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Images

Peruse our selection of remote sensing and Earth science imagery below.

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Kaskawulsh Glacier, Yukon Territory, Canada, Landsat 8, taken July 4, 2016
Landsat 8 image of Kaskawulsh Glacier in Canada's Yukon Territory
Landsat 8 image of Kaskawulsh Glacier in Canada's Yukon Territory
Landsat 8 image of Kaskawulsh Glacier in Canada's Yukon Territory

Landsat 8 satellite image of the Kaskawulsh Glacier in Canada's Yukon Territory, showing how glacier melt has altered meltwater discharge to the Kaskawulsh River.

Landsat image showing scar marks from fire in comparison to ASTER.
Landsat, ASTER Work Together on Russian Wildfires
Landsat, ASTER Work Together on Russian Wildfires
Landsat, ASTER Work Together on Russian Wildfires

Remotely sensed imagery of wildfires burning in the Siberia region of Russia shows the complementary possibilities of Landsat 8 and NASA's ASTER sensor aboard its Terra satellite.

Remotely sensed imagery of wildfires burning in the Siberia region of Russia shows the complementary possibilities of Landsat 8 and NASA's ASTER sensor aboard its Terra satellite.

Earth As Art image Fractured
Fractured
Fractured
Fractured

Cracking ice on the Arctic Ocean fractures like broken glass in far northern Canada. Uninhabited Eglinton Island is the land on the right. Fingers of land from Prince Patrick Island stretch downward in the upper left of the image.

Cracking ice on the Arctic Ocean fractures like broken glass in far northern Canada. Uninhabited Eglinton Island is the land on the right. Fingers of land from Prince Patrick Island stretch downward in the upper left of the image.

A satellite image of the Guadalupe Mountains showing a scar of a good burn
Landsat Reveals Scar of ‘Good Burn’ at Guadalupe Mountains
Landsat Reveals Scar of ‘Good Burn’ at Guadalupe Mountains
Landsat Reveals Scar of ‘Good Burn’ at Guadalupe Mountains

Pre- and post-fire images acquired with shortwave infrared (SWIR), near infrared (NIR), and red bands on Landsat 8’s Operational Land Imager sensor reveal a significant, 14,442-acre burn scar within the park’s high country. The burn scar appears red in the June 23 image.

Pre- and post-fire images acquired with shortwave infrared (SWIR), near infrared (NIR), and red bands on Landsat 8’s Operational Land Imager sensor reveal a significant, 14,442-acre burn scar within the park’s high country. The burn scar appears red in the June 23 image.

color photograph
Degraded land in Senegal - 2011
Degraded land in Senegal - 2011
Degraded land in Senegal - 2011

An area of degraded land in the Ferlo region of Senegal, photographed in 2011 by U.S. Geological Survey Scientist G. Gray Tappan as part of his work on West African land cover. Tappan had previously photographed the scene in 1994.

An area of degraded land in the Ferlo region of Senegal, photographed in 2011 by U.S. Geological Survey Scientist G. Gray Tappan as part of his work on West African land cover. Tappan had previously photographed the scene in 1994.

Satellite image showing Wyoming Powder River Basin
Landsat Reveals Industrial Growth in Powder River Basin
Landsat Reveals Industrial Growth in Powder River Basin
Landsat Reveals Industrial Growth in Powder River Basin

The expanding coal fields in Wyoming's Powder River Basin serve as prime examples of Landsat's ability to monitor land cover change related to industrial growth across the American landscape.

The expanding coal fields in Wyoming's Powder River Basin serve as prime examples of Landsat's ability to monitor land cover change related to industrial growth across the American landscape.

color photograph
Degraded land in Senegal - 1994
Degraded land in Senegal - 1994
Degraded land in Senegal - 1994

An area of degraded land in the Ferlo region of Senegal, photographed in 1994 by U.S. Geological Survey Scientist G. Gray Tappan as part of his work on West African land cover. Tappan photographed the scene again in 2011.

An area of degraded land in the Ferlo region of Senegal, photographed in 1994 by U.S. Geological Survey Scientist G. Gray Tappan as part of his work on West African land cover. Tappan photographed the scene again in 2011.

Using Landsat imagery to record burn severity and recovery.
Fire and Rebirth: Landsat Tells Yellowstone's Story
Fire and Rebirth: Landsat Tells Yellowstone's Story
Fire and Rebirth: Landsat Tells Yellowstone's Story

In the summer of 1988, a wildfire ravaged the world's first national park, consuming 1.2 million acres in and around the Greater Yellowstone Park ecosystem.

Southern Tibetan Plateau, Sentinel 2A
Southern Tibetan Plateau, Sentinel 2A
Southern Tibetan Plateau, Sentinel 2A
Satellite image showing wildfire in Boreal Forest Russia
Large Wildfire Consumes Boreal Forest in Eastern Russia
Large Wildfire Consumes Boreal Forest in Eastern Russia
Large Wildfire Consumes Boreal Forest in Eastern Russia

A massive wildfire on the Kamchatka Peninsula in far eastern Russia has consumed nearly 600,000 acres of boreal forest and tundra since late May 2016.

Senegal savannah - 2010
Senegal savannah - 2010
Senegal savannah - 2010

A savannah south of Kaffrine in central Senegal, photographed in 2010 by U.S. Geological Survey Scientist G. Gray Tappan as part of his work on West African land cover. Tappan had previously photographed the scene in 1994.

