When envisioning the scenic regions surrounding the Mediterranean Sea, people often conjure up images of stunning coastlines, sunny skies, and of course, delectable dishes topped with rich olive oil from local olive trees. In fact, 95 percent of global olive cultivation happens in the Mediterranean’s semi-arid climate. However, these traditionally drought-tolerant species […]
Image above: Yellow River estuary study site in Dongying, China taken December 11, 2022. © 2022, Planet Labs PBC. All Rights Reserved. Salt marshes are important ecosystems that provide a variety of ecosystem services, including carbon sequestration and coastal protection, however, these watery environments are also susceptible to the devastating impacts of […]
Image above: PlanetScope image of a wildfire in Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil taken August 7, 2021. © 2021, Planet Labs PBC. All Rights Reserved. Pantanal is a natural region of South America which encompasses the world’s largest wetlands. Situated between the Mato Grosso area of Brazil and the borders of Bolivia […]
Image above: PlanetScope image of Alto Araguaia, Brazil taken November 25, 2022. © 2022, Planet Labs PBC. All Rights Reserved. Soybean production in Brazil has significantly increased over the last twenty years as a result of national and international demand. Following harvest, trucks and trains transport this popular crop to designated shipment […]
Image above: Snow cover on the Seward Peninsula in Alaska taken February 27, 2020. © 2020, Planet Labs PBC. All Rights Reserved. Seasonal snowfall is very important to maintaining important ecological systems. For example, mountainous snowmelt replenishes rivers and watersheds with the arrival of spring and summer. Snow cover also acts as […]
Image above: PlanetScope image of manure spread over snow in Easton, Wisconsin taken February 7, 2022. © 2022, Planet Labs PBC. All Rights Reserved. Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs), also known as industrial-scale factory farms, raise large amounts of livestock in small confined spaces. As a consequence, these environments also generate a […]
Image above: PlanetScope image of Medellin, Columbia taken August 8, 2022. © 2022, Planet Labs PBC. All Rights Reserved. The human population on Earth has been growing at unprecedented rates, and alongside this growth, we have witnessed mass migrations to urban locations. Tracking population changes in these urban environments is critical for […]
Image above: PlanetScope image over Mississippi River in St. Paul, Minnesota captured September 8, 2022. © 2022, Planet Labs PBC. All Rights Reserved. Invasive species can cause devastation to ecosystems and significant economic damage to industries, such as agriculture. Effective management is necessary to stop these species from wreaking havoc across landscapes, […]
Image above: PlanetScope image of snowcapped Upper Gunnison Mountains, Colorado taken December 4, 2021. © 2021, Planet Labs PBC. All Rights Reserved. Alpine regions are some of the most sensitive systems to climate change. In the mountainous ecosystems of the western United States, for example, even small changes in temperature cause significant […]
Image above: Site of the Taylor oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico taken April 25, 2018. © 2018, Planet Labs PBC. All Rights Reserved. Oil spills around the world have caused some of the worst environmental damage to marine environments, and these coastal ecosystems are hard to monitor due to their […]
