NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration

When Earth Day arrives on April 22, it will be just one more day that NASA science data archive centers are making available enormous quantities of important satellite data products that reveal many important facets of the Earth.

Image right: This animation leads viewers across the icy reaches of Antarctica, the shrinking ice cap around the North Pole, and other frozen, terrestrial regions of the globe. It conveys the interconnectedness of the cryosphere and impact of climate change on the earth system. (Click on image for streaming video - with audio and captions). + Tour of the Cryosphere site Credit: NASA + EOS DAAC website

The centers support the production of and collectively manage enough unique data from NASA Earth-observing satellites to fill a stack of DVDs almost two feet tall every day. Last year, NASA distributed nearly 60 million Earth Science data products -- over 720 terabytes of data -- to more than 2.5 million distinct users.

The value of NASA's Earth observations from space is not just in their quantity but in the public benefit gained from their use. Beyond scientific research, the data from NASA's Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS) data centers, called Distributed Active Archive Centers (DAACs), are used in ecological and weather forecasting, response to natural disasters, air and water quality management, coastal management, and agricultural forecasting.

Image left: From Climate Change Resource Reel: Arctic Sea Ice 2005: The minimum concentration of Arctic sea ice in 2005 occurred on September 21, 2005, when the sea ice extent dropped to 2.05 million sq. miles, the lowest extent yet recorded in the satellite record. The yellow line represents the average location of the ice edge of the perennial sea ice cover for the years 1979 through 2005. (Click image for 3 Mb movie - no audio).
+ Climate Change Resource Reel site Credit: NASA

Each archive center maintains data on specific Earth science subjects like sea ice, ocean biology, lightning, clouds and the upper atmosphere. Examples of how NASA's wealth of Earth science data are improving our stewardship of our home planet include:

• The NASA-sponsored Alaska Satellite Facility archive center, Fairbanks, assisted in a 2004 Bering Sea incident when an oil freighter ran aground and broke apart. The radar data requested by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) National Ice Center and NOAA's National Environmental Satellite Data and Information System helped the U.S. Coast Guard in its recovery efforts and ongoing monitoring of the vessel's broken pieces and oil spillage.



• Detailed rainfall data from the Goddard Space Flight Center Data and Information Services Center, Greenbelt, Md., make important contributions to the Famine Early Warning System Network. This network is operated as a partnership of U.S. agencies with environmental monitoring expertise and several African regional early warning groups.



• In 2005, the National Snow and Ice Data Center, Boulder, Colo., and NASA scientists marked the fourth consecutive year using satellite data to track a major reduction in Arctic sea ice at the end of the northern summer. Satellite passive microwave data available through this data center were also used to track snowmelt on the Greenland ice sheet, where 2005 summer melt was the most extensive for the 27-year satellite record.



• Jason and TOPEX/Poseidon satellite data, made available through the Physical Oceanography archive center, Pasadena, Calif., provided scientists the first detailed profile of wave height changes as they formed during the 2004 Southeast Asian tsunami.



• The NASA-supported Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center at Columbia University/Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory in New York provided data on the distribution of human population and urban settlements for the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, produced by the World Health Organization in 2005. These data were used to study the interaction between changes in ecosystems and human well-being.

Image right: Earth Science Highlights 2005: Blue Marble Next Generation -- NASA operates 18 of the most advanced Earth-observing satellites ever built, which help scientists make some of the most detailed observations ever made of our world. In 2005, NASA shared the newest in a series of images called The Blue Marble - Next Generation. This new Earth imagery enhances the Blue Marble legacy, captured during Apollo 17, by providing a detailed look at an entire year in the life of our planet. (Click image for 878 Kb movie - no audio) + Earth Science Highlights Reel page Credit: NASA

The Earth-observing data centers have reduced the lag time between global observations and derived information products, becoming valuable sources of Earth science data and information. These data and information are critical in helping us better understand the Earth's systems, ways to mitigate hazards and be better stewards of the Earth's resources.

The NASA EOSDIS data centers help support science, applications, and educational users.

Gretchen Cook-Anderson
Goddard Space Flight Center