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ECOSTRESS Science and Applications Team Meeting - August 18 - 20, 2026. Register Here

News Flash: ECOSTRESS has received approval for operations through FY2026 with potential continued operations until FY2029, subject to a successful 2026 Senior Review!

News Flash: ECOSTRESS has now acquired over 640,000 scenes (after In Orbit Checkout)

ECOSTRESS acquires high resolution temperature and emissivity (composition) images of the Earth's surface. These are used for a variety of applications including:

• Determining how much water to put on fields for maximum crop with minimum water use
• Mapping wildfires and volcanic hazards
• Improving urban development and infrastructure
• Discovering critical mineral resources

Plants regulate their temperature by releasing water through tiny pores on their leaves called stomata.  If they have sufficient water they can maintain their temperature, but if there is insufficient water, their temperatures rise and this temperature rise can be measured with ECOSTRESS.  The images acquired by ECOSTRESS are the most detailed temperature images of the surface ever acquired from space and can be used to measure the temperature of an individual farmers field.

One of the core products that will be produced by ECOSTRESS team is the Evaporative Stress Index (ESI). ESI is a leading drought indicator - it can indicate that plants are stressed and that a drought is likely to occur providing the option for decision makers to take action.

ECOSTRESS can see the World Cup

The World Cup is heating up! The 10 million visitors projected to travel to the United States for the tournament—with this year’s being the largest in the history of the sport—will have to endure triple-digit temperatures. Images from the ECOSTRESS instrument aboard the International Space Station captured the land surface temperatures of four host cities, all with highs at or above 120 degrees Fahrenheit (above 48 degrees Celsius). For each city, the area measured is a 1 mile radius around the stadium. In this area, tens of thousands of people scurry to the game, with the ground beneath their feet as hot as 155 degrees F (above 68 degrees C) in places like Dallas. 

Contact with surfaces as hot as these can cause third-degree burns within seconds, which makes falls and any ground contact immensely dangerous. Older adults, people with mobility impairments, and children are especially susceptible to these injuries, as are animals and pets. In open-air stadiums, the fields themselves are showing temperatures above 100 degrees F (above 37 degrees C), putting the players at risk. With a grand total of 6.5 million ticket holders, 1,248 players, and staff, may everyone stay safe and cool. 

Atlanta

Atlanta is one of the tournament’s premier host cities, hosting seven matches including a semifinal. ECOSTRESS captured the following image on June 13, 2026 at 3:00 PM, two days before the city’s first game. This data showed land surface temperatures as high as 120 degrees F (above 48 degrees C), the coolest of the four observed cities.

Dallas

Dallas is the host to more games than any other host city and claims the second-largest host stadium in the US—seating 70,649 people. It also returned the highest land surface temperatures of the four observed cities. This image, taken by ECOSTRESS on June 15, 2026 at 2:51 PM, shows land surface temperatures reaching 155 degrees F (above 68 degrees C). But what’s almost more shocking is the lowest land surface temperature—120 degrees F (above 48 degrees C).

Philadelphia

Philadelphia’s stadium is one of the tournament’s open-air venues. This image, taken by ECOSTRESS on June 12, 2026 at 2:15 PM, shows field temperatures reaching 113ºF and seating temperatures reaching 117 degrees F (above 47 degrees C). Land surface temperatures in the area surrounding the stadium reached as high as 127 degrees F (above 52 degrees C).

New York / New Jersey

Fitting 80,663 people, the New York/New Jersey stadium is the largest host stadium in the United States and the second largest overall. It’s also where the final match will be held, and is one of the tournament’s open-air stadiums. This image, taken by ECOSTRESS on June 12, 2026 at 2:15 PM, shows field temperatures as high as 117 degrees F (above 47 degrees C) and seating temperatures as high as 122 degrees F (50 degrees C).

Images Credit: Juliet Holmboe (Summer intern NASA/JPL) from Chapman University