Gallery: NASA's Best Images of Earth From Space in 2014
NASA012014patagonianshelf-vir-2014336-lrg
__Plankton Blooms. Patagonian Coast, Argentina__ Upwelling currents from the deep mix with dust from the continent and iron-rich water from the south to provide a feast for phytoplankton. These tiny creatures photosynthesize, and provide food for thriving fisheries. False-color image [taken by the Suomi NPP satellite on Dec. 2.](http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=84870)
NASA022014SaharanDustStorm-iss-2014251-lrg
__Dust and Clouds Over the Sahara Desert__ The Sahara contributes more dust to the atmosphere than any other desert. Saharan dust accounts for more than half the dust settling on the ocean and helps fertilize land in the Americas. In this image, [taken by ESA astronaut Alex Gerst on the ISS on Sep. 8,](http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=84400) the land surface is almost entirely obscured by dust.
Jesse Allen/NASA03IDL TIFF file
__Tornado Tracks, Northeast Nebraska__ On June 16, five tornadoes struck northeastern Nebraska. The tracks of two of these storms can be seen as brown swaths, one heading right through the town of Pilger, in this false-color image [taken by the Terra satellite on June 21](http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=83926).
Jeff Schmaltz/NASA/LANCE/EOSDIS Rapid Response042014india-tmo-2014339-lrg
__Haze in the Kashmir Valley, South Asia__ Ringed by mountains, the Kashmir valley is an effective trap for smoke and air pollution from charcoal and biomass burning. True-color image [taken by the Terra satellite on Dec. 5](http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=84862).
Jesse Allen/NASA/USGS052014holuhraun-oli-2014249-653-lrg
__Holuhraun Eruption, Iceland__ Iceland is one of the most volcanic places on Earth. This year, lava has been pouring out of the Holuhraun lava field between Badarbunga and Askja volcanoes, making for a spectacular show, especially [as seen close up by a drone](https://www.wired.com/2014/10/drone-video-iceland-eruption-bardarbunga-volcano/). But it's also impressive from space, as shown in this false-color image [taken Sep. 6 by the Landsat 8 satellite](http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=84316).
NASA062014hurricaneedouard-ISS041-E-10455-lrg
__Hurricane Edouard, Atlantic Ocean__ Shown here about midway between Africa, North America and Europe, Hurricane Edouard was the fourth Atlantic hurricane of the season. It never threatened any land, but made for a great natural laboratory for NASA. This true-color image was [taken by NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman from the ISS on Sep. 16](http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=84415).
Robert Simmon/NASA Earth Observatory/NOAA072014bluemarble-2014089-lrg
__Earth, Eastern Hemisphere__ Part of NASA's [Blue Marble collection](http://visibleearth.nasa.gov/view_cat.php?categoryID=1484), this image is a composite [built from images taken during eight orbits by the Suomi NPP satellite on March 30.](http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=84214)
NASA082014venice-ISS039-E-019482-lrg
__Venice Lagoon__ Astronaut photos such as this one, [taken from aboard the ISS on May 9](http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=83793), are used to monitor the Venice Lagoon. The fragile lagoon is protected from the Adriatic Sea by a narrow barrier island.
Jeff Schmaltz/NASA/LANCE/EOSDIS MODIS Rapid Response Team092014GreenlandSeaIce-amo-2014230-lrg
__Sea Ice, Greenland Sea__ The waters of the coast of Greenland are covered in a beautiful, swirly pattern of sea ice in this true-color image [taken by the Aqua satellite on Aug. 18](http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=84229).
Norman Kuring/NASA102014gulfofalaska-amo-2014122-lrg
__Gulf of Alaska__ This beautiful image of the North Pacific Ocean and the Alaskan coast is a composite made from images [taken on several orbits by the Aqua satellite on May 2](http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=83754).
Jesse Allen/NASA/USGS11IDL TIFF file
__Funny River Fire, Alaska__ Between May 19 and 21, the Funny River fire burned around 43,000 acres on Alaska's Kenai Peninsula. You can see big, fluffy pyrocumulonimbus clouds, which sometimes occur over fires and volcanic eruptions, in this image [taken on May 20 by the Landsat 8 satellite](http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=83732).
NASA122014greenriver-ISS038-E-035416-lrg
__Green River, Utah__ This stretch of the Green River in eastern Utah is known as the Bowknot Bend for obvious reasons. This image was [taken by an astronaut aboard the ISS on Jan 22](http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=83353).
Jesse Allen/NASA132014neoguri-vir-2014189-lrg
__Typhoon Neoguri in Moonlight, Pacific Ocean__ This storm was imaged near Japan [by the Suomi NPP satellite's special day-night band on the night of July 8](http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=83998).
