Check out this interesting video from NASA Goddard showing the continual changes in the health and status of North America forests as seen with imagery from the Landsat satellites, which have carried out remote sensing from orbit since the 1970s:

(Via Video: Satellite imagery highlights changes in US forests – DCNewsroom.) 

If you want daily updates on the earth’s environment as monitored from space, check out NASA Goddard’s app: EOSDIS Worldview

This application allows you to interactively browse global satellite imagery within hours of it being acquired.

NASA’s Worldview app lets you explore Earth as it looks right now or as it looked almost 20 years ago. Through an easy-to-use map interface, you can watch tropical storms developing over the Pacific Ocean; track the movement of icebergs after they calve from glaciers and ice shelves; see wildfires spread and grow as they burn vegetation in its path. Pan-and-zoom to your region of the world to see not only what it looks like today, but to investigate changes over time. Worldview’s nighttime lights layers provides a truly unique perspective of our planet at night.

What else can you do with Worldview? Add imagery layers by discipline, natural hazard, or key word to learn more about what’s happening on this dynamic planet. View Earth’s frozen regions with the Arctic and Antarctic views. Take a look at current natural events like tropical storms, volcanic eruptions, wildfires and icebergs at the touch of a button using the “Events” tab. See a view you like? Take a snapshot and share your map with a friend or colleague. Want to track the spread of a wildfire? You can even create an animated gif to see change over time.

 

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