Tracking the Invisible Movement of Water

A moisture measurement tool known as OpenET is improving the way farmers, ranchers, and water resource managers steward one of Earth’s most precious resources.

Maps by NASA Earth Observatory, using data provided by the OpenET team at NASA and the Desert Research Institute, available at openetdata.org and described in research by Volk, J.M. et al. Landsat image by Lauren Dauphin using data from the U.S. Geological Survey. The OpenET consortium includes NASA, USGS, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture working with the Desert Research Institute and nearly a dozen other universities, Environmental Defense Fund, and Google Earth Engine. Story by Emily DeMarco (NASA Earth Science Division) adapted for Earth Observatory by Kathryn Hansen.

Published February 2, 2024
Data acquired 2023

Sources:

Landsat 8

Landsat 8 > OLI

Landsat 9

Model

Collection:

Science in Action