Robert Simmon/NASA/USGS142014coloradoriver-oli-2014106-lrg
__Colorado River, Mexico__ On Mar. 23, an experiment began that sent 130 million cubic meters of water into the Colorado River over eight weeks. Though it's only 1 percent of what flowed naturally in the river before it was dammed, it was hoped the water would recharge groundwater systems and restore habitats. This image was [taken Apr. 16 by the Landsat 8 satellite](http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=83589).
Jeff Schmaltz/NASA/LANCE/EOSDIS Rapid Response152014southsandwich-amo-2014121-lrg
__South Sandwich Islands__ Beautiful cloud wakes have formed behind the South Sandwich Islands in this natural-color image [taken by the Aqua satellite on May 1](http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=83633). Island mountains disturb the otherwise fairly uniform airflow over the ocean creating v-shapes in the clouds. The stripes in the wakes are the crests and troughs of the the air flow.
NASA162014grandcanyon-ISS039-E-005258-lrg
__Grand Canyon, Arizona__ This image of the Grand Canyon was [taken by an astronaut aboard the International Space Station on March 25](http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=83495).
Norman Kuring/NASA172014africandust-vir-2014175-lrg
__Saharan Dust Across the Atlantic Ocean__ Dust from the Saraha desert is shown flowing across the Atlantic Ocean toward South America in this composite image [taken by the Suomi NPP satellite on June 25](http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=83966). Minerals in the dust provide critical fertilization for the Amazon.
NASA182014sochi-ISS038-E-042992-lrg
__Sochi, Russia__ The [best view of the Olympics](https://www.wired.com/2014/02/sochi-olympics-from-space/) is sometimes from space. The Olympic flame burns in the circular Medals Plaza in Sochi in this image [taken by astronauts aboard the ISS on Feb. 10](http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=83149).
NASA192014iran-ISS038-E-47388-lrg
__Kavir Desert, Iran__ The lack of vegetation in the Kavir Desert beautifully exposes the geology of the area. The stripes and swirls are layers of rock that have been folded and deformed by tectonic forces and flattened by wind erosion over time. This image was [taken by an astronaut aboard the ISS on Feb. 14](http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=83438).
Jeff Schmaltz/NASA/LANCE/EOSDIS MODIS Rapid Response Team202014GreatLakes-amo-2014050-lrg
__The Great Lakes__ This winter, the Great Lakes were covered with the [second largest extent of ice in history](https://www.wired.com/2014/03/great-lakes-frozen). This natural-color image was [taken on Feb. 19 by the Aqua satellite](http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=83169) when 80.3 percent of the lakes were covered in ice.
Jesse Allen/Robert Simmon/NASA212014sanmiguel-ali-2014015-lrg
__San Miguel Volcano, El Salvador__ Ash from an eruption in December 2013 can be seen on the flanks of El Salvador's San Miguel volcano in this image [taken by the EO-1 satellite on Jan. 15](http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=82896).
NASA222014arkansasriver-ISS038-E-057827-lrg
__Arkansas River, North Little Rock, Arkansas__ Some of the Arkansas River's old meanders can be seen in this image, [taken by astronauts aboard the ISS on Feb. 21](http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=83531). The meanders represent a time when the river was allowed to flow freely over the Mississippi River's floodplain.
Jesse Allen/NASA/USGS23IDL TIFF file
__Nishino-Shima Island, Western Pacific Ocean__ This image of a [new volcanic island](https://www.wired.com/2013/11/pacific-eruption-at-nishino-shima-producing-new-island/) that sprouted near Japan in December 2013 was [taken by the Landsat 8 satellite on Aug 21](http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=84232). The [island has continued to grow](https://www.wired.com/2013/12/continuing-eruption-at-nishinoshima-joins-two-islands/), swallowing up another new island next to it.
NASA242014missouririver-ISS038-E-023651-lrg
__Lake Sharpe, South Dakota__ Circular agricultural fields stand out on the land in the center of Lake Sharpe, which is actually a deep meander in the Mississippi River in South Dakota. Eventually, it may be come an actual oxbow lake if the river cuts it off at the neck and takes a more direct route. This image was [taken on Dec. 26, 2013 by an astronaut aboard the ISS](http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=82809http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=82809).
NASA252014aurora-ISS039-E-009160-lrg
__Russia at Night__ The thin green line of the aurora borealis can be seen along with the moon above Russia in this image [taken by a astronaut aboard the ISS on April 2](http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=83894).
