Vital Views of Earth

SHOOT: I'm often of the opinion that a cursory look at the world, whether looking at satellite images or merely through travelling, ought to cure the average sceptic who thinks climate change isn't happening on a scale worth caring about. If that's what you think you need to get out more.

clipped from www.scientificamerican.com Terra's ASTER sensor captured this view of filaments of blue-green algae swirling across Guatemala's Lake Atitlán on November 22, 2009. Such algal blooms are not only harmful to people and animals but can also trigger dead zones in the lake—areas in the water so devoid of oxygen that they cannot support aerobic life. To aid mitigation efforts of this and other types of natural hazards, ASTER operators can point the sensor at requested targets and acquire about 500 high-resolution images a day. clipped from www.scientificamerican.com Annual global uptake of carbon has been declining since 2000, probably as warming-related droughts stunt the growth of crops and vegetation in the tropics and Southern Hemisphere. clipped from www.scientificamerican.com Terra's MISR sensor also captured this picture of Iceland's Eyjafjallajökull volcano as it continued to emit a dense plume of ash and steam on May 7, 2010. clipped from www.scientificamerican.com During the height of a deadly heat wave on August 4, 2003, Europe emitted as much heat as the Sahara Desert in northern Africa did. clipped from www.scientificamerican.com SMALLER BY THE DECADE