May 10, 2013

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Visualize three decades of changes to the Earth s surface with Google Earth timelapses

By David Wogan

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This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American

One of our greatest innovations is our ability to look at our planet from the heavens. From hundreds of miles above the surface of our planet, we can see how everything fits together. We can see the erosion of soil over millions of years, and life that springs up in the presence of water. We also see the human experiment play out on fields and plains, along rivers and oceans. From up there, our mark is left on the planet in the form of a gray organism of concrete and steel that grows and spreads to fill in valleys and dot mountain ridges. And miles away from urban centers, other signs of our existence are found: forests are cleared and lakes are depleted.

Google's Earth Engine project lets us see these changes happening over time. Google highlights changes on the planet’s surface in eight spots around the world: the booming city of Las Vegas, coal mines spreading across Wyoming , irrigation in Saudi Arabia, Lake Urmia, Iran drying up, Amazon deforestation, the Columbia Glacier retreating, coastal expansion in Dubai, and the Aral Sea drying up.

Sadly, I can’t embed the map view, but I did find animated GIFs of the timelapses:

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Each 30-meter resolution timelapse frame is a 1.7-terapixel composite built from global, annual Landsat images captured between 1984 and 2012.

The coolest part is the timelapses are interactive, so you can zoom and pan around the planet. I checked out Austin, TX, and watched the massive expansion of roads and neighborhoods. You can see it, too, if you click this link.

I want to know: what cool things are you finding?

Image credits: Google, U.S. Geological Survey

David Wogan is an engineer and policy researcher who writes about energy, technology, and policy.

David's academic and professional background includes a unique blend of technology and policy in the field of energy systems. Most recently, David worked at Austin Energy, a Texas municipal utility, implementing a Department of Energy stimulus grant related to energy efficiency. Previously, David was a member of the Energy & Climate Change team at the White House Council on Environmental Quality for the Obama Administration.

David holds two Master's degrees from The University of Texas at Austin in Mechanical Engineering and Public Affairs. While at UT, David was a researcher in the Webber Energy Group, where his research focused on advanced biofuel production to offset petroleum use in the transportation sector. David holds a Bachelor's of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from The University of Texas at Austin, where he researched nuclear non-proliferation measurement technology.

David is a 2013 Aspen Institute Journalism Scholar, joining a select group of journalists from Slate, ABC News, and The New York Times.

David lives in Austin, Texas. Follow along on Twitter or email him at david.wogan@me.com.

More by David Wogan

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