❌

Normal view

Received — 21 July 2026 ⏭

Shaping the Emerald City

✇NASA
20 July 2026 at 05:01
A top-down photo of the greater Seattle area shows a mix of light-colored developed areas and green parks and neighborhoods. Puget Sound and Lake Washington run along Seattle’s west and east sides, respectively.
June 16, 2026

Seattle, Washington—sometimes known as the “Emerald City”—was glimmering in the morning sunlight when an astronaut aboard the International Space Station took this photo on June 16, 2026. The city’s parks and tree-filled neighborhoods lend a lush, green look to the metropolis, while tall buildings downtown cast long shadows and ships navigate surrounding waterways.

The broad contours of the city’s landscape and the water around it owe their shape to the advance and retreat of glaciers during the last ice age. Between roughly 18,000 and 16,000 years ago, the Puget lobe of the Cordilleran ice sheet covered the area in a mass of ice up to 3,300 feet (1,000 meters) thick. The glacier scoured the basins now occupied by Puget Sound and the region’s lakes. 

The glacier left its mark above water, too. Several of Seattle’s notorious hills (of which there are seven or more, depending on who’s counting) are drumlins. These elongated mounds of glacial debris run north-south, parallel to the direction of the ice’s movement. East-west travelers in the city, facing challenging ups and downs, may attest to this topographic trend.

The ice also transported large boulders called glacial erratics from more northerly locations and deposited them around the region. A particularly large erratic, the Wedgwood Rock, stands about 20 feet (6 meters) tall and draws its name from the North Seattle neighborhood in which it rests.

A top-down photo focuses on downtown Seattle, where tall buildings cast long shadows. Green neighborhoods and parks surround the dense urban development, and large waterbodies lie to the east and west.
June 16, 2026

In more recent times, humans have undertaken projects to rework the topography. Notable alterations include leveling Denny Hill north of downtown and filling in tideflats at the mouth of the Duwamish River south of downtown, which created around 1,300 acres of new land. Seattle’s professional sports stadiums sit atop this fill.

This photo was acquired after several development projects to update waterfront infrastructure downtown, initiated in 2010, were completed. These include a new ferry dock and terminal, a rebuilt seawall, and a tunnel to replace an above-ground highway and create more inviting public access to the waterfront.

Some replumbing of the region’s waterways is apparent from the astronaut’s perspective, as well. In the 1910s, the Army Corps of Engineers built canals on either side of Lake Union to connect Puget Sound (an inlet of the Pacific Ocean) with Lake Washington. Starting in 1916, the Montlake Cut connected Lake Washington to Lake Union, and the Ballard Locks, northwest of Lake Union, began raising and lowering watercraft between the freshwater lakes and tidal Puget Sound. As a result of this project, Lake Washington’s water level dropped about 9 feet (3 meters) and ceased draining from its natural outlet at its southern end.

Today, the waters in and around Seattle support many uses: container ships, cruise ships, car and passenger ferries, floatplanes, and recreational craft ply the sound and lakes. And as for Seattle’s emerald nickname, pockets of old-growth forest still exist within city limits, containing centuries-old trees such as Douglas fir, Western red cedar, and Western hemlock. Seattleites often spot wildlife such as bald eagles, coyotes, and sea lions in the city’s various habitats.

Astronaut photograph ISS074-E-723719 was acquired on June 16, 2026, with a Nikon Z9 digital camera using a focal length of 560 millimeters. It is provided by the ISS Crew Earth Observations Facility and the Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit at NASA Johnson Space Center. The image was taken by a member of the Expedition 74 crew. The image has been cropped and enhanced to improve contrast, and lens artifacts have been removed. The International Space Station Program supports the laboratory as part of the ISS National Lab to help astronauts take pictures of Earth that will be of the greatest value to scientists and the public, and to make those images freely available on the Internet. Additional images taken by astronauts and cosmonauts can be viewed at the NASA/JSC Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth. Story by Lindsey Doermann.

Downloads

A top-down photo of the greater Seattle area shows a mix of light-colored developed areas and green parks and neighborhoods. Puget Sound and Lake Washington run along Seattle’s west and east sides, respectively.

June 16, 2026: Wide view

JPEG (14.37 MB)

A top-down photo focuses on downtown Seattle, where tall buildings cast long shadows. Green neighborhoods and parks surround the dense urban development, and large waterbodies lie to the east and west.

June 16, 2026: Detailed view

JPEG (6.72 MB)

References & Resources

You may also be interested in:

Stay up-to-date with the latest content from NASA as we explore the universe and discover more about our home planet.
Farming in Ancient Lake Agassiz
3 min read

The glacial lake left a layer of silt and clay in southeastern Manitoba, creating fertile farmland that was divided during…

Article
A Most Unusual Lake
4 min read

Lake Unter-See in Antarctica, sealed beneath thick ice, has unusual water chemistry and cone-shaped microbial structures resembling some of Earth’s…

Article
Tyndall’s Trail of Bergs
4 min read

Ice splintered off the southern Patagonia glacier and drifted across a growing glacial lake.

Article
Received — 16 July 2026 ⏭

Ontario Wildfire Smoke Moves East

✇NASA Science
By: Lauren Dauphin
16 July 2026 at 05:00
A satellite image shows brown smoke from wildfires in Ontario, Canada, streaming east across parts of Canada and the U.S. Areas of white clouds are mixed in with the smoke.
Smoke from wildland fires pours eastward over Canada and the U.S. in an image captured on the afternoon of July 14, 2026, by the VIIRS (Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite) on the NOAA-21 satellite.
NASA Earth Observatory/Lauren Dauphin

After a slow start to Canada’s 2026 fire season, activity picked up by the end of June amid dry, warm conditions and returned closer to the 25-year average. By mid-July, almost 850 fires were actively burning across the country, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre. More than 180 of those were burning in Ontario.

This NOAA-21 image, acquired on the afternoon of July 14, 2026, shows smoke billowing from the Ontario fires. Winds carried the smoke primarily southeast over much of the southern part of the province, as well as parts of Quebec and the U.S. Midwest and Northeast, tinting the sky shades of gray and yellow and the Sun orange in many areas.

The smoke’s impact on air quality varied, depending largely on altitude. In areas where smoke was high in the atmosphere, air quality impacts were negligible; where it drifted closer to the ground, conditions worsened. Air quality in Toronto, for instance, reached unhealthy levels, according to AirNow. People in the southern parts of the province were also grappling with a heat wave, compounding the health risks.

Much of the smoke came from fires in Northwestern Ontario, where eight blazes saw significant growth on July 13 and 14. The fires prompted officials to issue evacuation orders for several communities in this part of the province, according to news reports.

As of July 14, fires across Canada have burned 1.9 million hectares (4.7 million acres) since the start of the year—still well below the season totals from the extreme fire years of 2023 and 2025. How the rest of the season plays out remains to be seen. A seasonal fire outlook—compiled by wildland fire experts from the U.S., Canada, and Mexico—shows where fire conditions are more or less likely through July, August, and September.

NASA Earth Observatory image by Lauren Dauphin, using VIIRS data from NASA EOSDIS LANCE , GIBS/Worldview , and the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS). Story by Kathryn Hansen.

Downloads

A satellite image shows brown smoke from wildfires in Ontario, Canada, streaming east across parts of Canada and the U.S. Areas of white clouds are mixed in with the smoke.

July 14, 2026

JPEG (3.96 MB)

References & Resources

You may also be interested in:

Stay up-to-date with the latest content from NASA as we explore the universe and discover more about our home planet.
Fighting Fire With Fire
3 min read

In fire-prone ecosystems in Australia’s Northern Territory, prescribed burns are lit to minimize the severity of fires later in the…

Article
Fires Tear Through Nebraska Grasslands
3 min read

Dry, warm, and windy conditions across the U.S. Great Plains led to extreme fire activity in March 2026.

Article
Cottonwood Fire Chars Utah
5 min read

The blaze burned more than 150 square miles and swept through parts of a ski resort.

Article

The post Ontario Wildfire Smoke Moves East appeared first on NASA Science.

Ontario Wildfire Smoke Moves East

✇NASA
16 July 2026 at 05:00
A satellite image shows brown smoke from wildfires in Ontario, Canada, streaming east across parts of Canada and the U.S. Areas of white clouds are mixed in with the smoke.
Smoke from wildland fires pours eastward over Canada and the U.S. in an image captured on the afternoon of July 14, 2026, by the VIIRS (Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite) on the NOAA-21 satellite.
NASA Earth Observatory/Lauren Dauphin

After a slow start to Canada’s 2026 fire season, activity picked up by the end of June amid dry, warm conditions and returned closer to the 25-year average. By mid-July, almost 850 fires were actively burning across the country, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre. More than 180 of those were burning in Ontario.

This NOAA-21 image, acquired on the afternoon of July 14, 2026, shows smoke billowing from the Ontario fires. Winds carried the smoke primarily southeast over much of the southern part of the province, as well as parts of Quebec and the U.S. Midwest and Northeast, tinting the sky shades of gray and yellow and the Sun orange in many areas.

The smoke’s impact on air quality varied, depending largely on altitude. In areas where smoke was high in the atmosphere, air quality impacts were negligible; where it drifted closer to the ground, conditions worsened. Air quality in Toronto, for instance, reached unhealthy levels, according to AirNow. People in the southern parts of the province were also grappling with a heat wave, compounding the health risks.

Much of the smoke came from fires in Northwestern Ontario, where eight blazes saw significant growth on July 13 and 14. The fires prompted officials to issue evacuation orders for several communities in this part of the province, according to news reports.

As of July 14, fires across Canada have burned 1.9 million hectares (4.7 million acres) since the start of the year—still well below the season totals from the extreme fire years of 2023 and 2025. How the rest of the season plays out remains to be seen. A seasonal fire outlook—compiled by wildland fire experts from the U.S., Canada, and Mexico—shows where fire conditions are more or less likely through July, August, and September.

NASA Earth Observatory image by Lauren Dauphin, using VIIRS data from NASA EOSDIS LANCE , GIBS/Worldview , and the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS). Story by Kathryn Hansen.

Downloads

A satellite image shows brown smoke from wildfires in Ontario, Canada, streaming east across parts of Canada and the U.S. Areas of white clouds are mixed in with the smoke.

July 14, 2026

JPEG (3.96 MB)

References & Resources

You may also be interested in:

Stay up-to-date with the latest content from NASA as we explore the universe and discover more about our home planet.
Fighting Fire With Fire
3 min read

In fire-prone ecosystems in Australia’s Northern Territory, prescribed burns are lit to minimize the severity of fires later in the…

Article
Fires Tear Through Nebraska Grasslands
3 min read

Dry, warm, and windy conditions across the U.S. Great Plains led to extreme fire activity in March 2026.

Article
Cottonwood Fire Chars Utah
5 min read

The blaze burned more than 150 square miles and swept through parts of a ski resort.

