed of Ice
Scientists are providing a near-real-time view of every large glacier and ice sheet on Earth with Landsat 8.
Mapping Dissolved Organic Matter in Tropical Inland Waters with Landsat 8
Using Landsat 8 to map the colored dissolved organic matter of inland tropical waters.
Apalachicola's Disappearing Swamp
The hardwood swamp along the Apalachicola River is slowly replaced by bottomland hardwood forest.
Mapping Croplands Over the U.S. High Plains Aquifer
Using Landsat to map croplands over the U.S. High Plains Aquifer.