Earth's Atmosphere: Monitoring Greenhouse Gases | NASA + Smithsonian

Earth's Atmosphere: Monitoring Greenhouse Gases | NASA + Smithsonian

A feature presentation, 'NASA + Smithsonian and Greenhouse Gases' created for the Earth Information Center (EIC). The Earth Information Center (EIC) aims to provide a holistic view of how the planet is changing in ways that affect the lives and livelihoods of individuals across the globe. Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas and one monitored via instruments on the ground, on airplanes, aboard satellites, and the International Space Station. Tracking methane, carbon dioxide, and other greenhouse gases is crucial to monitoring our climate as it changes.

NASA's Fiscal Year 2026 Budget Request cancels funding for the Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) and several other Earth science missions, including the OCO-3 follow-up mission. Moreover, NASA's total science budget is being cut nearly 50%. Since launching in 2014, OCO-2 has become widely regarded as the “gold standard” in CO2 measurements from space. OCO-2 measurements have been used to quantify how CO2 emissions are offset by natural carbon sinks like forests and oceans and how those carbon sinks can be transformed to carbon emitters due to drought, deforestation, or wildfires. As extreme events intensify with global warming, tracking changes to our carbon sinks will be increasingly important. The mission has also uncovered insights into CO2 emissions from cities, and contributes data supporting the Paris Agreement. As an unexpected bonus, OCO-2 has even been able to track growing seasons and crops by measuring the “glow” plants emit when they photosynthesize.

Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2
https://ocov2.jpl.nasa.gov/

Earth Information Center (EIC)

The EIC was created by NASA and is enabled by contributions across EPA, FEMA, NASA, NOAA, USDA and USGS.

Learn more: https://earth.gov

NASA's Earth Science Work
https://science.nasa.gov/earth/

https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/

https://science.nasa.gov/earth-science/missions/earth-system-observatory/

Contact your representatives in the United States Congress, House and Senate, to express your concerns about NASA's severe science budget cuts and climate change: 

https://www.usa.gov/elected-officials/

Review NASA's Fiscal Year 2026 Budget Request (PDF) Documents:
https://www.nasa.gov/fy-2026-budget-request/

Video Credit: NASA Scientific Visualization Studio
Duration: 4 minutes
Release Date: June 17, 2025

#NASA #Planet #Earth #ISS #Science #NASAEarthObservatory #EarthSatellites #OCO2 #EarthScience #Atmosphere #CO2 #Methane #CarbonCycle #Climate #ClimateChange #GreenhouseGases #GlobalWarming #GlobalHeating #EarthObservation #RemoteSensing #GSFC #Smithsonian #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video