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Massachusetts is the seventh smallest U.S. State in land area, but its size is surpassed by its contributions to U.S. history and the economy, its academic and medical expertise, and its natural features. The Atlantic Ocean to the east gives the “Bay State” more than 1,500 miles of coastline that were important in past fishing and maritime trade industries and in the tourism industry of today for destinations such as Boston, Cape Cod, Nantucket, and Martha’s Vineyard. Forests cover roughly 60 percent of the State, which owns 315,000 acres of forests in parklands, reserves, and woodlands.
Massachusetts celebrates many strengths, but its strengths can be vulnerable to environmental change. A robust population of 7 million translates to a density of more than 800 people per square mile; in Boston, the density rises to more than 18,000 people per square mile. Urban temperature hotspots can increase health risks to residents.
Although the whims of wind and water have long reshaped coastlines, climate change-induced sea-level rise and severe storms can amplify coastal effects. In forests, changes in temperature or precipitation can provide more favorable conditions for invasive species.
Visit Landsat Benefits, State By State to learn more about how Landsat brings science to your state.
Public Domain.
This is a view of the route the Boston Marathon will take, as seen from Landsat 8.
At the USGS EROS Center, we study land change, operate the Landsat satellites, and maintain the longest, continuously acquired collection of images of the Earth's land surface.
This is a view of the route the Boston Marathon will take, as seen from Landsat 8.
At the USGS EROS Center, we study land change, operate the Landsat satellites, and maintain the longest, continuously acquired collection of images of the Earth's land surface.
Gypsy Moth populations are at their highest levels since the 1980s, causing damage to hardwood trees in the New England area.
At the USGS EROS Center, we study land change, operate the Landsat satellites, and maintain the longest, continuously acquired collection of images of the Earth's land surface.
Gypsy Moth populations are at their highest levels since the 1980s, causing damage to hardwood trees in the New England area.
At the USGS EROS Center, we study land change, operate the Landsat satellites, and maintain the longest, continuously acquired collection of images of the Earth's land surface.
This is a view of the route the Boston Marathon will take, as seen from Landsat 8.
At the USGS EROS Center, we study land change, operate the Landsat satellites, and maintain the longest, continuously acquired collection of images of the Earth's land surface.
This is a view of the route the Boston Marathon will take, as seen from Landsat 8.
At the USGS EROS Center, we study land change, operate the Landsat satellites, and maintain the longest, continuously acquired collection of images of the Earth's land surface.
Gypsy Moth populations are at their highest levels since the 1980s, causing damage to hardwood trees in the New England area.
At the USGS EROS Center, we study land change, operate the Landsat satellites, and maintain the longest, continuously acquired collection of images of the Earth's land surface.
Gypsy Moth populations are at their highest levels since the 1980s, causing damage to hardwood trees in the New England area.
At the USGS EROS Center, we study land change, operate the Landsat satellites, and maintain the longest, continuously acquired collection of images of the Earth's land surface.