Article
Received — 9 July 2026 ⏭

Super Typhoon Bavi

✇NASA
9 July 2026 at 05:01
The eyewall of a super typhoon is partially illuminated by moonlight in a nighttime satellite image.
Moonlight illuminates the western side of Super Typhoon Bavi’s eyewall at about 15:30 Universal Time on July 5 (1:30 a.m. local time on July 6). The image was acquired with the VIIRS (Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite) day-night band on the NOAA-20 satellite.
NASA Earth Observatory/Michala Garrison

In early July 2026, for the second time in three months, a powerful typhoon crossed the U.S. Northern Mariana Islands and Guam in the North Pacific Ocean. Super Typhoon Bavi was at peak intensity when it neared the islands on the night of July 5, bringing winds of 290 kilometers (180 miles) per hour, along with torrential rain and dangerous storm surge.

This nighttime image, captured by the VIIRS (Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite) on the NOAA-20 satellite, shows Bavi’s eye at about 15:30 Universal Time on July 5 (1:30 a.m. local time on July 6). Light from the Moon, which was in the waning gibbous phase, illuminates the eyewall’s western side. The eye passed over Rota, north of Guam, several hours after the image was acquired.

Bavi became a super typhoon in the early hours of July 4 local time while tracking west over the warm ocean. Satellite observations indicated that sea surface temperatures were around 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit) in the region. Bavi was the third tropical cyclone in 2026 to reach category 5 intensity on the Saffir-Simpson wind scale.

The typhoon caused extensive damage across Guam, Rota, and Saipan, according to news reports, downing power poles and lines; flooding roads and littering them with debris; and damaging buildings, including a water distribution station on Rota. U.S. Coast Guard crews worked to clear navigation hazards in the waterways around Guam and the Northern Marianas and reopen ports as dangerous marine conditions subsided, according to reports. This damage comes on top of destructive winds and flooding from Super Typhoon Sinlaku, which crossed the islands in mid-April.

The spiraling clouds of Super Typhoon Bavi appear over the Philippine Sea southeast of Taiwan. The storm’s westward track is shown in colors corresponding to wind speed.
Super Typhoon Bavi tracked west over the Northern Mariana Islands toward Asia in early July 2026. The storm’s clouds and path are overlaid on a Blue Marble: Next Generation image built from scenes captured by the MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer). The image of the storm was captured by the VIIRS (Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite) on the NOAA-21 satellite on July 8, 2026, at about 04:30 Universal Time.
NASA Earth Observatory/Michala Garrison

On July 8, Bavi remained a powerful typhoon as it moved west over the Philippine Sea. In the early afternoon, when the image above was captured, the National Weather Service reported maximum sustained wind speeds of 250 kilometers (155 miles) per hour. Forecasts indicated the typhoon’s track could bend northwest toward Taiwan, the Ryukyu Islands of southern Japan, and mainland China and weaken over the next several days.

Writing in Yale Climate Connections, meteorologist Jeff Masters said that Bavi is the type of storm that might be expected when a strong El Niño event is building, which is currently the case. El Niño-year typhoons may form farther east, giving them more time over warm water to intensify before curving toward Asia, Masters explained, “resulting in a greater chance of reaching Category 5 intensity.”

NASA Earth Observatory images by Michala Garrison, using data from NASA EOSDIS LANCE, GIBS/Worldview, and the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS), and hurricane track data from the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory. Story by Lindsey Doermann.

Downloads

The eyewall of a super typhoon is partially illuminated by moonlight in a nighttime satellite image.

July 5, 2026

JPEG (1.47 MB)

The spiraling clouds of Super Typhoon Bavi appear over the Philippine Sea southeast of Taiwan. The storm’s westward track is shown in colors corresponding to wind speed.

July 8, 2026

JPEG (1.54 MB)

References & Resources

You may also be interested in:

Stay up-to-date with the latest content from NASA as we explore the universe and discover more about our home planet.
Super Typhoon Sinlaku
3 min read

The violent storm aimed at the U.S. Northern Mariana Islands and Guam in mid-April 2026.

Article
Typhoon Jangmi
2 min read

The sprawling storm promised to deliver torrential rain across a wide swath of southern Japan.

Article
Gravity Waves From Super Typhoon Sinlaku
4 min read

Satellites observed striking upper-atmosphere phenomena generated by an intensifying tropical cyclone.

Article

Cottonwood Fire Chars Utah

✇NASA
8 July 2026 at 05:01




June 5
June 29

Mountainous landscapes appear green and untouched by fire in a satellite image acquired on June 5, 2026.
Mountainous landscapes appear green and untouched by fire in a satellite image acquired on June 5, 2026.
NASA Earth Observatory/Michala Garrison

An image of the same area shows a large brown patch spanning much of the image in an image acquired after the fire on June 29, 2026.
An image of the same area shows a large brown patch spanning much of the image in an image acquired after the fire on June 29, 2026.
NASA Earth Observatory/Michala Garrison

Mountainous landscapes appear green and untouched by fire in a satellite image acquired on June 5, 2026.
Mountainous landscapes appear green and untouched by fire in a satellite image acquired on June 5, 2026.
NASA Earth Observatory/Michala Garrison
An image of the same area shows a large brown patch spanning much of the image in an image acquired after the fire on June 29, 2026.
An image of the same area shows a large brown patch spanning much of the image in an image acquired after the fire on June 29, 2026.
NASA Earth Observatory/Michala Garrison

June 5

June 29


A burned landscape spans more than 150 square miles (390 square kilometers) of rugged terrain northwest of Junction, Utah, as seen in this pair of images captured by the OLI (Operational Land Imager) on Landsat 8 and Landsat 9 on June 5, 2026 (left) and June 29, 2026 (right). NASA Earth Observatory images by Michala Garrison.

After a winter of below-average snowpack and an unusually warm and dry start to summer, the National Interagency Fire Center warned that the Great Basin and parts of the Rockies faced an elevated risk of wildfires in July 2026.

The warning proved accurate. By July 7, firefighters labored to contain nearly three dozen large, early-season wildland fires that raced through forests in several parts of the western U.S. Utah was among the most active states, with fires having charred 558 square miles (1,445 square kilometers) and four major fires that were not fully contained still burning.

The Cottonwood fire ranked as one of Utah’s—and the country’s—largest and most destructive fires of the year so far. As of July 7, it had burned 150 square miles (390 square kilometers), just shy of the Babylon fire in eastern Utah. Landsat 9 captured the false-color image (bands 7-5-4) above (right) on June 29, 2026, when blackened vegetation spanned a large patch of rugged terrain along the Beaver River. The image on the left shows the same area on June 5, a few weeks before the fire ignited. In this band combination of shortwave infrared, near infrared, and visible light, unburned vegetation appears bright green, snow is blue, and clouds are white.

Ponderosa pine, oak, sagebrush, and grasses were among the vegetation types that burned. Officials with the state’s forestry division told news media that the Cottonwood fire had destroyed up to 150 structures. Eagle Point Ski Resort, which lost more than 100 condos and 30 cabins, also reported damage to four of its five chairlifts.

The damage to forests was extensive, though isolated patches survived largely unscathed, remaining as green oases within the broader burned area. Among them were the forests around Tushar Campground, the site of a 4-H summer camp. Beaver County officials credited years of forest treatments, such as clearing brush and trimming branches, with helping save the campground and surrounding forests.

The fire spreads especially rapidly on June 23 and June 26. The fire perimeters in this visualization are based on data from NASA’s Fire Events Data Suite.
NASA Earth Observatory/Michala Garrison

As the fire spread, NASA’s Fire Events Data Suite (FEDS) tracked its progression and rate of growth. The visualization above, based on the FEDS system, shows the fire surging on June 23 and tripling in size over 12 hours that day as it spread to the north, east, and south. It also grew rapidly on June 26, when it made a run to the north. FEDS draws on data from the VIIRS (Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite) sensors aboard the Suomi NPP, NOAA-20, and NOAA-21 satellites, which detect active fires day and night by their thermal infrared signature.

FEDS is one of several tools available to firefighters and emergency management officials when responding to fires. First responders often rely on higher-resolution airborne imagers or on firefighters walking fire edges to map perimeters. FEDS offers a different advantage: consistent, easily accessible data that do not need to be specially requested, according to Tempest McCabe, a University of Maryland scientist based at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center who helped develop the tool. As a result, FEDS often detects a fire’s start earlier than other sources and tracks blazes for their full duration. To capitalize on strengths like these, the FEDS team is working closely with operational fire behavior analysts, with support from NASA’s FireSense program, to better understand and anticipate periods of rapid fire spread.

A total of 1,289 firefighters have been deployed to the Cottonwood fire, according to InciWeb, a website managed by the National Interagency Fire Center. As of July 7, the fire was 56 percent contained, but forecasters expect a hot, dry weather pattern to persist in the coming days, with fire behavior likely to be “very active to extreme” over the next 72 hours.

Government satellite data are part of a global system of observations used to track fire behavior and analyze emerging trends. Among the real-time wildfire monitoring tools that NASA makes available are FIRMS (Fire Information for Resource Management System), the Worldview browser, and the Fire Event Explorer.

As of July 7, 2026, fires had burned 5,265 square miles (13,636 square kilometers) across the United States, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. That’s 46 percent more than the 10-year average (2016-2025) for that point in the season.

NASA Earth Observatory images by Michala Garrison, using Landsat data from the U.S. Geological Survey and fire perimeter data from the Fire Events Data Suite. Story by Adam Voiland.

Downloads

Mountainous landscapes appear green and untouched by fire in a satellite image acquired on June 5, 2026.

June 5, 2026

JPEG (1.39 MB)

An image of the same area shows a large brown patch spanning much of the image in an image acquired after the fire on June 29, 2026.

June 29, 2026

JPEG (1.41 MB)

An animation shows the expansion of the fire between June 23 and July 7, with the burned area from the fire beginning as a small patch near Beaver, Utah, and then spreading north, east, and south.

FEDS fire perimeter (June 23-July 7)

JPEG (1.80 MB)

References & Resources

You may also be interested in:

Stay up-to-date with the latest content from NASA as we explore the universe and discover more about our home planet.
Fires Tear Through Nebraska Grasslands
3 min read

Dry, warm, and windy conditions across the U.S. Great Plains led to extreme fire activity in March 2026.

Article
Fire’s Footprint on Santa Rosa Island
3 min read

A wildland fire charred grassland, coastal sage scrub, and chaparral across one-third of the island, the second largest of the…

Article
Smoke Rises Over Big Cypress National Preserve
2 min read

The National fire has burned tens of thousands of acres within the Florida preserve, fueled by vegetation dried by prolonged…

Article

July 2026 Satellite Puzzler

✇NASA
7 July 2026 at 16:48
A braided river meanders across the image. Smaller streams empty into the wide channel from either side, forming fan-shaped deposits.

Every month, NASA Earth Observatory features a puzzling satellite image. The July 2026 puzzler appears above. 

Your Challenge
Identify the location shown in this satellite image. Share what clues you see, where you think it is, and what makes this place interesting or unique to you.

How to Answer
Submit your response using this form and select “Puzzler Answer” as the topic. Please include your preferred name or alias.

You can keep it simple and just guess the location. Want to impress us? Tell us which satellite and instrument captured the image, which spectral bands were used, or point out a subtle detail about the geology or history of the area. If something catches your eye, or if this is your home or means something to you, we’d love to hear about it.

