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From watersheds to vapor in Earth’s atmosphere and everywhere in between, water has characteristics that are visible to the naked eye as well as invisible. The physical, chemical, biological, and microbiological constituents of water determine its suitability for particular uses; this is referred to as its “quality.”

Factors affecting water quality include the amount of nutrients in the water, pollution, water temperature, food web changes, introduced species, and changes in water flow, such as after events like hurricanes, drought, or floods. Data collected from remote sensors aboard satellites and from sensors deployed under the water are important for understanding these factors. Water quality data in NASA's Earth science collection are openly available and cover the entire globe. 

NASA’s data useful to the study of water quality include microplastic concentrations, agricultural impact surveys, and ocean surface temperature datasets. Combining socioeconomic data with water quality data can provide a more accurate analysis of populations facing greater exposure and vulnerability from water quality issues. 

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Access a range of datasets and data tools to further your water quality research.

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Access a range of webinars, tutorials, data recipes, and data stories to enhance your knowledge of Earth Observation data.
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Remote Sensing Derived Environmental Indicators for Decision Making
This webinar discusses remote sensing-derived environmental indicator datasets that can enable environmental decision making. The talk focuses on coastal eutrophication along with ambient air pollution and biomass burning.
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Planet vs. Plastics: Quantifying Microplastics Along the Brazilian Coast
Using NASA Earth observation data, researchers assessed miles of Brazilian coastline to identify high-risk points of fish contaminated with microplastics.
Discover and Visualize Water Quality Data
NASA data help us understand Earth's changing systems in more detail than ever before, and visualizations bring these data to life, making Earth science concepts accessible, beautiful, and impactful.
Data visualization is a powerful tool for analysis, trend and pattern recognition, and communication. Our resources help you find world-class data visualizations to complement and enhance your research. We also have tools and tutorials to help you translate water quality data into compelling visuals.
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image of SeaWiFS instrument data
The Sea-viewing Wide Field of View Sensor (SeaWiFS) measured how much chlorophyll—the pigment that helps turn sunlight into organic energy for plants—is present in the water and on land. Chlorophyll concentrations in water are a key measurement of its quality.

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