On Earth Day, NASA asks for Alaska's help to #PictureEarth

When most people think of NASA, they think space exploration, but much of NASA’s work if focused right here on planet Earth.

“A lot of the most interesting action we see is right here at home, on our own planet,” says NASA Scientist Dr. Leslie Ott. “This is the most exciting science experiment we have. It's the only planet that we know that supports life, so even if you're more concerned with looking outward at other planets, you still need to know what that signature of life looks like, what do things like vegetation look like, what do things like liquid water look like in the atmosphere. Those are the signatures of life we're looking for on other planets, but we can fine tune those techniques right here at home.”

To study the Earth, NASA has a fleet of about 20 satellites that circle the planet. The data from those satellites help researchers discover the health of the oceans, how air pollution moves around the atmosphere, and how Earth is changing. But sometimes, a satellite isn’t enough.

“NASA can't see everything from satellites. We actually have to send people out into the field,” says Dr. Melinda Webster, NASA Scientist. “For my expertise, we go out to the Arctic, north of Alaska, and measure properties of the ice and how those changes in the ice are affecting the marine biology underneath, how is that impacting the food web?”

Recently, NASA ran a field campaign in Alaska from the ground and the air. “In part the motivation for studying Alaska is that it’s a place that warming more quickly than the rest of the planet,” says Ott. “So by learning about changes in Alaska we can know what to expect back home in the coming decades.”

As part of Earth Day celebrations, NASA is hoping for the public’s help to #PictureEarth. Take a picture of the natural world around you and post it to any social media platform with the hashtag “PictureEarth.”