The Suomi NPP satellite released new images that show Earth’s vegetation. They depict areas where vegetation is in abundance and surrounding locations where there is a severe lack of moisture.
NASA's technologies help us learn about our planet as much as the rest of the Universe.
About a year’s worth of data from the Suomi NPP satellite has resulted in new images that show Earth’s vegetation.
The NPP stands for the National Polar-orbiting Partnership, which is an affiliation between NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The released images depict areas of the planet where vegetation is in abundance and other locations where there is a severe lack of water or moisture.
The areas with plenty of growth are colored green while the barren locations are off white, adding a major contrast to easily see what places have been affected by environmental conditions. The images were created by data collected from an instrument called the Visible-Infrared Imager/Radiometer Suite, which picks up changes in light reflection.
The images will help to measure vegetation adjustments over time. The most recent ones become part of the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index to help monitor vegetation growth and biomass production from the satellite data.
