Surface Water

Earth Observatory
Surface Water
Topography
The San Juan River has carved deep, improbably curvy meanders into the desert landscape.
Posted November 6, 2026
Earth Observatory
GRACE (Gravity Recovery And Climate Experiment)
GRACE-FO (Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment Follow-on)
Ground Water
Human Dimensions
Surface Water
Human activities have become intertwined with how water is distributed across the continents. A new study brings their effects into sharper focus.
Posted October 20, 2026
Droughts
Earth Observatory
Landsat 8 / LDCM (Landsat Data Continuity Mission)
Surface Water
Drought and an ailing aquifer were major topics of conversation when NASA scientists visited with farmers in the Texas High Plains.
Posted October 8, 2026
Earth Observatory
Landsat 9
Surface Water
Vegetation
The meandering Congaree River sustains towering forest ecosystems and fashions oxbow lakes as it shifts across its floodplain.
Posted August 28, 2026
Earth Observatory
Ice & Glaciers
Surface Water
Topography
Snow-capped mountains carved by deep river valleys preside over northwestern Washington state.
Posted July 23, 2026
Earth Observatory
Ice & Glaciers
Landsat 9
Surface Water
Topography
Sediment eroded from ice-capped mountains splays out across a broad river valley on Russia’s Severny Island.
Posted July 14, 2026
Earth Observatory
Landsat 8 / LDCM (Landsat Data Continuity Mission)
Surface Water
Orange streams are now being spotted in hundreds of watersheds in permafrost areas throughout Alaska’s Brooks Range.
Posted July 13, 2026
Earth Observatory
Surface Water
Water Blooms
Water Quality
Using satellite data, researchers connected harmful algal blooms with warm water and low water levels at one of Colorado’s largest reservoirs.
Posted July 6, 2026
Earth Observatory
Landsat 5
Landsat 9
Surface Water
Relentless rains are threatening a lake in Kenya’s Great Rift Valley that has become a key hub in the global flower trade.
Posted June 23, 2026
Earth Observatory
Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS)
Sea Ice
Snow
Surface Water
Drifting sea ice fragments near Alaska’s Saint Lawrence and Nunivak islands and colorful water around the Yukon Delta heralded the approach of the summer solstice.
Posted June 22, 2026
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