Oceans

EMIT (Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source Investigation)
Earth
Earth Science Technology Office
Human Dimensions
International Space Station (ISS)
Oceans
Water on Earth
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
SWOT (Surface Water and Ocean Topography)
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Oceanography
Oceans
The international mission collects two-dimensional views of smaller waves and currents that are bringing into focus the ocean’s role in supporting life on Earth. Small things matter, at least when it comes to ocean features like waves and eddies.
Posted May 15, 2025
Earth
Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS)
Oceans
PACE (Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, Ocean Ecosystem)
In the waters off New England, one of Earth’s rarest mammals swims slowly, mouth agape. The North Atlantic right whale filters clouds of tiny reddish zooplankton — called Calanus finmarchicus — from the sea. These zooplankton, no bigger than grains of rice, are the whale’s lifeline. Only about 370 of these massive creatures remain. For […]
Posted May 5, 2025
SWOT (Surface Water and Ocean Topography)
Earth
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Oceans
More accurate maps based on data from the SWOT mission can improve underwater navigation and result in greater knowledge of how heat and life move around the world’s ocean. There are better maps of the Moon’s surface than of the bottom of Earth’s ocean. Researchers have been working for decades to change that. As part […]
Posted March 19, 2025
Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich Satellite
Climate Science
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Oceans
Last year’s increase was due to an unusual amount of ocean warming, combined with meltwater from land-based ice such as glaciers. Global sea level rose faster than expected in 2024, mostly because of ocean water expanding as it warms, or thermal expansion. According to a NASA-led analysis, last year’s rate of rise was 0.23 inches […]
Posted March 13, 2025
Earth
Oceans
Video Series
This data visualization showing ocean currents around the world uses data from NASA’s Estimating the Circulation and Climate of the Ocean model.
Posted March 3, 2025
Earth
Goddard Space Flight Center
Oceans
NASA scientists and collaborators built the ECCO model to be the most realistic, detailed, and continuous depiction of the ocean ever developed
Posted March 3, 2025
Citizen Science
Earth Science
Oceans
FjordPhyto is a collective effort where travelers on tour expedition vessels in Antarctica help scientists at Scripps Institution of Oceanography and Universidad Nacional de La Plata study phytoplankton. Now project leader Dr. Allison Cusick has a Ph.D.! . Dr. Cusick studies how melting glaciers influence phytoplankton in the coastal regions.
Posted February 10, 2025
Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM)
Earth
Earth Science Division
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Oceans
Intrusion of saltwater into coastal groundwater can make water there unusable, damage ecosystems, and corrode infrastructure.
Posted December 11, 2024
PACE (Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, Ocean Ecosystem)
Climate Science
Oceans
SWOT (Surface Water and Ocean Topography)
One Earth satellite can see plankton that photosynthesize. The other measures water surface height. Together, their data reveals how sea life and the ocean are intertwined. The ocean is an engine that drives Earth’s weather patterns and climate and sustains a substantial portion of life on the planet. A new animation based on data from […]
Posted December 9, 2024
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