World of Change
Earth is constantly changing. Some changes are a natural part of the climate system, such as the seasonal expansion and contraction of the Arctic sea ice pack. The responsibility for other changes, such as the Antarctic ozone hole, falls squarely on humanity’s shoulders. Our World of Change series documents how our planet’s land, oceans, atmosphere, and Sun are changing over time.
Columbia Glacier, Alaska
July 29, 1986July 2, 2014
Since 1980, the volume of this glacier that spills into the Prince William Sound has shrunk by half. Climate change may have nudged the process along, but mechanical forces have played the largest role in the ice loss.
Coastline Change
June 12, 1984August 18, 2014
The shoreline of Cape Cod provides a visual case study in the evolution and dynamic motion of barrier islands and spits.
Shrinking Aral Sea
August 19, 2000August 19, 2014
A massive irrigation project has devastated the Aral Sea over the past 50 years. These images show the decline of the Southern Aral Sea in the past decade, as well as the first steps of recovery in the Northern Aral Sea.
Antarctic Ozone Hole
September 17, 1979September 29, 2013
In the early 1980s, scientists began to realize that CFCs were creating a thin spot—a hole—in the ozone layer over Antarctica every spring. This series of satellite images shows the ozone hole on the day of its maximum depth each year from 1979 through 2010.
Water Level in Lake Powell
March 25, 1999May 13, 2014
Combined with human demands, a multi-year drought in the Upper Colorado River Basin caused a dramatic drop in the Colorado River’s Lake Powell in the early part of the 2000s. The lake began to recover in the latter part of the decade, but as of 2012, it was still well below capacity.
Antarctic Sea Ice
March 1999February 2014
Because of differences in geography and climate, Antarctica sea ice extent is larger than the Arctic’s in winter and smaller in summer. Since 1979, Antarctica’s sea ice has increased slightly, but year-to-year fluctuations are large.
Arctic Sea Ice
March 2000March 2014
NASA satellites have monitored Arctic sea ice since 1978. Starting in 2002, they observed a sharp decline in sea ice extent.
Amazon Deforestation
July 20, 2000July 18, 2012
The state of Rondônia in western Brazil is one of the most deforested parts of the Amazon. This series shows deforestation on the frontier in the northwestern part of the state between 2000 and 2012.
Mountaintop Mining, West Virginia
September 17, 1984September 17, 2013
Based on data from the Landsat satellites, these natural-color images document the growth of the Hobet mine in Boone County, West Virginia, as it expands from ridge to ridge between 1984 and 2013.
Recovery at Mt. St. Helens
June 17, 1984August 20, 2013
The devastation of the May 1980 eruption of Mt. St. Helens and the gradual recovery of the surrounding landscape is documented in this series of satellite images from 1979—2013.
Fire in Etosha National Park
June 5, 2012June 16, 2012
Prescribed fires should prevent blazes from raging out of control in one of Namibia’s most prized wildlife preserves.
Green Seasons of Maine
April 14, 2008December 18, 2008
Not many places on Earth have year-round greenery and four distinct seasons. The images in this series show the four seasons of Maine, the most forest-covered state in the U.S.A.
Drought Cycles in Australia
mid-September 2000mid-September 2011
Droughts have taken a severe toll on croplands in Southeast Australia during the past decade.
Athabasca Oil Sands
July 1984May 2011
The Athabasca Oil Sands are at once a source of oil, of economic growth, and of environmental concern. This series of images shows the growth of surface mines around the Athabasca River from 1984 to the present.
Burn Recovery in Yellowstone
19892011
In 1988, wildfires raced through Yellowstone National Park, consuming hundreds of thousands of acres. This series of Landsat images tracks the landscape’s slow recovery through 2011.
Severe Storms
Damrey, 2000Megi, 2010
This collection features the strongest hurricane, cyclone, or typhoon (from any ocean) during each of the past 11 years, including storms both infamous and obscure.
Seasons of the Indus River
June 6, 2009June 9, 2010
Fed by glaciers in the Himalayas and Karakorams mountains — and by monsoon rains — the Indus River experiences substantial fluctuations every year. Because the river irrigates 18 million hectares of farmland, the landscape changes along with the river.
Urbanization of Dubai
November 11, 2000April 25, 2011
To expand the possibilities for beachfront tourist development, Dubai, part of the United Arab Emirates, undertook a massive engineering project to create hundreds of artificial islands along its Persian Gulf coastline.
Global Temperatures
1880 - 18892000 - 2009
The world is getting warmer, whatever the cause. According to an analysis by NASA scientists, the average global temperature has increased by about 0.8°Celsius (1.4° Fahrenheit) since 1880. Two-thirds of the warming has occurred since 1975.
Seasons of Lake Tahoe
August 27, 2009December 23, 2009
Perhaps the most familiar change in our changing world is the annual swing of the seasons. This series of images shows the effects of the seasons on the Lake Tahoe region between 2009 and 2010.
Solar Activity
April 29, 1999May 2, 2010
Images of sunspots and UV brightness document the 11-year cycle of solar magnetic activity. The series spans 1999–2010, capturing the most recent solar maximum and minimum, as well as the emergence of solar cycle 24.
Larsen-B Ice Shelf
January 31, 2002April 13, 2002
In early 2002, scientists monitoring daily satellite images of the Antarctic Peninsula watched in amazement as almost the entire Larsen B Ice Shelf splintered and collapsed in just over one month. They had never witnessed such a large area disintegrate so rapidly.
Mesopotamia Marshes
February 28, 2000February 8, 2010
In the years following the Second Gulf War, Iraqi residents began reclaiming the country’s nearly decimated Mesopotamian marshes. This series of images documents the transformation of the fabled landscape between 2000 and 2010.
Yellow River Delta
February 13, 1989June 20, 2009
Once free to wander up and down the coast of the North China Plain, the Yellow River Delta has been shaped by levees, canals, and jetties in recent decades.
El Niño, La Niña, and Rainfall
