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Science Communication Material

NASA's Earth Observing System provides a variety of materials available for download. Feel free to choose a category below:

Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER)
PDF icon aster.pdf

The only instrument flying on the EOS Terra (formerly AM-1) platform that acquires high-resolution images is ASTER. The primary goal of the ASTER mission is to obtain high-resolution image data in 14 channels over targeted areas of the Earth’s surface, as well as black-and-white stereo images. With a revisit time between 4 and 16 days, ASTER provides the capability for repeat coverage of changing areas on the Earth’s surface.

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Multi-angle Imaging Spectroradiometer (MISR)
PDF icon MISR.pdf

MISR is flying on the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA’s) first Earth Observing System (EOS) satellite—EOS Terra (formerly AM-1)—together with four other instruments designed to study Earth from space. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) of the California Institute of Technology built the MISR instrument for NASA. JPL, in collaboration with the MISR science team, built the software to convert raw MISR data into information that Earth science researchers can use.

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Terra
PDF icon 1998_Terra_litho.pdf

NASA’s commitment to studying the Earth as a global system continued with the launch of the Terra spacecraft in December 1999 representing a key contribution by NASA to the U.S. Global Change Research Program. Terra was the first of several EOS spacecraft that are observing the Earth’s continents, oceans and atmosphere. It has five state-of-the-art instruments achieving measurement capability and accuracy never known before.

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1997-98 El Nino (1998)
PDF icon 1998_El_Nino.pdf

This image shows the progression of the 1997-98 El Niño as derived rom the TOPEX/Poseidon satellite.

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AERONET (2012)
PDF icon AERONETpamphlet_508_sm.pdf

This resource gives a brief overview of the AErosol RObotic NETwork (AERONET) program, which provides a long-term, accessible database of aerosol properties. Long-term commitment to AERONET sites worldwide provides assessment of the regional climatological impact of aerosols (e.g., aerosol amount, size, and heating or cooling effects). Learn more about this international program and how measurements from AERONET help improve our understanding of Earth’s climate.

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African Dust Leads to Large Toxic Algal Bloom (2001)
PDF icon 2001_African_Dust.pdf

Each year, several hundred million tons of African dust are transported westward over the Atlantic to the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, Central America, and South America. Thunderstorms and accompanying warm air can lift dust as high as 4575 meters (15,000 feet) above the African deserts, and then out across the Atlantic.

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Agricultural Competitiveness (2003)
PDF icon 2003_agri_litho_alt.pdf

One of our nations most vital needs is a stable and dependable food supply for an ever-increasing population. The Midwest United States is known as America’s Breadbasket because it is home to the vast majority of America’s productive farmland and is a vital cog in the American economy. Any disruption to the productivity of these lands can have devastating economic consequences. For example, in the summer of 1988, the Midwest United States experienced its worst dry spell since the 1930s causing an estimated $40 billion in crop damages. In contrast, summer 1993 was exceptionally wet, with flooding on the Missouri and Mississippi rivers that wreaked havoc on agricultural lands and caused extensive crop damage.

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Air Pollution: Europe from Space, 2005-2010 (2012)
PDF icon NO2_EuropeLenticular_508.pdf

A close-up look at air quality over Europe, 2005-2010, as detected from satellite. See how population and industrialization affects nitrogen dioxide (NO2) levels and how concentrations of this pollutant have changed over time.

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Air Quality (2003)
PDF icon 2003_air_litho_alt.pdf

The Clean Air Act, created in 1972 and last amended in 1990, responds to the basic societal need for clean, breathable air and recognizes the need to protect this vital natural resource. Congress directed the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to set National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for pollutants considered harmful to public health and the environment. Although these regulations have significantly improved the quality of our nation’s air over the past 30 years, people in some areas are still exposed to air pollution levels that exceed the NAAQS. Numerous studies have shown significant effects of air pollution on human health, agriculture, ecosystems, and physical infrastructure.

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Aqua (2001)
PDF icon 2001_Aqua_litho.pdf

The Aqua mission, launched in May 2002, builds on NASA’s long history of studying the Earth and its atmosphere from the impressive perspective of space. Amongst the aims are an integrated understanding of the Earth system at present, an improved understanding of the prominent changes the system has undergone in the past, and improved predictions regarding how the system is likely to change in the future.

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