Earth Observatory

Earth Observatory
Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS)
Wildfires
Dry, warm, and windy conditions across the U.S. Great Plains led to extreme fire activity in March 2026.
Posted March 31, 2026
Earth Observatory
Ice & Glaciers
Landsat 9
A network of meltwater lakes and drainage channels made an Antarctic ice shelf known for its blue ice areas even bluer.
Posted March 30, 2026
Earth Observatory
Landsat 9
Oceans
Wildlife
The activity of herring around Vancouver Island in British Columbia brightened coastal waters enough to be detectable from space.
Posted March 27, 2026
Atmospheric Temperature
Climate Modeling
Earth Observatory
Extreme Temperatures
Heat & Radiation
Temperatures in several states climbed over 100 degrees Fahrenheit in March 2026, which in some places was the highest March temperature on record.
Posted March 26, 2026
Earth Observatory
Floods
Landsat 9
Back-to-back subtropical cyclones in March fueled destructive flash flooding on several of the Hawaiian Islands.
Posted March 25, 2026
Earth Observatory
Hurricanes & Typhoons
Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS)
The powerful storm lashed the northern edge of the continent with damaging winds and drenching rain as it made landfall multiple times.
Posted March 24, 2026
Earth
Earth Observatory
Landsat 8 / LDCM (Landsat Data Continuity Mission)
Landsat 9
Life on Earth
Vegetation
Plains around the San Andreas Fault and across Carrizo Plain National Monument are awash with yellow as wildflowers bloom.
Posted March 23, 2026
Earth Observatory
Landsat 9
Volcanoes
Episode 43 of the Hawaiian volcano’s current eruption was marked by high lava fountains and widespread ash dispersal.
Posted March 20, 2026
Earth
Earth Observatory
Earth Science
Earth Surface & Interior
Landsat 8 / LDCM (Landsat Data Continuity Mission)
Life on Earth
Topography
Vegetation
Ireland is best known for its many greens, but the striking grays of the island’s Burren region also stand out in satellite images.
Posted March 17, 2026
Earth Observatory
Ice & Glaciers
Landsat 8 / LDCM (Landsat Data Continuity Mission)
Ocean Circulation
Sea Ice
During the 2022 summer melt season, sediment plumes and fractured sea ice traced swirling eddies in a branch of the Nansen Sound fjord system in the Canadian Arctic.
Posted March 16, 2026
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