Our Project Portfolio
Earth Action supports a variety of projects that utilize Earth observations to help address challenges facing communities around the globe. Our portfolio demonstrates the benefits of using NASA Earth observations to inform decision and policy-making to improve life on Earth for all.
Team: Nora Carmody (Project Lead), Lillian Gordon, Nathan Teich, Josh Virene
Summary: Over the last several decades, wildfire frequency and severity in forested areas along… Read More
Evapotranspiration (ET) is a key indicator of hydrological balance across different ecosystems. Water availability is a vital ecosystem service for biota and communities. The transpiration and evaporation of water from… Read More
Evapotranspiration (ET) is a vital component of the hydrologic cycle, especially in semi-arid environments; water availability can have a substantial impact on ecosystem services, such as grazing patterns of native and… Read More
The disruption of natural fire regimes caused by fire suppression policies, coupled with drought and changing climate conditions, allow fuel loads to grow in the absence of naturally occurring, low intensity surface fires.… Read More
Spruce beetle-induced (Dendroctonus rufipennis (Kirby)) mortality on the Kenai Peninsula has heightened local wildfire risk as canopy loss facilitates the conversion from blank to fire-prone grassland. We collected… Read More
Team: Isabella Chittumuri (Project Lead), Nancee Uniyal, Nathan Tesfayi, Shakirah Rogers
Summary: In September 2017, Hurricane Irma made landfall in southern Georgia, causing severe flooding… Read More
Team: Shakirah Rogers (Project Lead), Nathan Tesfayi, Matthew Murray, Clarence Jackson
Summary: Heirs property owners are especially vulnerable to natural and manmade disasters. This… Read More
For at least the past two decades, the coral reefs and coastal ecosystems of the American Samoan island of Tutuila have experienced deteriorating water quality. Increased levels of sedimentation, nutrients, and other land-… Read More
Dissolved oxygen levels have been declining in the Puget Sound since 2000 due to eutrophication, resulting in harmful algal bloom (HAB) events, which negatively impact water quality and wildlife in the area. Therefore,… Read More
Team: Jonathan Szeto (Project Lead), Jasper Beardslee, Piper Christian, Bethany MacCarter, Alma Quintero
Summary: Little Manila Rising (LMR) is a nonprofit in… Read More
In recent years, the Gulf of México (GoM) has gained national attention for its significant contributions to the country’s overall oil supply – the area today accounts for 17% of all US oil production. The production and… Read More
Team: Ben Dahan (Project Lead), Evan Barrett, Tiffany Hsu, Gabriel Halaweh
Summary: The Republic of the Maldives is a low-lying island nation in the Indian Ocean which has experienced… Read More
The Osa Peninsula, located in the southern region of Costa Rica’s Pacific coast, is one of the most biologically diverse places on Earth. NASA DEVELOP partnered with Osa Conservation to analyze the impact of human activity on… Read More
Water resources in developing countries are under a constant state of stress. There are pressures of a growing population and diverse needs – agricultural, industrial, personal uses and power generation. This is coupled with degradation of water quality due… Read More
Team: Anne Britton (Project Lead), Deirdre An, Seamus Geraty, Charles Nixon
Summary: Ephemeral freshwater rock pools, known as tinajas, have great biologic and cultural… Read More
Team: Kelli Roberts (Project Lead), William Hadley, Daniel Littleton
Summary: Wildfire potential monitoring, which is increasingly vital under climate change-induced droughts… Read More
Team: Kindrea Gibbons (Project Lead), Michaela Gooch, Quinton Deppert, Casey Mills
Summary: A flash drought refers to the rapid onset or intensification of drought-like conditions… Read More
Team: Kelli Roberts (Project Lead), Justin Meyer, Rajneesh Sharma, Monique Howlett
Summary: The Caribbean country of Haiti has an extensive history of deforestation and environmental… Read More
This project utilized satellite Earth observations to assess locations in Mobile County, Alabama, that are vulnerable to the urban heat island effect (UHI) and flood impacts. Our partner, Groundwork Mobile County (GWMC), and… Read More
Team: Suhani Dalal (Project Lead), Katera Lee, Chandler Ross, Gabriel Rosenstein
Summary: Heightened occurrence of severe wildfires in the Western United States is increasing the… Read More