From entire towns engulfed by tsunamis to plumes of smoke from wildfires sweeping cities – astronauts and satellites have been capturing images of natural disasters from space for years.
The images help meteorologists who track storms, as well as relief organisations that need help in determining the impact of a natural disaster.
The National highlights 30 of the most striking images of natural disasters captured from space.
In the last few days, astronauts on the International Space Station have been posting photos of the volcano eruption on La Palma, one of the Spanish Canary Islands.
The Cumbre Vieja volcano erupted on September 19, and its red-hot lava has reached the Atlantic Ocean.
“The #LaPalma volcano in eruption. Set against the blackness of the surrounding Atlantic Ocean, the bright orange glow is even more impressive,” French Astronaut Thomas Pesquet tweeted on September 22 from the ISS, as he shared images of the volcano.
Astronauts have also been monitoring the wildfires burning across California and Nevada during this year’s fire season in the US.
The Caldor fire has been active for about 10 weeks and has reached Lake Tahoe, destroying some of the world’s oldest trees.
Nasa astronaut Megan McArthur, a native of California, shared images of the fires from space.
“California on Sunday from @Space_Station. Tough to see these views of my home state. My thoughts are with all those affected,” she tweeted on September 2.
In 2006, astronaut Jeff Williams spotted ash emerging from the Cleveland Volcano and reported the activity to the Alaska Volcano Observatory.
He captured images of a volcanic ash cloud going as high 6,000 metres above sea level.
Private satellite companies and space agencies often supply free images of natural disasters to help organisations deliver emergency relief.
“While Nasa researchers use satellite data to better understand the connections between climate and fires – and how fires affect the climate – they also use that data to develop tools for local agencies to track active fires and their smoke plumes, and aid in recovery efforts,” Nasa said on its website.
“These efforts are increasingly important since the intensity of hurricanes and other extreme weather events is expected to rise in a changing climate. Warmer ocean temperatures due to climate change feed a storm’s heat engine and can propel it to a Category 5.”
The European Space Agency’s satellites also track natural disasters, including floods, volcano eruptions, fires, cyclones and earthquakes.
“Volcanoes can cause widespread devastation and satellite data can be used to monitor and even predict seismic activity, optical imagery products can be used to map volcanic impact,” the agency has said on its website.
“Over 50,000 earthquakes occur every year on Earth. Satellite data provides a unique opportunity to measure fine changes in the earth surface, which are often precursors of an earthquake.”
The UAE’s Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre also uses its Earth-observation satellites, such as DubaiSat-1, DubaiSat-1 and KhalifaSat, to supply agencies around the world images of any natural disasters.
Stunning images of the Middle East from space - in pictures
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Mohammed Naveed (captain), Mohamed Usman (vice captain), Ashfaq Ahmed, Chirag Suri, Shaiman Anwar, Mohammed Boota, Ghulam Shabber, Imran Haider, Tahir Mughal, Amir Hayat, Zahoor Khan, Qadeer Ahmed, Fahad Nawaz, Abdul Shakoor, Sultan Ahmed, CP Rizwan
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Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
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- Limit outdoor activities: Avoid strenuous activity during peak heat. If outside, seek shade and wear a wide-brimmed hat.
- Dress appropriately: Wear lightweight, loose and light-coloured clothing to facilitate heat loss.
- Check on vulnerable people: Regularly check in on elderly neighbours, young children and those with health conditions.
- Home adaptations: Use blinds or curtains to block sunlight, avoid using ovens or stoves, and ventilate living spaces during cooler hours.
- Recognise heat illness: Learn the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke (dizziness, confusion, rapid pulse, nausea), and seek medical attention if symptoms occur.
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