Images

This map shows the Annual National Land Cover Database (NLCD) land cover classifications for 2024 for Bay County, Florida. Annual NLCD is produced by the U.S. Geological Survey.

Overall agreement (OAa) and standard error (SEa) (%) between Annual NLCD CU 1.0 at Anderson Level 1 land cover classes and primary (most likely) or alternate (but could be) land cover labels for CONUS, 1985-2023.

Locations of the 8,360 plots included in the reference dataset that were used in the accuracy assessment of Annual NLCD CU 1.0 (1985 – 2023). Each plot includes primary (most likely) and alternate (but could be) land cover type calls for 1984 – 2023.  

This Landsat 9 image showing the Beaufort Sea shoreline off of Alaska and Canada is just one of the scenes captured and processed on July 13, 2025— that day, the USGS EROS archive reached a milestone of one million Landsat 9 Level-1 products.  This false color image was made with bands 6,5, and 4 from the Operational Land Imager. 

This map displays the geographic coverage of descending (daytime) image acquisition priorities for Landsat 8 and Landsat 9 on a typical day. The priority scale denotes 0 (low priority) to 100 (high priority).

The region of interest in the above images is Los Angeles and Ventura counties in California. The Woolsey fire started in 2018 on November 8th. The top left image shows the Annual NLCD spectral day change of year product where you can clearly see the Woolsey fire.

This Landsat 9 image of central Chile, acquired July 10, 2025, uses the shortwave infrared, near infrared, and red spectral bands ( bands 6,5,4) to highlight land cover. In this combination, healthy vegetation appears bright green, while snow and ice in the Andes Mountains show in bright blue.

Shows linear artifacts in Annual NLCD Land Cover product due to shrub and grass confusion. 

This Landsat 8 image highlights the McDermitt Caldera, which straddles the Nevada–Oregon border. The yellow boundary outlines the caldera margin, a geologic feature formed by a massive volcanic eruption millions of years ago. Over time, weathering of lithium-rich volcanic material led to the formation of clay deposits within the caldera basin.

An Annual National Land Cover Database (NLCD) animation of Devils Lake, North Dakota, from 1985 to 2023. Devils Lake is in the Prairie Pothole Region. Annual NLCD is produced at the USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center.

An Annual National Land Cover Database (NLCD) animation of central Day County, South Dakota, from 1985 to 2023. Day County is in the Prairie Pothole Region. Annual NLCD is produced at the USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center.

The six different Annual NLCD science products are Land Cover, Land Cover Change, Land Cover Confidence Index, Fractional Impervious Surface, Impervious Descriptor, and Spectral Change Day of Year. Annual NLCD Collection 1 is available beginning with data from 1985. The Land Cover classes are based on a modified Anderson Level II classification system. 

Annual National Land Cover Database (NLCD) land cover map for 2024. Annual NLCD has a 40-year historic record of land cover and land change, from 1985-2024. Annual NLCD, based on Landsat data, is produced at the USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center.

This Annual National Land Cover Database (NLCD) animation shows how the Smith River Complex Fire, which occurred in the fall of 2023 at the California-Oregon border, left a devastating mark on the landscape.

A table comparing the Annual NLCD Collection 1.0 to Collection 1.1 for Landsat ARD Source, Product Date Range, and Release Date.

The Landsat 7 satellite was launched on April 15, 1999.  The mission was decommissioned on June 4, 2025.  The data collected by the satellite's sensor from 1999 to 2024 is a key part of Landsat’s 50-plus year record of imaging our planet’s surface and are preserved in the USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center archive.  

In late May 2025, Landsat satellites captured imagery of active fires in north-central Saskatchewan, Canada. The fires have caused evacuation orders and closed highways. While the natural color image shows the massive smoke covering the land, false color images allow us to see through the smoke and see the areas of active burning more clearly.

Trees in the Black Hills National Forest, South Dakota. Mountains can be seen in the background. 

By layering over 10 years of cloud-free Landsat 8 and Landsat 9 images, we can see the bright trails of ship traffic in major U.S. ports and harbors. Check out these striking patterns from popular shipping waterways, captured using Landsat’s panchromatic band. Just another example of how Landsat helps us understand the world from above.

This picture is the site of the Big Multi-Agency Campaign (BigMAC), a comprehensive field exercise aimed at assessing current technologies that might be used for validation of surface products derived from satellite imagery, The exercise was held in Brookings, South Dakota in August 2021. 

This Landsat 8 image of northern Greenland, acquired May 10, 2025, uses the natural color combination of red, green, and blue spectral bands (bands 4,3,2). Snow and ice appear bright white and exposed rock appears brown. The scene features the Ryder Glacier, C.H. Ostenfeld Glacier, and Victoria Fjord, along with part of the Greenland Ice Sheet.