Water on Earth

Droughts

Earth Observatory

Surface Water

Water on Earth

Low Water at San Carlos Reservoir

Drought and water releases drained the Arizona reservoir to levels that have led to widespread fish deaths.

Posted June 17, 2026

Earth Science

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Earth

Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Water Blooms

Water on Earth

NASA-developed AI Could Help Track Harmful Algae

NASA scientists have developed an artificial intelligence tool to take on a longstanding challenge in ocean waters. In a study recently published in AGU Earth and Space Science, researchers reported the tool was able to fuse data from multiple satellites and detect harmful algal blooms that occurred in western Florida and Southern California.

Posted May 20, 2026

NISAR (NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar)

Earth

Earth Science

Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Water on Earth

NASA-ISRO Satellite Captures Pacific Northwest Through Clouds

Seattle and Portland, Oregon, are among the cloudiest cities in the United States. But that infamous cloud cover is no match for the U.S.-Indian Earth satellite NISAR (NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar), which is designed to peer straight through clouds.

Posted March 25, 2026

Earth

Surface Water

SWOT (Surface Water and Ocean Topography)

Water on Earth

SWOT Mission Unlocks a New View of Our Waterways

Explore how rivers move, change, and sustain life across the planet with SWOT data.

Posted March 23, 2026

Astrobiology

Earth Observatory

Ice & Glaciers

Landsat 9

Planetary Analogs

Surface Water

Water on Earth

A Most Unusual Lake

Lake Unter-See in Antarctica, sealed beneath thick ice, contains unusually high levels of dissolved oxygen and cone-shaped microbial reefs resembling some of Earth’s oldest fossils.

Posted March 11, 2026

Apollo

Earth Observatory

Human Dimensions

Landsat 8 / LDCM (Landsat Data Continuity Mission)

Surface Water

Water on Earth

A Little Town with a Long Name

A NASA luminary from the Apollo era grew up in Wales near Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch.

Posted March 5, 2026

Earth

Earth Science

Jet Propulsion Laboratory

SWOT (Surface Water and Ocean Topography)

Water on Earth

US-French Satellite Takes Stock of World’s River Water

In a first, a space mission led by NASA and France has tracked Earth’s rivers swelling and shrinking from month to month over the course of a year and found significantly less of a swing than previous model-based estimates. A record drought in the Amazon likely influenced the tally made by the Surface Water and […]

Posted March 4, 2026

Earth

Water on Earth

Icy Hudson River

During a stretch of frigid weather in late January 2026, ice choked the Hudson River along Manhattan’s western shore. The OLI (Operational Land Imager) on Landsat 8 captured this image of the wintry landscape around midday on Jan. 28. This image uses representational color to distinguish ice (light blue) from open water and snow.

Posted February 9, 2026

Earth

Goddard Space Flight Center

Human Dimensions

Landsat

Oceans

PACE (Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, Ocean Ecosystem)

Water on Earth

NASA Data Helps Maine Oyster Farmers Choose Where to Grow

NASA satellites are helping Maine oyster farmers pick better sites and plan when oysters will be ready to harvest.

Posted January 15, 2026

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Earth

Goddard Space Flight Center

Human Dimensions

Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Water on Earth

Wildfires

NASA Data Powers New Tool to Protect Water Supply After Fires

When wildfires scorch a landscape, the flames are just the beginning. NASA is helping U.S. communities foresee and prepare for what can follow: mudslides, flash flooding, and contaminated water supplies.

Posted September 24, 2025