The Prize
We can’t offer prize money or a trip to space to see Earth like satellites and astronauts do. But we can offer something almost as rewarding: puzzler bragging rights.

About a week after the challenge, we’ll post the answer at the top of this page, along with a link to an Earth Observatory Image of the Day story that explains the image in more detail. We’ll recognize the first person who correctly guesses the location, and we may also highlight readers who share especially thoughtful or interesting answers. By submitting a response, you acknowledge that your comments may be edited, excerpted, and published on this page.

Until then, zoom in, look closely, and enjoy the challenge. See you at the reveal!

The World Cup From 250 Miles Up

✇NASA
7 July 2026 at 05:00
An aerial view of the San Francisco Bay Area Stadium, middle-left, is surrounded by urban infrastructure. Colorful ponds of the southern San Francisco Bay are visible toward the top.
July 26, 2022

In summer 2026, sixteen stadiums across North America hosted matches as part of the FIFA World Cup. Over the years, astronauts aboard the International Space Station have captured a top-down view of the infrastructure, landscapes, and ecosystems surrounding many of these venues.  

Six of the matches were played at the San Francisco Bay Area Stadium, beginning on June 13 with a match-up between Qatar and Switzerland. This stadium (also called Levi’s Stadium) is located in Santa Clara, California, adjacent to San Jose and around 40 miles (64 kilometers) south of San Francisco. An astronaut aboard the International Space Station took this photo (above) on July 26, 2022.

The stadium, completed in 2014, is surrounded by a mix of recreational, housing, and business infrastructure. The scene includes the southern part of San Francisco Bay, which is 23 years into a 50-year effort to restore up to 90 percent of the region’s salt ponds to tidal wetlands and marshlands, while retaining some of its salt-making heritage.

The Bay Area hosted its sixth and final World Cup match on July 1, when the U.S. faced off against Bosnia and Herzegovina in a knockout match. The U.S. advanced to the round of 16 following a 2-0 win.

An aerial view of the San Francisco Bay Area Stadium, middle-left, is surrounded by urban infrastructure. Colorful ponds of the southern San Francisco Bay are visible toward the top.
April 17, 2022

The FIFA World Cup final is scheduled for July 19 at New York New Jersey Stadium, part of the Meadowlands Sports Complex, in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The stadium (also called MetLife Stadium) sits along the New Jersey Turnpike, west of Midtown Manhattan. Note that north is toward the bottom-right of this photo, captured by an astronaut on April 17, 2022.

The area has seen centuries of human impact. Colonists cleared wetlands and cedar forest for settlements, and development for a range of economic and industrial uses followed. In the 20th century, it became an unregulated dumping ground. In recent decades, though, wetland restoration efforts have occurred alongside the development of the sports and entertainment complex.

Other World Cup host cities have also appeared in astronaut photography and satellite imagery. Guadalajara Stadium (Estadio Akron), Los Angeles Stadium (SoFi Stadium), Houston Stadium (NRG Stadium/Reliant Stadium), and BC Place Vancouver (BC Place) are among the venues that have been observed from above.

Astronaut photograph ISS067-E-202213 was acquired on July 26, 2022, with a Nikon D5 digital camera using a focal length of 400 millimeters, and astronaut photograph ISS067-E-18580 was acquired on April 17, 2022, with a Nikon D5 digital camera using a focal length of 1150 millimeters. They are provided by the ISS Crew Earth Observations Facility and the Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit at NASA Johnson Space Center. The images were taken by a member of the Expedition 67 crew. The images have been cropped and enhanced to improve contrast, and lens artifacts have been removed. The International Space Station Program supports the laboratory as part of the ISS National Lab to help astronauts take pictures of Earth that will be of the greatest value to scientists and the public, and to make those images freely available on the Internet. Additional images taken by astronauts and cosmonauts can be viewed at the NASA/JSC Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth. Story by Kathryn Hansen.

Downloads

An aerial view of the San Francisco Bay Area Stadium, middle-left, is surrounded by urban infrastructure. Colorful ponds of the southern San Francisco Bay are visible toward the top.

July 26, 2022

JPEG (17.97 MB)

An aerial view shows the New York New Jersey Stadium and surrounding Meadowlands on the right, with the dense urban landscape of Manhattan Island centered in the frame.

April 17, 2022

JPEG (3.18 MB)

References & Resources

You may also be interested in:

Stay up-to-date with the latest content from NASA as we explore the universe and discover more about our home planet.
Great Balls of Fire
4 min read

An astronaut on the International Space Station was surprised to photograph a shower of light streaking through the darkness while…

Article
San Francisco’s Metropolitan Mosaic
3 min read

Urban development, green spaces, and maritime activity converge in this Northern California city.

Article
A Moonlit Earth as Seen From Artemis II
4 min read

An astronaut’s photo, taken en route to the Moon, reveals our planet and its place in space in a novel…

Article
Received — 24 June 2026 ⏭

Playing the Moon Game 

✇NASA
24 June 2026 at 05:01
A satellite image shows part of Alaska’s Katmai National Park. A chain of snowy mountain peaks stretches from the bottom left corner to the right side of the image. The Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes is a long, tan-colored feature runs toward the northwest in the upper-left.
September 29, 2025

In preparing to visit the Moon’s surface, soon-to-be lunar explorers in NASA’s Apollo program first ventured into a variety of unfamiliar landscapes on Earth. A couple of these trips, in the summers of 1965 and 1966, took astronauts to Alaska’s remote Katmai National Park for simulations of field geology in Moon-like environments.

In one exercise, which they called “playing the Moon game,” pairs of astronauts were placed at unfamiliar field sites and asked to pretend as if they were on the Moon. By the account of William Phinney, Apollo’s science training coordinator, they were tasked with collecting representative geologic samples and practicing how to communicate their observations to scientists.

A detailed satellite image centers on the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes in Alaska. The tan-colored feature runs southeast-to-northwest. Snowy peaks appear on the right side of the image, and green, forested valleys fill the left side.
September 29, 2025

The Alaskan setting for the Moon game was an unusual volcanic landscape called the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes. The valley is full of debris deposited by the 1912 eruption of Novarupta—the largest volcanic event on Earth in the 20th century.

The images above, acquired on September 29, 2025, with the OLI (Operational Land Imager) on Landsat 9, show the massive ash flow deposited by Novarupta. The layer measures up to 660 feet (200 meters) thick and was emplaced at a searing 1,380 degrees Fahrenheit (750 degrees Celsius). 

The Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes, shown in the 1917 photo below, is so named because of the abundance of fumaroles—gas and steam-emitting vents—that filled the valley for a decade after the eruption. A few hundred persisted more than 10 years, with some lasting until the 1990s.

Three people stand in the foreground of this black-and-white photo, silhouetted by steam coming from a fumarole. A dark, barren landscape dotted with plumes of rising steam extends into the background.
1917

Scientists initially suspected that the monster eruption occurred at Mount Katmai, a neighboring volcano with a large caldera located 6 miles (10 kilometers) east of Novarupta’s dome. However, they later determined that the eruption actually occurred at Novarupta—whose name means “new eruption”—after stealing magma from beneath Katmai. As the magma chamber emptied, Katmai collapsed, forming the 2.5-mile-wide (4-kilometer-wide) caldera present today.

The volcanic landscape in the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes is far fresher than the ancient lava flows that formed the Moon’s volcanic features. But for the Apollo astronauts, it offered an “excellent opportunity to view volcanic materials and landforms in nearly pristine condition,” Phinney wrote. They studied evidence of fumaroles and examined vertical sections of the deposits where streams had eroded deep gorges.

This photo shows a broad valley filled with tan-colored volcanic material in the foreground and snowy mountains in the background. The ashy volcanic deposits create a mostly flat valley floor, except where steep-sided chasms formed by erosion run through it.
June 9, 1991

Researchers continue to visit this Alaskan wilderness in search of clues that could help decipher the geology of the Moon and Mars. In 2024, the Goddard Instrument Field Team (GIFT) trekked to the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes to study its icy volcanic landscape. Like the valley, Mars contains glaciers and ice sheets layered with dust and ash, a dynamic and difficult-to-interpret environment.

Advancing lunar science, the GIFT team also collected samples from rock formations comparable to the Moon’s Gruithuisen Domes. These mysterious features are made of hardened lava with a different composition than the surrounding rock. With more to learn about our nearest celestial neighbor, the spirit of the Moon game lives on in the 21st century.

NASA Earth Observatory images by Lauren Dauphin, using Landsat data from the U.S. Geological Survey. Photos from National Geographic Society Katmai expeditions photographs, Archives and Special Collections, Consortium Library, University of Alaska Anchorage, and from the U.S. Geological Survey Volcano Hazards Program. Story by Lindsey Doermann. 

Downloads

A satellite image shows part of Alaska’s Katmai National Park. A chain of snowy mountain peaks stretches from the bottom left corner to the right side of the image. The Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes is a long, tan-colored feature runs toward the northwest in the upper-left.

September 29, 2025

JPEG (2.64 MB)

References & Resources

You may also be interested in:

Stay up-to-date with the latest content from NASA as we explore the universe and discover more about our home planet.
Scoria Cones on Earth and Mars
7 min read

The hill-shaped features are a sign of explosive volcanic activity—a rarity on the Red Planet.

Article
A Volcanic Medley Near Mammoth Lakes 
4 min read

A massive, old caldera and more recently formed craters shape the landscape in the eastern Sierra Nevada.

Article
A Full Moon Checkup
3 min read

Once a month during the full Moon, Landsat 9 turns from Earth to image the lunar surface, helping keep the…

Article

Playing the Moon Game 

✇NASA Science
By: Lauren Dauphin
24 June 2026 at 05:01
A satellite image shows part of Alaska’s Katmai National Park. A chain of snowy mountain peaks stretches from the bottom left corner to the right side of the image. The Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes is a long, tan-colored feature runs toward the northwest in the upper-left.
September 29, 2025

In preparing to visit the Moon’s surface, soon-to-be lunar explorers in NASA’s Apollo program first ventured into a variety of unfamiliar landscapes on Earth. A couple of these trips, in the summers of 1965 and 1966, took astronauts to Alaska’s remote Katmai National Park for simulations of field geology in Moon-like environments.

In one exercise, which they called “playing the Moon game,” pairs of astronauts were placed at unfamiliar field sites and asked to pretend as if they were on the Moon. By the account of William Phinney, Apollo’s science training coordinator, they were tasked with collecting representative geologic samples and practicing how to communicate their observations to scientists.

A detailed satellite image centers on the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes in Alaska. The tan-colored feature runs southeast-to-northwest. Snowy peaks appear on the right side of the image, and green, forested valleys fill the left side.
September 29, 2025

The Alaskan setting for the Moon game was an unusual volcanic landscape called the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes. The valley is full of debris deposited by the 1912 eruption of Novarupta—the largest volcanic event on Earth in the 20th century.

The images above, acquired on September 29, 2025, with the OLI (Operational Land Imager) on Landsat 9, show the massive ash flow deposited by Novarupta. The layer measures up to 660 feet (200 meters) thick and was emplaced at a searing 1,380 degrees Fahrenheit (750 degrees Celsius). 

The Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes, shown in the 1917 photo below, is so named because of the abundance of fumaroles—gas and steam-emitting vents—that filled the valley for a decade after the eruption. A few hundred persisted more than 10 years, with some lasting until the 1990s.

Three people stand in the foreground of this black-and-white photo, silhouetted by steam coming from a fumarole. A dark, barren landscape dotted with plumes of rising steam extends into the background.
1917

Scientists initially suspected that the monster eruption occurred at Mount Katmai, a neighboring volcano with a large caldera located 6 miles (10 kilometers) east of Novarupta’s dome. However, they later determined that the eruption actually occurred at Novarupta—whose name means “new eruption”—after stealing magma from beneath Katmai. As the magma chamber emptied, Katmai collapsed, forming the 2.5-mile-wide (4-kilometer-wide) caldera present today.

The volcanic landscape in the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes is far fresher than the ancient lava flows that formed the Moon’s volcanic features. But for the Apollo astronauts, it offered an “excellent opportunity to view volcanic materials and landforms in nearly pristine condition,” Phinney wrote. They studied evidence of fumaroles and examined vertical sections of the deposits where streams had eroded deep gorges.

This photo shows a broad valley filled with tan-colored volcanic material in the foreground and snowy mountains in the background. The ashy volcanic deposits create a mostly flat valley floor, except where steep-sided chasms formed by erosion run through it.
June 9, 1991

Researchers continue to visit this Alaskan wilderness in search of clues that could help decipher the geology of the Moon and Mars. In 2024, the Goddard Instrument Field Team (GIFT) trekked to the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes to study its icy volcanic landscape. Like the valley, Mars contains glaciers and ice sheets layered with dust and ash, a dynamic and difficult-to-interpret environment.

Advancing lunar science, the GIFT team also collected samples from rock formations comparable to the Moon’s Gruithuisen Domes. These mysterious features are made of hardened lava with a different composition than the surrounding rock. With more to learn about our nearest celestial neighbor, the spirit of the Moon game lives on in the 21st century.

NASA Earth Observatory images by Lauren Dauphin, using Landsat data from the U.S. Geological Survey. Photos from National Geographic Society Katmai expeditions photographs, Archives and Special Collections, Consortium Library, University of Alaska Anchorage, and from the U.S. Geological Survey Volcano Hazards Program. Story by Lindsey Doermann. 

Downloads

A satellite image shows part of Alaska’s Katmai National Park. A chain of snowy mountain peaks stretches from the bottom left corner to the right side of the image. The Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes is a long, tan-colored feature runs toward the northwest in the upper-left.

September 29, 2025

JPEG (2.64 MB)

References & Resources

You may also be interested in:

Stay up-to-date with the latest content from NASA as we explore the universe and discover more about our home planet.
Scoria Cones on Earth and Mars
7 min read

The hill-shaped features are a sign of explosive volcanic activity—a rarity on the Red Planet.

Article
A Volcanic Medley Near Mammoth Lakes 
4 min read

A massive, old caldera and more recently formed craters shape the landscape in the eastern Sierra Nevada.

Article
Restless Kīlauea Launches Lava and Ash
3 min read

Episode 43 of the Hawaiian volcano’s current eruption was marked by high lava fountains and widespread ash dispersal.

Article

The post Playing the Moon Game  appeared first on NASA Science.

American Historical Landscapes

✇NASA Science
By: Kevin Ward
23 June 2026 at 20:00

American Historical Landscapes

From Civil War battlegrounds to industrial landmarks to the country’s earliest national parks, these places helped shape the United States we know today.

Washington, the capital of the United States of America

An Earth Observatory Collection
An Early “Decoration Day” Celebration
4 min read

In a precursor to Memorial Day, people in Charleston, South Carolina, honored fallen Civil War troops with flowers, songs, and…

May 25, 2026
How Long, Not Long 
4 min read

After marching from Selma, Martin Luther King Jr. stood on the steps of the state capitol in Montgomery, Alabama, and…

Jan 19, 2026
The Erie Canal Turns 200
4 min read

The colossal project created a valuable connection between the U.S. interior and the Atlantic Ocean when it opened in October…

Sep 29, 2025
The First Labor Day Parade
3 min read

New York City’s Manhattan Island was the site of the nation’s first Labor Day parade on September 5, 1882.

Sep 1, 2025
The Potomac Island Where History Took Flight
4 min read

Samuel Pierpont Langley conducted the first successful flight of an unpiloted, engine-driven, heavier-than-air craft from a houseboat near Chopawamsic Island…

Aug 19, 2025
Lost Towns of the Quabbin
4 min read

Forests play a key role in filtering the waters of a reservoir in central Massachusetts that’s home to submerged towns…

Aug 11, 2025
A BIG Moment for Apollo 11
4 min read

Well-wishers in Hawaii welcomed the astronauts on July 26, 1969, after they landed on the Moon, splashed down in the…

Jul 24, 2025
A Most “Pleasantly Situated” Estate
5 min read

The farms and gardens of Mount Vernon played a central role in the life of America’s first president.

Feb 17, 2025
Laboring at Big Bend Tunnel
4 min read

The setting for John Henry’s legendary contest with a steam-powered drill may have been this tunnel through Big Bend Mountain…

Sep 2, 2024
Escaping Home
5 min read

Harriet Tubman preferred to navigate the woods and waterways of Maryland’s Eastern Shore on winter nights when guiding enslaved people…

Feb 17, 2024
A Place of Rest
3 min read

The Armed Forces Retirement Home in Washington is the oldest continually operating retirement home for military personnel in the United…

Nov 11, 2023
Home of the Brave
2 min read

Dry pine forests near Fayetteville, North Carolina, are the setting for one of the largest military bases in the world.

Nov 11, 2022
Voyageurs National Park
3 min read

From 18th-century fur traders to modern-day vacationers, plenty of travelers have passed through this watery landscape in northern Minnesota.

Oct 10, 2022
Freedom’s Fortress
4 min read

Old Point Comfort was among the first places where enslaved people were traded in colonial America—and a hub of resistance…

Jun 19, 2022
The Avenues of America
3 min read

Wide, diagonal avenues radiate from the Capitol building in Washington, D.C., outward through the city.

Jul 4, 2021
Juneteenth in Galveston
4 min read

The issuing of General Order No. 3 by Union troops on June 19, 1865, marked the official end of slavery…

Jun 19, 2021
America’s First National Wildlife Refuge
3 min read

A bird-loving farmer living near Florida’s Pelican Island helped spur the creation of a national system of wildlife refuges.

Feb 1, 2021
Changing Atlanta
4 min read

Martin Luther King Jr. came of age in one of the fastest growing cities in the United States.

Jan 18, 2021
Charleston, West Virginia
3 min read

Nestled in a river valley in the Allegheny Mountains, the city first attracted weary travelers, who then stayed for the…

Aug 30, 2020
Laboring in Pullman
3 min read

The Chicago neighborhood was the epicenter of a railroad strike that played a key role in the establishment of Labor…

Sep 2, 2019
Colonial National Historical Park
2 min read

The colonial communities of “America’s historic triangle” played defining roles in the road to American independence.

Jul 4, 2018

The post American Historical Landscapes appeared first on NASA Science.

Received — 19 June 2026 ⏭

Tropical Storm Arthur

✇NASA Science
By: Michala Garrison
19 June 2026 at 05:00
Natural color
brightness temperature
Tropical Storm Arthur’s white storm clouds cover the waters off the U.S. Gulf Coast. Some clouds extend inland over parts of Texas and Louisiana.
Tropical Storm Arthur’s white storm clouds cover the waters off the U.S. Gulf Coast. Some clouds extend inland over parts of Texas and Louisiana.
NASA Earth Observatory/Michala Garrison
White and purple areas of cloud off the Gulf Coast indicate the cooler areas of cloud tops associated with Tropical Storm Arthur.
White and purple areas of cloud off the Gulf Coast indicate the cooler areas of cloud tops associated with Tropical Storm Arthur.
NASA Earth Observatory/Michala Garrison
Tropical Storm Arthur’s white storm clouds cover the waters off the U.S. Gulf Coast. Some clouds extend inland over parts of Texas and Louisiana.
Tropical Storm Arthur’s white storm clouds cover the waters off the U.S. Gulf Coast. Some clouds extend inland over parts of Texas and Louisiana.
NASA Earth Observatory/Michala Garrison
White and purple areas of cloud off the Gulf Coast indicate the cooler areas of cloud tops associated with Tropical Storm Arthur.
White and purple areas of cloud off the Gulf Coast indicate the cooler areas of cloud tops associated with Tropical Storm Arthur.
NASA Earth Observatory/Michala Garrison
Natural color
brightness temperature
Images from the MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) on NASA’s Terra satellite show Tropical Storm Arthur on the morning of June 17, 2026. The left image is natural color; the right shows infrared signals known as brightness temperature. NASA Earth Observatory images by Michala Garrison.

Tropical Storm Arthur, the first named storm of the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season, brought high winds and heavy rain to the U.S. Gulf Coast in mid-June.

NASA’s Terra satellite captured this natural-color image (left) at 10:30 a.m. Central Time (15:30 Universal Time) on June 17. The second image (right) depicts infrared signals known as brightness temperature, which help distinguish cooler cloud tops (white and purple) from the warmer surface below (yellow and orange). Around the time these images were acquired, the system had just recently been designated a tropical storm, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC).

Though Arthur stayed below hurricane strength, it still delivered strong winds to parts of the Gulf Coast as it tracked northeast. The storm had maximum sustained winds of 40 miles (65 kilometers) per hour around the time these images were captured. Tropical-storm-force winds extended 175 miles (280 kilometers) from the storm’s center, the NHC reported. Measurements at Galveston, Texas, for instance, showed a gust of 48 miles per hour.

The storm also produced heavy rainfall that the National Weather Service warned could lead to life-threatening flash flooding. Estimates from IMERG (the Integrated Multi-Satellite Retrievals for GPM), a product of the GPM (Global Precipitation Measurement) mission, showed high rainfall rates over Gulf waters and extending inland on June 17.

As Arthur weakened and became less organized, it continued to bring abundant moisture to central Gulf Coast states on June 18. The National Weather Service reported rainfall rates of 3 inches (7.6 centimeters) per hour in southeastern Louisiana. Forecasts indicated that storm-total rainfall amounts could exceed 12 inches (30 centimeters) in areas, with some locations seeing totals approaching 20 inches (51 centimeters).

NASA Earth Observatory images by Michala Garrison, using MODIS data from NASA EOSDIS LANCE and GIBS/Worldview. Story by Kathryn Hansen.

Downloads

Tropical Storm Arthur’s white storm clouds cover the waters off the U.S. Gulf Coast. Some clouds extend inland over parts of Texas and Louisiana.

June 17, 2026: Natural color

JPEG (2.94 MB)

White and purple areas of cloud off the Gulf Coast indicate the cooler areas of cloud tops associated with Tropical Storm Arthur.

