Satellite Study Finds Human Land Disturbances Declining While Wild Disturbances Rise
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A NASA-funded study analyzing 35 years of satellite data shows that while nearly one-third of the continental U.S. has been disturbed since 1988, the pace of human-driven land change has slowed. Human disturbances, such as construction and logging, decreased annually, while wild disturbances like wildfires increased each year.
Facts First
- Nearly one-third of the continental U.S. was disturbed between 1988 and 2022.
- Human-driven disturbances decreased by nearly 232 square miles each year.
- Wild disturbances increased by more than 77 square miles per year.
- Scientists developed a new machine-learning algorithm to analyze land change with over 75% accuracy.
- The study used nearly 35 years of data from NASA/USGS Landsat satellites.
What Happened
A research team led by former Landsat science team member Zhe Zhu published a NASA-funded study in Nature Geoscience. The team analyzed nearly 35 years of data from NASA/USGS Landsat satellites to understand changes in the continental U.S. landscape. Between 1988 and 2022, 18 percent of the land area was disturbed at least once, with a cumulative disturbed area of almost 700,000 square miles. Humans drove more than half of this change, clearing or developing over 446,000 square miles, while wild disturbances, including wildfires, hurricanes, and landslides, transformed more than 165,000 square miles.
Why this Matters to You
The pace of human-driven land change... appears to be slowing, which could mean less disruption to familiar landscapes and ecosystems near you. However, the increasing rate of wild disturbances, like wildfires and droughts, may pose a growing risk to property, air quality, and natural recreation areas in many regions.
What's Next
The new machine-learning algorithm developed for this study could be used to continue monitoring land change with high accuracy. The trends identified suggest that future landscape changes may increasingly be driven by climate-related wild disturbances rather than direct human development.