Earth ID: 13227

NASA Follows Changing Freshwater from Space

Released on June 12, 2019

When we look into the vastness of space, our home planet stands out in many ways. One of the most crucial is the presence of abundant, accessible freshwater -- as a liquid, solid and gas. Water helps make our planet habitable.

The first question NASA researchers studying freshwater on Earth ask is: Where is the water? As it constantly cycles between water vapor, rain and snow, and reservoirs above and below ground, water is tracked by a fleet of NASA satellites. Heat travels with that water, as energy from the Sun drives freshwater’s transformations between vapor, liquid water, and ice. As our planet warms due to greenhouse gases, scientists have a second pressing question: How is climate change affecting the distribution of water?

Source Material

Credits

Kathryn Mersmann (USRA): Lead Producer
Ellen T. Gray (ADNET Systems, Inc.): Lead Writer
Katie Jepson (USRA): Producer
Matthew R. Radcliff (USRA): Sound Editor

Please give credit for this item to:
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center

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Keywords:
SVS >> Drought
SVS >> HDTV
DLESE >> Hydrology
DLESE >> Natural hazards
SVS >> Water
SVS >> Water Cycle
GCMD >> Earth Science >> Hydrosphere >> Surface Water >> Floods
NASA Science >> Earth
GCMD >> Earth Science >> Human Dimensions >> Natural Hazards >> Famine
GCMD >> Earth Science >> Terrestrial Hydrosphere >> Water Quality/water Chemistry
SVS >> Freshwater

GCMD keywords can be found on the Internet with the following citation: Olsen, L.M., G. Major, K. Shein, J. Scialdone, S. Ritz, T. Stevens, M. Morahan, A. Aleman, R. Vogel, S. Leicester, H. Weir, M. Meaux, S. Grebas, C.Solomon, M. Holland, T. Northcutt, R. A. Restrepo, R. Bilodeau, 2013. NASA/Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Earth Science Keywords. Version 8.0.0.0.0