June 17, 2026: Brightness temperature

JPEG (2.51 MB)

References & Resources

You may also be interested in:

Stay up-to-date with the latest content from NASA as we explore the universe and discover more about our home planet.
Typhoon Jangmi
2 min read

The sprawling storm promised to deliver torrential rain across a wide swath of southern Japan.

Article
Tropical Cyclone Narelle Crosses Australia
3 min read

The powerful storm lashed the northern edge of the continent with damaging winds and drenching rain as it made landfall…

Article
Super Typhoon Sinlaku
3 min read

The violent storm aimed at the U.S. Northern Mariana Islands and Guam in mid-April 2026.

Article

The post Tropical Storm Arthur appeared first on NASA Science.

Received — 18 June 2026 ⏭

El Niño Is Underway

✇NASA Science
By: Lauren Dauphin
18 June 2026 at 05:00
A global map centered on the Pacific Ocean shows a band of red, higher-than-normal water levels across the central and eastern equatorial Pacific and a broad patch off the coast of South America.
Higher-than-normal sea surfaces (red) are visible in the central and eastern Pacific on June 8, 2026, a few days before El Niño was declared. Data for the map were acquired by the Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich satellite and processed by scientists at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).
NASA Earth Observatory/Lauren Dauphin

El Niño, characterized by warmer-than-normal water temperatures in parts of the equatorial Pacific, made its return in June 2026. Observations of sea surface height from the Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich satellite that month indicated that the 2026 event was continuing to strengthen.  

The natural, recurring phenomenon can have widespread effects, typically bringing wetter conditions to the U.S. Southwest and drought to countries in the western Pacific, such as Indonesia and Australia. NOAA declared an El Niño on June 11, after sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific measured at least 0.5 degrees Celsius above average for several consecutive months.

Meanwhile, NASA scientists have been observing a complementary sign of El Niño: areas of elevated sea surface height. When ocean water warms, it expands in volume and causes the sea surface to rise—making the water’s height a reliable indicator of ocean temperatures. Warmer-than-normal temperatures, hence higher sea surface heights, in parts of the equatorial Pacific Ocean are associated with El Niño.

The map above depicts sea surface height anomalies across the central and eastern Pacific Ocean as observed on June 8, 2026. Shades of red indicate sea levels that were higher than average. Normal sea level conditions appear white, and lower areas are blue.  

Data for the map were acquired by the Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich satellite—launched in 2020 by NASA and led by ESA (European Space Agency)—and processed by scientists at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). Note that signals related to seasonal cycles and long-term trends have been removed to highlight sea level anomalies associated with El Niño and other short-term natural phenomena.

Earlier in spring 2026, the satellite started to detect precursor signs of El Niño as swells of warm water hundreds of miles wide, known as Kelvin waves, moved from the western Pacific to the eastern Pacific. That happens when trade winds in the western equatorial Pacific weaken and then temporarily reverse to blow from the west. Warm water piles up in the east, deepening the warm surface layer, lowering the thermocline, and suppressing the upwelling that usually keeps waters along the Pacific coasts of the Americas cooler.

This buildup of heat beneath the water’s surface is what sea surface height observations capture. It goes beyond surface temperature measurements to indicate how much heat is stored in the subsurface. That’s important because a shallow warm layer might not have much impact on climate and weather, while a large reservoir of heat below the surface can matter more.

According to JPL sea level researcher Severine Fournier, deputy project scientist for Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich, conditions in the western Pacific on June 8 looked similar to those from the same time in 1997, a year when an exceptionally strong El Niño emerged. Warm conditions in the eastern Pacific in 2026 have lagged behind, however, with fewer Kelvin waves built up by the same date.

Still, more warm Kelvin waves appeared to be approaching the eastern Pacific, meaning El Niño was still strengthening. Whether it catches up to 1997 depends on ocean activity in the coming weeks. “For now, it looks like it’s going to be a big one—more so than I would have said last week—but we still need more observations to know what’s going to happen.”

NASA Earth Observatory image by Lauren Dauphin, using modified Copernicus Sentinel data (2023) processed by the European Space Agency and further processed by Josh Willis, Severin Fournier, and Kevin Marlis/NASA/JPL-Caltech. Story by Kathryn Hansen.

Downloads

A global map centered on the Pacific Ocean shows a band of red, higher-than-normal water levels across the central and eastern equatorial Pacific and a broad patch off the coast of South America.

June 8, 2026

JPEG (1.19 MB)

References & Resources

You may also be interested in:

Stay up-to-date with the latest content from NASA as we explore the universe and discover more about our home planet.
Barents Sea Tied to Low Arctic Sea Ice
4 min read

Patches of open water in the region contributed to low sea ice extent across the Arctic in March 2026, which…

Article
New Eruption in the Bismarck Sea
5 min read

Satellite imagery shows a surge of new volcanic activity in the ocean near Papua New Guinea.

Article
Color Off the Mid-Atlantic Coast
4 min read

Something is brewing in shallow waters offshore of Delaware, New Jersey, Maryland, and Virginia.

Article

The post El Niño Is Underway appeared first on NASA Science.

El Niño Is Underway

✇NASA
18 June 2026 at 05:00
A global map centered on the Pacific Ocean shows a band of red, higher-than-normal water levels across the central and eastern equatorial Pacific and a broad patch off the coast of South America.
Higher-than-normal sea surfaces (red) are visible in the central and eastern Pacific on June 8, 2026, a few days before El Niño was declared. Data for the map were acquired by the Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich satellite and processed by scientists at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).
NASA Earth Observatory/Lauren Dauphin

El Niño, characterized by warmer-than-normal water temperatures in parts of the equatorial Pacific, made its return in June 2026. Observations of sea surface height from the Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich satellite that month indicated that the 2026 event was continuing to strengthen.  

The natural, recurring phenomenon can have widespread effects, typically bringing wetter conditions to the U.S. Southwest and drought to countries in the western Pacific, such as Indonesia and Australia. NOAA declared an El Niño on June 11, after sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific measured at least 0.5 degrees Celsius above average for several consecutive months.

Meanwhile, NASA scientists have been observing a complementary sign of El Niño: areas of elevated sea surface height. When ocean water warms, it expands in volume and causes the sea surface to rise—making the water’s height a reliable indicator of ocean temperatures. Warmer-than-normal temperatures, hence higher sea surface heights, in parts of the equatorial Pacific Ocean are associated with El Niño.

The map above depicts sea surface height anomalies across the central and eastern Pacific Ocean as observed on June 8, 2026. Shades of red indicate sea levels that were higher than average. Normal sea level conditions appear white, and lower areas are blue.  

Data for the map were acquired by the Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich satellite—launched in 2020 by NASA and led by ESA (European Space Agency)—and processed by scientists at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). Note that signals related to seasonal cycles and long-term trends have been removed to highlight sea level anomalies associated with El Niño and other short-term natural phenomena.

Earlier in spring 2026, the satellite started to detect precursor signs of El Niño as swells of warm water hundreds of miles wide, known as Kelvin waves, moved from the western Pacific to the eastern Pacific. That happens when trade winds in the western equatorial Pacific weaken and then temporarily reverse to blow from the west. Warm water piles up in the east, deepening the warm surface layer, lowering the thermocline, and suppressing the upwelling that usually keeps waters along the Pacific coasts of the Americas cooler.

This buildup of heat beneath the water’s surface is what sea surface height observations capture. It goes beyond surface temperature measurements to indicate how much heat is stored in the subsurface. That’s important because a shallow warm layer might not have much impact on climate and weather, while a large reservoir of heat below the surface can matter more.

According to JPL sea level researcher Severine Fournier, deputy project scientist for Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich, conditions in the western Pacific on June 8 looked similar to those from the same time in 1997, a year when an exceptionally strong El Niño emerged. Warm conditions in the eastern Pacific in 2026 have lagged behind, however, with fewer Kelvin waves built up by the same date.

Still, more warm Kelvin waves appeared to be approaching the eastern Pacific, meaning El Niño was still strengthening. Whether it catches up to 1997 depends on ocean activity in the coming weeks. “For now, it looks like it’s going to be a big one—more so than I would have said last week—but we still need more observations to know what’s going to happen.”

NASA Earth Observatory image by Lauren Dauphin, using modified Copernicus Sentinel data (2023) processed by the European Space Agency and further processed by Josh Willis, Severin Fournier, and Kevin Marlis/NASA/JPL-Caltech. Story by Kathryn Hansen.

Downloads

A global map centered on the Pacific Ocean shows a band of red, higher-than-normal water levels across the central and eastern equatorial Pacific and a broad patch off the coast of South America.

June 8, 2026

JPEG (1.19 MB)

References & Resources

You may also be interested in:

Stay up-to-date with the latest content from NASA as we explore the universe and discover more about our home planet.
Barents Sea Tied to Low Arctic Sea Ice
4 min read

Patches of open water in the region contributed to low sea ice extent across the Arctic in March 2026, which…

Article
New Eruption in the Bismarck Sea
5 min read

Satellite imagery shows a surge of new volcanic activity in the ocean near Papua New Guinea.

Article
Color Off the Mid-Atlantic Coast
4 min read

Something is brewing in shallow waters offshore of Delaware, New Jersey, Maryland, and Virginia.

Article
Received — 17 June 2026 ⏭

Low Water at San Carlos Reservoir

✇NASA Science
By: Michala Garrison
17 June 2026 at 05:01
June 7, 2023
May 22, 2026
The reservoir appears lake-like and expansive in an image acquired in June 2023.
The reservoir appears lake-like and expansive in an image acquired in June 2023.
NASA Earth Observatory/Michala Garrison
The reservoir is nearly empty by May 2026. The Gila River's natural channel is now visible and flanked with green vegetation in what had been the bottom of the reservoir.
The reservoir is nearly empty by May 2026. The Gila River’s natural channel is now visible and flanked with green vegetation in what had been the bottom of the reservoir.
NASA Earth Observatory/Michala Garrison
The reservoir appears lake-like and expansive in an image acquired in June 2023.
The reservoir appears lake-like and expansive in an image acquired in June 2023.
NASA Earth Observatory/Michala Garrison
The reservoir is nearly empty by May 2026. The Gila River's natural channel is now visible and flanked with green vegetation in what had been the bottom of the reservoir.
The reservoir is nearly empty by May 2026. The Gila River’s natural channel is now visible and flanked with green vegetation in what had been the bottom of the reservoir.
NASA Earth Observatory/Michala Garrison
June 7, 2023
May 22, 2026
Little water remains in the San Carlos Reservoir in May 2026 (right) compared to fuller conditions in June 2023 (left). Images were captured by the OLI (Operational Land Imager) on the Landsat 9 and 8 satellites, respectively. NASA Earth Observatory images by Michala Garrison.

The Gila River is among the Southwest’s most important rivers, delivering water for people, farms, and wildlife while linking the snow-fed mountains of southwestern New Mexico to the desert lowlands of southwestern Arizona.

In wetter years, seasonal snowfall on the Mogollon Mountains and Black Range provides much of the river’s spring flow and helps refill San Carlos Reservoir, which is formed by the Coolidge Dam. When filled to capacity, the reservoir is one of Arizona’s largest bodies of water.