A savannah south of Kaffrine in central Senegal, photographed in 2010 by U.S. Geological Survey Scientist G. Gray Tappan as part of his work on West African land cover. Tappan had previously photographed the scene in 1994.

color photograph
Senegal savannah - 1994
Senegal savannah - 1994
Senegal savannah - 1994

A savannah south of Kaffrine in central Senegal, photographed in 1994 by U.S. Geological Survey Scientist G. Gray Tappan as part of his work on West African land cover. Tappan photographed the scene again in 2013.

A savannah south of Kaffrine in central Senegal, photographed in 1994 by U.S. Geological Survey Scientist G. Gray Tappan as part of his work on West African land cover. Tappan photographed the scene again in 2013.

Scientist inspecting permafrost
Inspecting Permafrost
Inspecting Permafrost
Inspecting Permafrost

USGS scientist Neal Pastick inspects a permafrost plot in North Slope of Alaska near Galbraith Lake.

Satellite image showing the flooding in Houston, Texas
Rain-Swollen Brazos River Floods Suburban Houston
Rain-Swollen Brazos River Floods Suburban Houston
Rain-Swollen Brazos River Floods Suburban Houston

Heavy rains that began falling during Memorial Day weekend in late May 2016 pushed the Brazos River, 30 miles southwest of Houston, Texas, toward a near-record flooding stage that hasn’t been seen since 1913, according to the National Weather Service (NWS).

Heavy rains that began falling during Memorial Day weekend in late May 2016 pushed the Brazos River, 30 miles southwest of Houston, Texas, toward a near-record flooding stage that hasn’t been seen since 1913, according to the National Weather Service (NWS).

Sentinel-2A satellite image showing the Crater Lake in Oregon.
Crater Lake Image Shows Potential of Sentinel-2A
Crater Lake Image Shows Potential of Sentinel-2A
Crater Lake Image Shows Potential of Sentinel-2A

This image from the European Space Agency's Sentinel-2A satellite offers a breathtaking view of Crater Lake National Park in southern Oregon. It offers something equally important to park managers, scientists, and anyone else interested in land cover change—a view that is highly similar and complementary to Landsat acquisitions.

This image from the European Space Agency's Sentinel-2A satellite offers a breathtaking view of Crater Lake National Park in southern Oregon. It offers something equally important to park managers, scientists, and anyone else interested in land cover change—a view that is highly similar and complementary to Landsat acquisitions.

Satellite image showing Lake Mead low levels
Lake Mead Reaches Historic Low
Lake Mead Reaches Historic Low
Lake Mead Reaches Historic Low

The surface level of Lake Mead in Nevada and Arizona has fallen to a historic low as 16 years of ongoing drought in the American Southwest continue to impact the Colorado River Basin.

The surface level of Lake Mead in Nevada and Arizona has fallen to a historic low as 16 years of ongoing drought in the American Southwest continue to impact the Colorado River Basin.

Satellite image showing flooding in Sri Lanka
Heavy Flooding in Sri Lanka
Heavy Flooding in Sri Lanka
Satellit image showing fort McMurray fires
Fort McMurray Wildfire (Before and After)
Fort McMurray Wildfire (Before and After)
Fort McMurray Wildfire (Before and After)

Eleven days after a wildfire first sparked south of Fort McMurray in northern Alberta, Landsat 8’s Operational Land Imager (OLI) captured imagery of one of the most destructive infernos in Canadian history. The fire has burned an area approaching 600,000 acres.

Eleven days after a wildfire first sparked south of Fort McMurray in northern Alberta, Landsat 8’s Operational Land Imager (OLI) captured imagery of one of the most destructive infernos in Canadian history. The fire has burned an area approaching 600,000 acres.

Satellite image showing fires in Fort McMurray, Alberta Canada
Fort McMurray Wildfire
Fort McMurray Wildfire
Fort McMurray Wildfire

Image of the Week: A massive wildfire burning near Fort McMurray in Alberta, Canada, fueled by dry conditions and high winds, has destroyed 1,600 structures and forced more than 88,000 people to evacuate the area so far.

Image of the Week: A massive wildfire burning near Fort McMurray in Alberta, Canada, fueled by dry conditions and high winds, has destroyed 1,600 structures and forced more than 88,000 people to evacuate the area so far.

Satellite image comparison of Chernobyl then and now
Landsat Played Role in Confirming 1986 Chernobyl Disaster
Landsat Played Role in Confirming 1986 Chernobyl Disaster
Landsat Played Role in Confirming 1986 Chernobyl Disaster

When the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant exploded 30 years ago, on April 26, 1986, Landsat 5 was the first civilian satellite to confirm the disaster near Pripyat, Ukraine, in the agricultural heartland of the Soviet Union.  

When the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant exploded 30 years ago, on April 26, 1986, Landsat 5 was the first civilian satellite to confirm the disaster near Pripyat, Ukraine, in the agricultural heartland of the Soviet Union.  

Earth As Art image Shoal Comples
Shoal Complex
Shoal Complex
Shoal Complex

The main feature here, near Eleuthera Island in the Bahamas, is the Schooner Cays shoal complex. The tidal sand ridges, parabolic bars, and intervening channels explode in a blue rhythm. The Bahamas have the third most extensive coral reef in the world.

The main feature here, near Eleuthera Island in the Bahamas, is the Schooner Cays shoal complex. The tidal sand ridges, parabolic bars, and intervening channels explode in a blue rhythm. The Bahamas have the third most extensive coral reef in the world.

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