NASA creates ultimate time-lapse of life on Earth over 20 years

HOUSTON – NASA released Friday time-lapse video of life on our entire planet over the last two decades, including a close-up view of our region. The video reveals how NASA data is being used to study the health of ecosystems.

NASA said its scientists have the most complete global picture of life on Earth from the vantage point of space. NASA observes the Earth’s landmasses and oceans and the organisms that live among them. 

With NASA’s technology and Earth-observing satellites, scientists have been able to track worldwide changes in vegetation, marine life, human development and more. They’ve observed fisheries evolving, deserts expanding, spring coming earlier and fall coming later all over the world and in our region. With the data, NASA has learned about the ingredients for life and the environmental conditions that can sustain it.

NASA’s outlook from space shows what makes Earth different from the thousands of other planets that have been discovered so far.