However, in 2026, lackluster snowfall left the mountain snowpack in the Gila River watershed at 2 percent of the 1991-2020 March median. The limited snowpack pushed April streamflow to 39 percent of normal. By June, after mandatory water releases for downstream agriculture, the reservoir held less than 400 acre-feet of water.

The Landsat image above (right) shows the near-empty reservoir on May 22, 2026, when it stored 389 acre-feet of water—less than 1 percent full; the other image (left) shows the same area in June 2023, when it was about 60 percent full. The green vegetation growing along the river channel and reservoir edge includes a mixture of tamarisk, willow, cottonwood, sedges, and grasses.

Officials closed the reservoir indefinitely on June 5, 2026, after the declining water levels contributed to low oxygen levels—hypoxia—that killed virtually all of its fish. Species living in the reservoir included largemouth bass, black crappie, bluegill, channel catfish, flathead catfish, and several stocked species, including brown trout and rainbow trout. The decomposing fish may pose health risks to people attempting to boat or fish, the San Carlos Recreation and Wildlife Department warned.

The reservoir has hit similarly low water levels in the past, running out of water at least 20 times since it was filled in 1930, according to news reports. Even when the dam and reservoir were first dedicated, there was enough grass growing on the dried reservoir bottom that humorist Will Rogers famously quipped to President Calvin Coolidge: “If that was my lake, I’d mow it.”

Other years with major fish kills include 1976 and 2018. After more than 5 million fish died during a similar event in 1976, the Gila Herald reported that it took five years for the lake’s ecosystem to rebound.

The region is currently in the midst of a multi-year dry period that has left much of the Gila River’s headwaters in New Mexico in a state of severe drought, according to data from the U.S. Drought Monitor.

However, the river’s flow is highly variable, and heavy rains during the coming wet season could help the reservoir recover. A seasonal monsoon outlook released by NOAA in May 2026 projected a 33 to 50 percent chance that an above-average amount of rain would fall in the region that summer. El Niño in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific, which was strengthening in late spring 2026, can make heavy rains in the U.S. Southwest more likely.

NASA Earth Observatory images by Michala Garrison, using Landsat data from the U.S. Geological Survey. Story by Adam Voiland.

Downloads

The reservoir appears lake-like and expansive in an image acquired in June 2023.

June 7, 2023

JPEG (16.60 MB)

The reservoir is nearly empty by May 2026. The Gila River's natural channel is now visible and flanked with green vegetation in what had been the bottom of the reservoir.

May 22, 2026

JPEG (16.85 MB)

References & Resources

You may also be interested in:

Stay up-to-date with the latest content from NASA as we explore the universe and discover more about our home planet.
Drought Parches Florida
4 min read

The state was unusually dry for much of 2025, but the intensity of the drought has ratcheted up since January…

Article
Snow Is Scarce in the Upper Colorado Basin
5 min read

The mountains of Utah and Colorado are among the areas of the western U.S. that are low on snow and…

Article
Spring Rains Saturate Michigan
3 min read

Above-normal precipitation has swollen rivers and damaged infrastructure statewide.

Article

The post Low Water at San Carlos Reservoir appeared first on NASA Science.

Low Water at San Carlos Reservoir

✇NASA
17 June 2026 at 05:01




June 7, 2023
May 22, 2026

The reservoir appears lake-like and expansive in an image acquired in June 2023.
The reservoir appears lake-like and expansive in an image acquired in June 2023.
NASA Earth Observatory/Michala Garrison

The reservoir is nearly empty by May 2026. The Gila River's natural channel is now visible and flanked with green vegetation in what had been the bottom of the reservoir.
The reservoir is nearly empty by May 2026. The Gila River’s natural channel is now visible and flanked with green vegetation in what had been the bottom of the reservoir.
NASA Earth Observatory/Michala Garrison

The reservoir appears lake-like and expansive in an image acquired in June 2023.
The reservoir appears lake-like and expansive in an image acquired in June 2023.
NASA Earth Observatory/Michala Garrison
The reservoir is nearly empty by May 2026. The Gila River's natural channel is now visible and flanked with green vegetation in what had been the bottom of the reservoir.
The reservoir is nearly empty by May 2026. The Gila River’s natural channel is now visible and flanked with green vegetation in what had been the bottom of the reservoir.
NASA Earth Observatory/Michala Garrison

June 7, 2023

May 22, 2026


Little water remains in the San Carlos Reservoir in May 2026 (right) compared to fuller conditions in June 2023 (left). Images were captured by the OLI (Operational Land Imager) on the Landsat 9 and 8 satellites, respectively. NASA Earth Observatory images by Michala Garrison.

The Gila River is among the Southwest’s most important rivers, delivering water for people, farms, and wildlife while linking the snow-fed mountains of southwestern New Mexico to the desert lowlands of southwestern Arizona.

In wetter years, seasonal snowfall on the Mogollon Mountains and Black Range provides much of the river’s spring flow and helps refill San Carlos Reservoir, which is formed by the Coolidge Dam. When filled to capacity, the reservoir is one of Arizona’s largest bodies of water.

However, in 2026, lackluster snowfall left the mountain snowpack in the Gila River watershed at 2 percent of the 1991-2020 March median. The limited snowpack pushed April streamflow to 39 percent of normal. By June, after mandatory water releases for downstream agriculture, the reservoir held less than 400 acre-feet of water.

The Landsat image above (right) shows the near-empty reservoir on May 22, 2026, when it stored 389 acre-feet of water—less than 1 percent full; the other image (left) shows the same area in June 2023, when it was about 60 percent full. The green vegetation growing along the river channel and reservoir edge includes a mixture of tamarisk, willow, cottonwood, sedges, and grasses.

Officials closed the reservoir indefinitely on June 5, 2026, after the declining water levels contributed to low oxygen levels—hypoxia—that killed virtually all of its fish. Species living in the reservoir included largemouth bass, black crappie, bluegill, channel catfish, flathead catfish, and several stocked species, including brown trout and rainbow trout. The decomposing fish may pose health risks to people attempting to boat or fish, the San Carlos Recreation and Wildlife Department warned.

The reservoir has hit similarly low water levels in the past, running out of water at least 20 times since it was filled in 1930, according to news reports. Even when the dam and reservoir were first dedicated, there was enough grass growing on the dried reservoir bottom that humorist Will Rogers famously quipped to President Calvin Coolidge: “If that was my lake, I’d mow it.”

Other years with major fish kills include 1976 and 2018. After more than 5 million fish died during a similar event in 1976, the Gila Herald reported that it took five years for the lake’s ecosystem to rebound.

The region is currently in the midst of a multi-year dry period that has left much of the Gila River’s headwaters in New Mexico in a state of severe drought, according to data from the U.S. Drought Monitor.

However, the river’s flow is highly variable, and heavy rains during the coming wet season could help the reservoir recover. A seasonal monsoon outlook released by NOAA in May 2026 projected a 33 to 50 percent chance that an above-average amount of rain would fall in the region that summer. El Niño in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific, which was strengthening in late spring 2026, can make heavy rains in the U.S. Southwest more likely.

NASA Earth Observatory images by Michala Garrison, using Landsat data from the U.S. Geological Survey. Story by Adam Voiland.

Downloads

The reservoir appears lake-like and expansive in an image acquired in June 2023.

June 7, 2023

JPEG (16.60 MB)

The reservoir is nearly empty by May 2026. The Gila River's natural channel is now visible and flanked with green vegetation in what had been the bottom of the reservoir.

May 22, 2026

JPEG (16.85 MB)

References & Resources

You may also be interested in:

Stay up-to-date with the latest content from NASA as we explore the universe and discover more about our home planet.
Drought Parches Florida
4 min read

The state was unusually dry for much of 2025, but the intensity of the drought has ratcheted up since January…

Article
Snow Is Scarce in the Upper Colorado Basin
5 min read

The mountains of Utah and Colorado are among the areas of the western U.S. that are low on snow and…

Article
Spring Rains Saturate Michigan
3 min read

Above-normal precipitation has swollen rivers and damaged infrastructure statewide.

Article
Received — 16 June 2026 ⏭

Nebraska’s Wide, Rolling Domain

✇NASA Science
By: Lauren Dauphin
16 June 2026 at 05:01
The landscape in northwestern Nebraska has a rippled appearance, with tan parallel ridges running from left to right and green areas and small lakes filling the low-lying spaces in between.
The Nebraska Sandhills stretch across the north-central part of the state in this image acquired on August 19, 2025, with the OLI (Operational Land Imager) on Landsat 8.
NASA Earth Observatory/Lauren Dauphin

Editor’s Note: Today’s story is the answer to the June Puzzler.

The undulating landscape of north-central Nebraska may be easy to overlook among the iconic dune fields of the world. Far from any coast or desert, the Nebraska Sandhills—comprising the Western Hemisphere’s largest system of sand dunes—bring their own brand of beauty and value. Grasslands blanket the rolling hills, providing grazing grounds for livestock, while lakes and wetlands dot the landscape, supporting diverse plant and animal life.

Much of the sand forming the hills originated in the Rocky Mountains. Rivers carried the eroded material down from the mountains and deposited it across the Great Plains during the Pleistocene. In times of drought, winds blowing predominantly from the north or south lofted sand out of dried riverbeds, gradually building and shaping dunes. About 3,500 years ago, grassland vegetation stabilized the features. Today, the rippled pattern spans about 20,000 square miles (52,000 square kilometers), about one-quarter of the state of Nebraska.

A series of tan parallel ridges runs from left to right, with green areas and small lakes filling the low-lying spaces in between.
Some of the largest, grassland-covered dunes in the Nebraska Sandhills are found in the northwestern part of the region, shown in this image acquired on August 19, 2025, with the OLI (Operational Land Imager) on Landsat 8.
NASA Earth Observatory/Lauren Dauphin

Some of the largest dunes occur in and around the area shown in the detailed image above, near the northern edge of the Sandhills region. These transverse dunes stand as high as 400 feet (120 meters) and extend for several miles. Their northern slopes are gentler than their southern slopes, reflecting the dominant influence of northerly winds. In other areas, dunes are more symmetric, suggesting that winds blew with nearly equal strength from the north and south, alternating with the seasons.  

The grasslands that now cover the hills constitute pastureland for grazing livestock. Ranching expanded significantly in the area after passage of the Kinkaid Act in 1904, which allotted 640-acre parcels of land to ranchers who would settle it. Today, far more cattle than humans occupy the region, and half of Nebraska’s nearly 23 million acres of rangeland and pastureland are in the Sandhills. Some ranchers graze their cattle in patterns meant to approximate the large bison herds that once roamed the land.

Small, irregularly shaped lakes and marshy areas are interspersed among tan hills.
Lakes and wetlands fill the valleys between dunes in Crescent Lake National Wildlife Refuge, shown in this image acquired on August 19, 2025, with the OLI (Operational Land Imager) on Landsat 8.
NASA Earth Observatory/Lauren Dauphin

Though much of the land in the Sandhills is privately owned, some is set aside in protected public lands. One of these areas, Crescent Lake National Wildlife Refuge on the southwestern edge of the Sandhills region, is shown above. Wetlands, including shallow lakes, marshes, and wet meadows, fill some of the valleys between the dunes. The land here is sponge-like, with precipitation seeping down through the soil and recharging groundwater instead of flowing off through stream channels.

