How satellites monitor Earth's vital fresh water from hundreds of miles above

Only 3% of Earth's surface water is fresh, yet it sustains our electricity, farming, and life. This video explores how the long-running Landsat satellite program provides critical orbital data to help scientists track threats like drought, glacial melt, and harmful algal blooms.

While researchers traditionally rely on ground-based measurements to assess water quality, the Landsat program has supplemented these efforts with decades of orbital observations. This perspective is increasingly vital as rising global temperatures disrupt aquatic ecosystems worldwide.

The program serves as a key tool for safeguarding fresh water resources, which are essential for human survival and industry. By monitoring changes from space, Landsat provides a broader view of the environmental pressures affecting our planet's limited fresh water supply.

Source: Above the Earth, Below the Surface: Landsat's Role in Monitoring Water Quality