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

Only 3% of water on Earth's surface is fresh - a vital resource for electricity, farming, and life. As global temperatures rise, disruptions like algal blooms, glacial melt, and drought threaten our aquatic ecosystems. Safeguarding these resources is crucial, and while scientists use a variety of ground-based techniques to gauge water quality, the Landsat program has provided water quality data from orbit for decades. Here are just a few ways Landsat satellites lend us a hand when it comes to monitoring water quality.