Water on Earth

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

Tsunamis

Earth

Earth Science

Earthquakes

Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Natural Disasters

Oceans

Water on Earth

NASA’s GUARDIAN Tsunami Detection Tech Catches Wave in Real Time

A massive earthquake and subsequent tsunami off Russia in late July tested an experimental detection system that had deployed a critical component just the day before. A recent tsunami triggered by a magnitude 8.8 earthquake off Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula sent pressure waves to the upper layer of the atmosphere, NASA scientists have reported.

Posted September 12, 2025

Droughts

Earth

Life on Earth

Natural Disasters

Water on Earth

NASA Data, Trainings Help Uruguay Navigate Drought

When Uruguay faced its worst drought in nearly a century, the nation’s water authority turned to NASA satellite data and trainings to build a reservoir-monitoring tool.

Posted September 10, 2025

EMIT (Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source Investigation)

Earth

Earth Science Technology Office

Human Dimensions

International Space Station (ISS)

Oceans

Water on Earth

NASA Sensor on Space Station Eyes Contamination off California Coast

Proof-of-concept results from the mouth of the Tijuana River in San Diego County show how an instrument called EMIT could aid wastewater detection. An instrument built at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory to map minerals on Earth is now revealing clues about water quality.

Posted June 12, 2025

Droughts

Earth

Floods

Water on Earth