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The Earth Observatory is part of the. EOS Project Science Office at. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. Did you find what you were looking for? climate change, global climate change, global warming, natural hazards, Earth, environment, remote sensing, atmosphere, land processes, oceans, volcanoes, land cover, Earth science data, NASA ...
Rainforest: Mission: Biomes - NASA Earth Observatory
The tropical rainforest is a hot, moist biome where it rains all year long. It is known for its dense canopies of vegetation that form three different layers. The top layer or canopy contains giant trees that grow to heights of 75 m (about 250 ft) or more. This layer of vegetation prevents much of the sunlight from reaching the ground.
Temperate Deciduous Forest: Mission: Biomes - NASA Earth …
The deciduous forest regions are exposed to warm and cold air masses, which cause this area to have four seasons. The temperature varies widely from season to season with cold winters and hot, wet summers. The average yearly temperature is about 10°C. The areas in which deciduous forests are located get about 750 to 1,500 mm of precipitation ...
2021 Continued Earth’s Warming Trend - NASA Earth Observatory
Jan 13, 2022 · Global temperatures in 2021 were 0.85 degrees Celsius (1.5 degrees Fahrenheit) above the average for NASA’s baseline period, according to scientists at NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS). NASA uses the period from 1951-1980 as a baseline to compare how global temperatures change over time. Collectively, the past eight years ...
Total Rainfall - NASA Earth Observatory
Total Rainfall. Globally, rain is the main source of fresh water for plants and animals rainfall is essential for life across Earth’s landscapes. In addition to moving tremendous amounts of water through Earth’s atmosphere, rain clouds also move tremendous amounts of energy. When water evaporates from the surface and rises as vapor into the ...
Tracking 30 Years of Sea Level Rise - NASA Earth Observatory
Aug 10, 2022 · Scientists have found that global mean sea level—shown in the line plot above and below—has risen 10.1 centimeters (3.98 inches) since 1992. Over the past 140 years, satellites and tide gauges together show that global sea level has risen 21 to 24 centimeters (8 to 9 inches). Starting with TOPEX/Poseidon, NASA and partner space agencies ...
The Eye of Sahara - NASA Earth Observatory
Jul 9, 2022 · The Eye of Sahara. July 10, 2020 JPEG. Taken by an astronaut onboard the International Space Station (ISS), this photograph places the Richat Structure—a geologic feature in Mauritania characterized by its concentric rings—in context with the extensive dune fields that surround it. Dubbed “the Eye of Sahara,” the structure has a ...
Climate and Earth’s Energy Budget - NASA Earth Observatory
Jan 14, 2009 · The Earth’s climate is a solar powered system. Globally, over the course of the year, the Earth system—land surfaces, oceans, and atmosphere—absorbs an average of about 240 watts of solar power per square meter (one watt is one joule of energy every second). The absorbed sunlight drives photosynthesis, fuels evaporation, melts snow and ...
The Water Cycle - NASA Earth Observatory
The water, or hydrologic, cycle describes the pilgrimage of water as water molecules make their way from the Earth’s surface to the atmosphere and back again, in some cases to below the surface. This gigantic system, powered by energy from the Sun, is a continuous exchange of moisture between the oceans, the atmosphere, and the land.
Grassland: Mission: Biomes - NASA Earth Observatory
Grasslands are generally open and continuous, fairly flat areas of grass. They are often located between temperate forests at high latitudes and deserts at subtropical latitudes. Grasses vary in size from 2.1 m (7 ft) tall with roots extending down into the soil 1.8 m (6 ft), to the short grasses growing to a height of only 20 to 25 cm (8 to 10 ...