Using NASA Earth Observation Systems (EOS), researchers are assessing the damage to the area impacted by this disaster. Landsat 5 Thematic Mapper (TM), MODIS on Aqua and Terra, and ASTER will be used to create normalized difference vegetation indices (NDVIs) and land classifications of the area. MODIS also will be used to measure sea surface temperature to assess the feasibility of using this data for detecting radioactive water released from nuclear power plants affected by the earthquake and tsunami. An analysis of the economic impact of this disaster also will be made to help policy makers in the U.S. and Japan. Read More