Happy Earth Day 2024! NASA has just announced six new airborne missions aimed at studying our changing planet. These missions, with a total budget of around $120 million, are set to take off between 2026 and 2029.

The focus of these campaigns will be diverse, covering topics such as arctic coastal change, weather patterns influenced by wildfires, urban air pollution, impacts of changing weather on landscapes, retreating glaciers, and agriculture.

NASA’s Earth Ventures missions will delve into how climate change is affecting carbon emissions, water flows, and ice dynamics in Arctic coastal regions. The agency’s Earth Science Division director, Karen St. Germain, highlighted the importance of these missions during a recent briefing, emphasizing the need for targeted insights to better understand Earth’s processes and apply scientific findings for the benefit of society.

Here’s a brief overview of the newly unveiled projects:

• Arctic coastal change: City College of New York will lead this mission, focusing on studying the impact of climate change and shifting weather patterns on river systems in Alaska’s North Slope. Observations will be conducted using aircraft, boats, and drones.
• Wildfire weather creation: The Naval Research Lab will spearhead this mission, investigating the atmospheric conditions generated by wildfires in the Western region.

These initiatives underscore NASA’s commitment to understanding and monitoring Earth’s dynamic processes, offering valuable insights into the impacts of climate change on our planet. Stay tuned for updates on these groundbreaking missions as they unfold in the coming years.