Located along the Central Flyway, the refuge is a haven for migratory birds, and dozens of species of waterfowl, marsh birds, and shorebirds utilize the area. Among other wildlife, several types of turtles thrive in the ponds and prairies. Wetlands across the Sandhills support rare species such as the whooping crane, western prairie fringed orchid, and Topeka shiner.

NASA Earth Observatory images by Lauren Dauphin, using Landsat data from the U.S. Geological Survey. Story by Lindsey Doermann.

Downloads

The landscape in northwestern Nebraska has a rippled appearance, with tan parallel ridges running from left to right and green areas and small lakes filling the low-lying spaces in between.

August 19, 2025

JPEG (10.71 MB)

References & Resources

You may also be interested in:

Stay up-to-date with the latest content from NASA as we explore the universe and discover more about our home planet.
Fires Tear Through Nebraska Grasslands
3 min read

Dry, warm, and windy conditions across the U.S. Great Plains led to extreme fire activity in March 2026.

Article
Farming in Ancient Lake Agassiz
3 min read

The glacial lake left a layer of silt and clay in southeastern Manitoba, creating fertile farmland that was divided during…

Article
America’s Emerald Isle
3 min read

Beaver Island is one in a string of verdant and scenic jewels in a northern Lake Michigan archipelago.

Article

The post Nebraska’s Wide, Rolling Domain appeared first on NASA Science.

Nebraska’s Wide, Rolling Domain

✇NASA
16 June 2026 at 05:01
The landscape in northwestern Nebraska has a rippled appearance, with tan parallel ridges running from left to right and green areas and small lakes filling the low-lying spaces in between.
The Nebraska Sandhills stretch across the north-central part of the state in this image acquired on August 19, 2025, with the OLI (Operational Land Imager) on Landsat 8.
NASA Earth Observatory/Lauren Dauphin

Editor’s Note: Today’s story is the answer to the June Puzzler.

The undulating landscape of north-central Nebraska may be easy to overlook among the iconic dune fields of the world. Far from any coast or desert, the Nebraska Sandhills—comprising the Western Hemisphere’s largest system of sand dunes—bring their own brand of beauty and value. Grasslands blanket the rolling hills, providing grazing grounds for livestock, while lakes and wetlands dot the landscape, supporting diverse plant and animal life.

Much of the sand forming the hills originated in the Rocky Mountains. Rivers carried the eroded material down from the mountains and deposited it across the Great Plains during the Pleistocene. In times of drought, winds blowing predominantly from the north or south lofted sand out of dried riverbeds, gradually building and shaping dunes. About 3,500 years ago, grassland vegetation stabilized the features. Today, the rippled pattern spans about 20,000 square miles (52,000 square kilometers), about one-quarter of the state of Nebraska.

A series of tan parallel ridges runs from left to right, with green areas and small lakes filling the low-lying spaces in between.
Some of the largest, grassland-covered dunes in the Nebraska Sandhills are found in the northwestern part of the region, shown in this image acquired on August 19, 2025, with the OLI (Operational Land Imager) on Landsat 8.
NASA Earth Observatory/Lauren Dauphin

Some of the largest dunes occur in and around the area shown in the detailed image above, near the northern edge of the Sandhills region. These transverse dunes stand as high as 400 feet (120 meters) and extend for several miles. Their northern slopes are gentler than their southern slopes, reflecting the dominant influence of northerly winds. In other areas, dunes are more symmetric, suggesting that winds blew with nearly equal strength from the north and south, alternating with the seasons.  

The grasslands that now cover the hills constitute pastureland for grazing livestock. Ranching expanded significantly in the area after passage of the Kinkaid Act in 1904, which allotted 640-acre parcels of land to ranchers who would settle it. Today, far more cattle than humans occupy the region, and half of Nebraska’s nearly 23 million acres of rangeland and pastureland are in the Sandhills. Some ranchers graze their cattle in patterns meant to approximate the large bison herds that once roamed the land.

Small, irregularly shaped lakes and marshy areas are interspersed among tan hills.
Lakes and wetlands fill the valleys between dunes in Crescent Lake National Wildlife Refuge, shown in this image acquired on August 19, 2025, with the OLI (Operational Land Imager) on Landsat 8.
NASA Earth Observatory/Lauren Dauphin

Though much of the land in the Sandhills is privately owned, some is set aside in protected public lands. One of these areas, Crescent Lake National Wildlife Refuge on the southwestern edge of the Sandhills region, is shown above. Wetlands, including shallow lakes, marshes, and wet meadows, fill some of the valleys between the dunes. The land here is sponge-like, with precipitation seeping down through the soil and recharging groundwater instead of flowing off through stream channels.

Located along the Central Flyway, the refuge is a haven for migratory birds, and dozens of species of waterfowl, marsh birds, and shorebirds utilize the area. Among other wildlife, several types of turtles thrive in the ponds and prairies. Wetlands across the Sandhills support rare species such as the whooping crane, western prairie fringed orchid, and Topeka shiner.

NASA Earth Observatory images by Lauren Dauphin, using Landsat data from the U.S. Geological Survey. Story by Lindsey Doermann.

Downloads

The landscape in northwestern Nebraska has a rippled appearance, with tan parallel ridges running from left to right and green areas and small lakes filling the low-lying spaces in between.

August 19, 2025

JPEG (10.71 MB)

References & Resources

You may also be interested in:

Stay up-to-date with the latest content from NASA as we explore the universe and discover more about our home planet.
Fires Tear Through Nebraska Grasslands
3 min read

Dry, warm, and windy conditions across the U.S. Great Plains led to extreme fire activity in March 2026.

Article
Farming in Ancient Lake Agassiz
3 min read

The glacial lake left a layer of silt and clay in southeastern Manitoba, creating fertile farmland that was divided during…

Article
America’s Emerald Isle
3 min read

Beaver Island is one in a string of verdant and scenic jewels in a northern Lake Michigan archipelago.

Article
Received — 15 June 2026 ⏭

Pumice Rafts Encroach on Admiralty Islands

✇NASA
15 June 2026 at 05:01
Bands of tan-colored pumice float on the Bismarck Sea near several islands and bright-blue shallow areas. The material lines the southern coast of the largest island.
June 4, 2026

On May 8, 2026, satellites detected signs of an unexpected submarine volcanic eruption in the Bismarck Sea near the islands of Papua New Guinea. Over the next several weeks, plumes of steam and ash streamed over the sea, and areas of discolored water surrounded the eruption site. Relatively little is known about the ocean floor in this area or the volcanic feature that is presently erupting. But experts think the new activity, ongoing as of mid-June, might be occurring along the Titan Ridge and has the potential to form an ephemeral new island.

Despite the unknowns, the effects of the eruption became unmistakable for some communities in Papua New Guinea’s Admiralty Islands. In early June, rafts of pumice drifted northwest from the eruption site and clogged up coastlines on several of the islands. Bands of the buoyant volcanic material are visible in this image, acquired with the OLI (Operational Land Imager) on Landsat 8 on June 4, as they drifted with surface currents on the Bismarck Sea.  

Several days after the image, news outlets reported acute impacts from thick masses of pumice reaching coastal areas. Communities on Lou Island and Baluan Island, to the south, were described by officials as among the worst affected, according to reports from local media. Outlets reported that a layer of pumice up to several meters thick blanketed the shore, cutting off access to the water. The volcanic fragments similarly choked the coast and key waterways around the much larger Manus Island, about 125 kilometers (80 miles) northwest of the volcano and out of frame.

A bright-white volcanic plume and an area of greenish water extend to the northwest from an underwater eruption.
A submarine volcano produces a plume of discolored water and vents steam into the air in an image acquired on June 4, 2026, with the OLI (Operational Land Imager) on Landsat 8. Pumice is visible near the base of the plume and exhibits a thermal signature in infrared imagery.
NASA Earth Observatory/Lauren Dauphin

Studies of past pumice raft events have found that the material can remain afloat for months to years before sinking out of satellite view. Larger rafts can form with the help of ash, which serves to “weld” together fragments of the porous rock, said Jim Garvin, the chief scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, noting this process occurred during the 2022 eruption of Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha‘apai. “These masses can pile up around erupting vents to protect the eruption centers and produce ephemeral new lands in some cases,” he said. When adrift, such pumice platforms can act as floating homes for marine organisms—from microalgae to bryozoans to barnacles—and enable them to disperse over long distances.

Though beneficial to life in some ways, the rafts can pose serious threats to humans and other species. Some of the larger fragments of pumice stack up to form ridges when they reach the coastlines of islands. Reports from Papua New Guinea highlight the disruptions to fishing, the transport of goods, and access to critical services that can occur when pumice accumulates along the coast.

Communities have expressed concerns over the pumice’s effects on marine ecosystems, as well. Researchers have noted that the sustained presence of pumice can block sunlight and may inhibit photosynthesis in seagrass and corals below, and the rocks may physically damage reef structures. In a review of the ecological effects of pumice reaching Japan’s coast in 2021, researchers noted the die-off of filter-feeding fish in fishery cages from ingesting pumice, warning that other wildlife may be harmed by mistakenly consuming the rocks.

New studies using an ensemble of orbital remote sensing platforms—including Landsat, hyperspectral instruments, and imaging radars—are tracking developments in this Bismarck Sea region, Garvin said. These observations can provide new perspectives on hazards as well as unique scientific opportunities for improved understanding of submarine eruptions.

NASA Earth Observatory images by Lauren Dauphin, using Landsat data from the U.S. Geological Survey. Story by Lindsey Doermann.

Downloads

Bands of tan-colored pumice float on the Bismarck Sea near several islands and bright-blue shallow areas. The material lines the southern coast of the largest island. A bright-white volcanic plume and an area of greenish water extend to the northwest from an underwater eruption.

June 4, 2026

JPEG (7.36 MB)

References & Resources

You may also be interested in:

Stay up-to-date with the latest content from NASA as we explore the universe and discover more about our home planet.
New Eruption in the Bismarck Sea
5 min read

Satellite imagery shows a surge of new volcanic activity in the ocean near Papua New Guinea.

Article
Home Reef Adds On
3 min read

The Tongan volcano expanded its mid-Pacific real estate during its latest eruptive phase.

Article
Restless Kīlauea Launches Lava and Ash
3 min read

Episode 43 of the Hawaiian volcano’s current eruption was marked by high lava fountains and widespread ash dispersal.

Article

Pumice Rafts Encroach on Admiralty Islands

✇NASA Science
By: Lauren Dauphin
15 June 2026 at 05:01
Bands of tan-colored pumice float on the Bismarck Sea near several islands and bright-blue shallow areas. The material lines the southern coast of the largest island.
June 4, 2026

On May 8, 2026, satellites detected signs of an unexpected submarine volcanic eruption in the Bismarck Sea near the islands of Papua New Guinea. Over the next several weeks, plumes of steam and ash streamed over the sea, and areas of discolored water surrounded the eruption site. Relatively little is known about the ocean floor in this area or the volcanic feature that is presently erupting. But experts think the new activity, ongoing as of mid-June, might be occurring along the Titan Ridge and has the potential to form an ephemeral new island.

