February 2024

Landsat Science News

February 13, 2024

Landsat 2023 - A Year in Review


A delve into Landsat-based studies revealing the environmental impact of river mining, the decline in global lake water levels, and the risks of rising sea levels on coastal habitats. And, get a sneak peek at what the future of the Landsat program holds with Landsat Next.

YouTube cover image of the video ExtraDimensional - The Fusion of Landsat and GEDI Data

February 27, 2024

Antarctic History Revealed by Landsat

Source: Kathryn Hansen, NASA's Earth Observatory


New Landsat-based research (Miles and Bingham, 2024) shows that while some Antarctic ice shelves have been thinning since at least the 1970s, widespread thinning accelerated in the 1990s.

February 13, 2024

Leveraging the Synergistic Power of Landsat and GEDI Data


By fusing Landsat data with forest structure products from the GEDI mission, researchers and scientists have unlocked a deeper understanding of complex forest processes and dynamics.

February 1, 2024

OpenET Study Helps Water Managers and Farmers Put Landsat to Work

Source: Emily DeMarco, NASA Earth Science Division


Researchers (Volk et al., 2024) have now conducted a large-scale analysis of how well Open ET is tracking evapotranspiration over crops and landscapes.

"OpenET is working to make the unseen process of evapotranspiration as easy to track as checking the amount of rainfall in the daily weather forecast."


— Forrest Melton, OpenET Project Scientist, NASA Ames Research Center

February 1, 2024

"The Landsat program has produced an unmatched record of observational coverage of Earth’s surface extending back to 1972, offering stunning satellite views of landscapes all over the world. This collaboration between NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has also yielded more than five decades of scientific discoveries as Earth’s climate has changed.”


— Scambos et al., 2024

Monitoring Polar Ice Change in the Twilight Zone, Eos

“While many previous studies have reported ongoing ice shelf thinning around Antarctica since the 1990s, we didn’t previously know that a lot of it started around then.”


— Robert Bingham, Professor of Glaciology & Geophysics, University of Edinburgh

February 27, 2024

Antarctic History Revealed by Landsat

NASA Earth Observatory

Select Landsat Images

February 28, 2024

Fires in Guatemala


The blaze near Quetzaltenango was one of several burning across the country.  

On February 25, the OLI (Operational Land Imager) on Landsat 8 acquired this image of a large fire burning southwest of Quetzaltenango.

February 17, 2024

Escaping Home


Harriet Tubman preferred to navigate the woods and waterways of Maryland’s Eastern Shore on winter nights when guiding enslaved people north on the Underground Railroad.  

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 Landsat 9 wintry scene of the network of rivers, marshes, canals, and ponds in Dorchester County that Tubman grew up around and later navigated in the pursuit of freedom. The image includes Brodess Farm, where she lived and worked as a child, and Joseph Stewart’s Canal, where she helped cut and transport timber.

February 16, 2024

Badwater Basin Refills


Refreshed by precipitation from an atmospheric river, a temporary lake in Death Valley is extending its stay.


Badwater Basin Refills

February 13, 2014

Another Eruption in Iceland


For the third time since December 2023, fresh lava has flowed across parts of the Reykjanes peninsula.


February 7, 2024

Solar and Batteries Go Big in the Desert


A chart-topping solar-plus-storage project in the Mojave became fully operational in January 2024.

Reaching Out

Participants look at large Hawaii floor map.

February 29, 2014

Landsat Goes to Hawai'i to Help Inspire Climate Change Connections


During two recent Earth to Sky Climate Science Education workshops, participants learned how Landsat helps us assess changes in land cover and land use.

Landsat Outreach team member Mike Taylor at the 2024 American Meteorological Society meeting in Baltimore Maryland

February 1, 2024

Landsat Outreach at the 2024 American Meteorological Society Meeting


This year, AMS meeting-goers had an opportunity to learn more about Landsat, its data, and its applications at the NASA Exhibit Booth.

Allison Nussbaum gives a Hyperwall talk about Landsats free-and-open data policy

February 21, 2014

Landsat Outreach: Denver Edition


The Landsat outreach team participated in AAAS and Geo Week events this month to highlight the benefits of the Landsat program and how the NASA/USGS partnership facilitates the invaluable Landsat record.

Publication Spotlight


Assessing the Accuracy of OpenET Satellite-Based Evapotranspiration Data to Support Water Resource and Land Management Applications.

Volk et al., 2024


After comparing Landsat-based OpenET outputs to over 150 in situ field measurements, researchers reported a high accuracy rate across croplands.


OpenET research was the cover story of Nature Water for February 2024.

Find additional selected Landsat publications on our website.

Upcoming Outreach Events


The Landsat Communications and Public Engagement Team will be at the following events in the coming months.


2024 Commodity Classic

Theme: New Frontiers in Agriculture

February 28 - March 2, 2024

George R. Brown Convention Center

Houston, Texas


National Science Teaching Association (NSTA) 2024 Conference on Science Education

March 20-23, 2024

Colorado Convention Center

Denver, Colorado


NASA Earth Day Event

April 18-19, 2024

NASA Earth Information Center

Washington, DC


Maryland Day

April 27, 2024

University of Maryland, College Park

College Park, Maryland



Landsat outreach materials and resources can be found on our website.

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