1. STEM Education: NASA's Earth Observatory and Eyes on Earth websites/apps are providing some of the best science, technology, engineering, and math resources out there for students and educators (and there are other great sites too). Our broader education system suffers if NASA Earth Science suffers. Period.
2. Improved Weather Forecasts: It is a fact that most people don't understand how weather forecasts are made. I ask this question often to friends or the lay public. The short answer is that we use complex computer models. These models have to be started and updated with real conditions of the weather-ocean system. They need temperature, moisture, winds, ocean conditions, land conditions, etc. A great majority of the data that goes into these models are satellite data from NASA (and not just the kind of satellite data that produces pictures). The hard left that Hurricane Sandy took was predicted by the European and US weather models 6-9 days in advance. However, studies show that without the satellite data, the model's forecast would have been wrong.
3. Hurricanes: Forecasters with NOAA and the military utilize hurricane fixes from unique radar carrying Satellites that NASA has launched (TRMM and GPM). Such forecasters have also spoken of the value of some of the near surface ocean wind scatterometer-bearing spacecraft that NASA has flown. As coastal communities continue to grow, improved prediction of hurricanes is vital.
4. Drought and Water Supply: Recently on Weather Channel WxGeeks, a show I host, Dr. Jay Famligietti explained how a very unique NASA satellite, GRACE, is helping him and stakeholders determine water supply amounts in the western US. By the way, many of the vegetables that we eat are grown in California.
5. Wildfires: Along the same lines, various NASA missions provide information on the location of wildfires to help route fire and rescue teams to them over vast areas of the country.
6. Pollution: Have you ever seen smoke rise. Does it stay in one place? Umm, No. Neither does pollution from Asia or Dust from the Saharan desert. Particle-tracking instruments on NASA satellites track aerosols across oceans and landmasses to gauge the impact on the United States.
7. Volcanic Ash and Aviation: Along similar lines, volcanic ash can be a significant aviation hazard as we are zooming around the world in commercial or military aircraft. NASA satellites contribute to our ability to monitor these ash plumes.
8. Sea level Rise, Warmth, and Salinity: P.S. Most of the Earth is covered in Ocean. Yet, those oceans affect our weather, supply much of the world's food supply, and so on. The vantagepoint of space is a cost effective way to measure sea level rise, changing salinity (and believe me this is important for numerous reasons), ocean phytoplankton (part of the food chain) and ocean heat content. Such applications are a "no-brainer" for NASA resources.
9. Ozone Hole: Remember the Ozone Hole. Yep, it is still there. But thanks in part to NASA satellites and science, it was discovered, fixed, and will eventually mend itself. The scope of such a hole was really only possible because of special ozone sensing instruments on NASA satellites among others. I suspect some disagreed with what was causing the Ozone Hole too, but a great concern over a flood of UV radiation brought everyone to the table to produce the Montreal Protocol.
10. Polar regions: The polar regions are just tough to operate in. Period. Yet, we know changes are happening there. In fact, a recent article talks about how the Larsen B ice shelf may go away in the next 5 years or so. Not Good! Satellites and other NASA airborne programs are essential to detecting such changes and they do it in a relatively cost effective manner in the long run.
11. Land changes: We know that agricultural productivity, forested land scales, and landslides affect human life. NASA satellites and research programs continue to assess deforestation changes, urban growth, agricultural yields and potential famine, and landslide risks in places where instrumentation and people just have a tough time getting to. USDA, USAID, and the United Nations utilize this information to make decisions.
12. Agriculture and productivity: NASA's new SMAP mission provides information on soil moisture in a way that simple ground instruments cannot. A colleague pointed out that such information could be invaluable in helping farmers determine crop planting, rotation, or other strategies. We all have to eat. Soil moisture has potential value in weather prediction, flood assessment, and other areas too. I just highlight one particular area.
13. Jobs: As a former NASA scientist, I worked beside colleagues from top aerospace companies and academic consortiums. Missions like the one I was Deputy Project Scientist for (and others) had some civil servants working on them in pre- and post-launch roles, but a team of private contractors, students, and academic professionals. It is likely that a student or scientist in your state has some project related to a NASA Earth Sciences mission and thus, your state benefits with revenue, academic capital, and knowledge. Further, vibrant US aerospace companies play key roles in the program and would also be affected if NASA's Earth Science program is not healthy.
14. Earthquake prediction: Given the devastating Earthquakes in Nepal, someone asked if NASA is doing research or monitoring to improve prediction capability. Why yes, yes it is.
15. Societal Applications: If you want more information, here is a good website showing all of the societal applications that NASA's Earth Sciences Program is engaged in ranging from Aviation Turbulence forecasting to Water Resources to Public Health. (
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