Despite the unknowns, the effects of the eruption became unmistakable for some communities in Papua New Guinea’s Admiralty Islands. In early June, rafts of pumice drifted northwest from the eruption site and clogged up coastlines on several of the islands. Bands of the buoyant volcanic material are visible in this image, acquired with the OLI (Operational Land Imager) on Landsat 8 on June 4, as they drifted with surface currents on the Bismarck Sea.  

Several days after the image, news outlets reported acute impacts from thick masses of pumice reaching coastal areas. Communities on Lou Island and Baluan Island, to the south, were described by officials as among the worst affected, according to reports from local media. Outlets reported that a layer of pumice up to several meters thick blanketed the shore, cutting off access to the water. The volcanic fragments similarly choked the coast and key waterways around the much larger Manus Island, about 125 kilometers (80 miles) northwest of the volcano and out of frame.

A bright-white volcanic plume and an area of greenish water extend to the northwest from an underwater eruption.
A submarine volcano produces a plume of discolored water and vents steam into the air in an image acquired on June 4, 2026, with the OLI (Operational Land Imager) on Landsat 8. Pumice is visible near the base of the plume and exhibits a thermal signature in infrared imagery.
NASA Earth Observatory/Lauren Dauphin

Studies of past pumice raft events have found that the material can remain afloat for months to years before sinking out of satellite view. Larger rafts can form with the help of ash, which serves to “weld” together fragments of the porous rock, said Jim Garvin, the chief scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, noting this process occurred during the 2022 eruption of Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha‘apai. “These masses can pile up around erupting vents to protect the eruption centers and produce ephemeral new lands in some cases,” he said. When adrift, such pumice platforms can act as floating homes for marine organisms—from microalgae to bryozoans to barnacles—and enable them to disperse over long distances.

Though beneficial to life in some ways, the rafts can pose serious threats to humans and other species. Some of the larger fragments of pumice stack up to form ridges when they reach the coastlines of islands. Reports from Papua New Guinea highlight the disruptions to fishing, the transport of goods, and access to critical services that can occur when pumice accumulates along the coast.

Communities have expressed concerns over the pumice’s effects on marine ecosystems, as well. Researchers have noted that the sustained presence of pumice can block sunlight and may inhibit photosynthesis in seagrass and corals below, and the rocks may physically damage reef structures. In a review of the ecological effects of pumice reaching Japan’s coast in 2021, researchers noted the die-off of filter-feeding fish in fishery cages from ingesting pumice, warning that other wildlife may be harmed by mistakenly consuming the rocks.

New studies using an ensemble of orbital remote sensing platforms—including Landsat, hyperspectral instruments, and imaging radars—are tracking developments in this Bismarck Sea region, Garvin said. These observations can provide new perspectives on hazards as well as unique scientific opportunities for improved understanding of submarine eruptions.

NASA Earth Observatory images by Lauren Dauphin, using Landsat data from the U.S. Geological Survey. Story by Lindsey Doermann.

Downloads

Bands of tan-colored pumice float on the Bismarck Sea near several islands and bright-blue shallow areas. The material lines the southern coast of the largest island. A bright-white volcanic plume and an area of greenish water extend to the northwest from an underwater eruption.

June 4, 2026

JPEG (7.36 MB)

References & Resources

You may also be interested in:

Stay up-to-date with the latest content from NASA as we explore the universe and discover more about our home planet.
New Eruption in the Bismarck Sea
5 min read

Satellite imagery shows a surge of new volcanic activity in the ocean near Papua New Guinea.

Article
Home Reef Adds On
3 min read

The Tongan volcano expanded its mid-Pacific real estate during its latest eruptive phase.

Article
Restless Kīlauea Launches Lava and Ash
3 min read

Episode 43 of the Hawaiian volcano’s current eruption was marked by high lava fountains and widespread ash dispersal.

Article

The post Pumice Rafts Encroach on Admiralty Islands appeared first on NASA Science.

Received — 12 June 2026 ⏭

World Cup Fever in Guadalajara

✇NASA Science
By: Lauren Dauphin
12 June 2026 at 05:01
April 13, 1986
April 27, 2026
: Images of Guadalajara in 1986 (left) and 2026 (right) shows the city expanding westward into an area that had been mostly farmland. Guadalajara Stadium appears as a small circular feature on the left side of the 2026 image.
A pair of Landsat images shows 40 years of westward urban expansion from Guadalajara, Mexico. The Thematic Mapper on Landsat 5 captured the left image in 1986; the Operational Land Imager on Landsat 8 captured the right image in 2026.
Images of Guadalajara in 1986 (left) and 2026 (right) shows the city expanding westward into an area that had been mostly farmland. Guadalajara Stadium appears as a small circular feature on the left side of the 2026 image.
A pair of Landsat images shows 40 years of westward urban expansion from Guadalajara, Mexico. The Thematic Mapper on Landsat 5 captured the left image in 1986; the Operational Land Imager on Landsat 8 captured the right image in 2026.
NASA Earth Observatory / Lauren Dauphin
: Images of Guadalajara in 1986 (left) and 2026 (right) shows the city expanding westward into an area that had been mostly farmland. Guadalajara Stadium appears as a small circular feature on the left side of the 2026 image.
A pair of Landsat images shows 40 years of westward urban expansion from Guadalajara, Mexico. The Thematic Mapper on Landsat 5 captured the left image in 1986; the Operational Land Imager on Landsat 8 captured the right image in 2026.
Images of Guadalajara in 1986 (left) and 2026 (right) shows the city expanding westward into an area that had been mostly farmland. Guadalajara Stadium appears as a small circular feature on the left side of the 2026 image.
A pair of Landsat images shows 40 years of westward urban expansion from Guadalajara, Mexico. The Thematic Mapper on Landsat 5 captured the left image in 1986; the Operational Land Imager on Landsat 8 captured the right image in 2026.
NASA Earth Observatory / Lauren Dauphin
April 13, 1986
April 27, 2026

April 13, 1986 – April 27, 2026

A pair of Landsat images shows 40 years of westward urban expansion from Guadalajara, Mexico. The TM (Thematic Mapper) on Landsat 5 captured the left image in 1986; the OLI (Operational Land Imager) on Landsat 8 captured the right image in 2026.

Guadalajara, Mexico, was quite a different place when it last hosted World Cup games 40 years ago. The city welcomed matches in June 1986 and did so again in 2026, when South Korea faced Czechia at Guadalajara Stadium in the opening round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

In 1986, Guadalajara Stadium had not yet been built in Zapopan, the fast-growing municipality just northwest of Guadalajara. Many of that year’s World Cup matches were held instead at Jalisco Stadium in northeastern Guadalajara. It was in that stadium that France defeated Brazil in a penalty shootout in the 1986 quarterfinals, in what is widely regarded as one of the most memorable World Cup games of all time.

As seen in the Landsat images above, the land where Guadalajara Stadium (also called Estadio Akron) now sits was farmland in 1986. The new stadium, built in 2010 to host Mexico’s Club Deportivo Guadalajara, or Chivas, lies near the Sierra la Primavera volcanic complex, a rugged landscape full of lava flows, volcanic domes, steam vents, and hot springs. The architects who designed the stadium took inspiration from the nearby volcanic terrain, creating a structure that rises from a grassy earthen berm meant to resemble the flanks of a volcano, topped with a white roof reminiscent of a volcanic cloud.   

About 95,000 years ago, the volcanic system underneath Sierra la Primavera produced a massive eruption that caused a caldera 11 kilometers (7 miles) in diameter to slump downward. Water filled the depression for tens of thousands of years, but tectonic uplift and the accumulation of sediment eventually led to the demise of the lake. Erosion wore away the softer surrounding rock over time, leaving harder, erosion-resistant volcanic rocks within the circular feature that now stand high above the surrounding terrain.

Starting about 60,000 years ago, several lava domes erupted along the southern edge of the caldera. The youngest of them, Cerro del Colli, formed about 30,000 years ago, leaving the dome-shaped feature just south of the stadium and contributing to a broader landscape dotted with other volcanic domes and cinder cones.

Today, much of the original caldera has been preserved as a forested area known as La Primavera Biosphere Reserve, even as development has partially encircled it during the past 40 years. The population of the Guadalajara metro area has grown from about 2.7 million in 1986 to more than 5.5 million now, with particularly rapid growth in Zapopan, a burgeoning tech hub sometimes billed as “Mexico’s Silicon Valley.” A prominent development visible in Landsat images is Guadalajara Technology Park, one of several new industrial parks in Zapopan. New greenhouses have also come to the area en masse, including south of the reserve, where they are mostly used to grow fruits and vegetables.

World Cup fever runs particularly high in Guadalajara, which is hosting World Cup matches for the third time. During Brazil’s legendary title run in 1970, when Pelé led the team, Jalisco Stadium was the venue for Brazil’s first-round, quarterfinal, and semifinal matches. To commemorate him, the city in May 2026 erected a 9.5-meter (31-foot) bronze statue of the iconic football (soccer) player.

Even the animals at Guadalajara Zoo are taking part in the festivities, with elephants, gorillas, giraffes, capybaras, pumas, and macaws “predicting” match winners by choosing between food, shirts, boxes, soccer balls, and other items. A puma named Muluk predicted South Korea would beat Czechia by sniffing and moving a ball, one newspaper reported.

Guadalajara will host four first-round matches: South Korea vs. Czechia on June 12, Mexico vs. South Korea on June 18, Colombia vs. Democratic Republic of the Congo on June 23, and Uruguay vs. Spain on June 26.

NASA Earth Observatory images by Lauren Dauphin, using Landsat data from the U.S. Geological Survey. Story by Adam Voiland.

Downloads

Images of Guadalajara in 1986 (left) and 2026 (right) shows the city expanding westward into an area that had been mostly farmland. Guadalajara Stadium appears as a small circular feature on the left side of the 2026 image.

April 13, 1986

JPEG (13.09 MB)

Images of Guadalajara in 1986 (left) and 2026 (right) shows the city expanding westward into an area that had been mostly farmland. Guadalajara Stadium appears as a small circular feature on the left side of the 2026 image.

April 27, 2026

JPEG (13.71 MB)

References & Resources

You may also be interested in:

Stay up-to-date with the latest content from NASA as we explore the universe and discover more about our home planet.
A Volcanic Medley Near Mammoth Lakes 
4 min read

A massive, old caldera and more recently formed craters shape the landscape in the eastern Sierra Nevada.

Article
Scoria Cones on Earth and Mars
7 min read

The hill-shaped features are a sign of explosive volcanic activity—a rarity on the Red Planet.

Article
Restless Kīlauea Launches Lava and Ash
3 min read

Episode 43 of the Hawaiian volcano’s current eruption was marked by high lava fountains and widespread ash dispersal.

Article

The post World Cup Fever in Guadalajara appeared first on NASA Science.

❌