The need to understand the planet we call home has never been greater. As the population of our pale blue dot continues to grow, humans and all living things vie for an ever-shrinking pool of natural resources. Fresh water. Clean air. Food. Habitable land. As Earth's climate changes in response to human and natural causes, these resources are strained.
NASA's contingent of dedicated Earth scientists and engineers -- the world's largest -- together with its armada of Earth satellites and airborne instruments, study all aspects of the Earth system--its ocean, atmosphere, ice, land and biosphere. Together, this conflux of humans and machines is advancing our scientific understanding of our ever-changing Earth system, helping to meet the needs of society.
JPL studies help us identify how Earth's climate is changing, understand the causes of these changes, and support development of models used to predict future global change. Currently, JPL has six dedicated Earth science spacecraft in orbit, with another five instruments flying aboard NASA's Terra, Aqua and Aura spacecraft. Several more missions are planned for launch in the next few years. Decision makers around the world use JPL Earth science data to support policy-making and resource management decisions.
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Interactive Activities/Events: |
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Earth Day Web Chat
Thurs., April 22, 10-11 a.m. PDT Join JPL's Mike Gunson, project scientist for NASA's Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 mission, for this live, text-based Earth Day Web chat geared toward students in grades 3 through 8. Learn more about how and why NASA and JPL are studying Earth's climate. › Read more |
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How Do You Help Our Planet?
How do you and your family help our planet? Students, classrooms and families are invited to share comments and learn how NASA studies Earth. › Read more |
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A Hot Challenge for Earth Day Take our quiz to test your knowledge of global temperature and its impact on Earth's climate. › View here |
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Earth Day Celebration at the Aquarium of the Pacific, Long Beach, Calif.
Sat. and Sun., April 24-25, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. PDT JPL will join in the Earth Day celebration at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, Calif. The event will include exhibits and handouts on NASA's Earth science research. › Read more |
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Earth Day Activities at Other NASA Centers For a comprehensive listing of NASA's Earth Day activities, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/earthday. |
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"Elements" Image Gallery
At NASA, every day is Earth Day. Take a minute to appreciate the majesty of our home planet. Our video takes you through some amazing views from space. › View gallery |
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Global climate change website/Eyes on the Earth 3-D Visit NASA's award-winning and Webby-nominated Global Climate Change website, devoted to educating the public about Earth's changing climate. The site provides easy-to-understand information about the causes and effects of climate change and how NASA studies it. New content is added daily. A highlight is "Eyes on the Earth 3-D," an interactive program that allows the public to "fly along" with JPL's fleet of Earth science missions and others from NASA and even see near-real-time satellite data. › Global Climate Change web site › Launch "Eyes on the Earth 3-D" interactive |
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| For the latest JPL Earth science news and images and a listing of JPL Earth observing missions, visit http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/earth/index.cfm . | ||