? Grounded science
Questions
What you can actually ask NASA's data — grounded questions, each with a dataset list, a code template, expected output, and honest caveats.
Goal-first: pick a real-world problem and get the exact data + a runnable notebook. For the reusable techniques behind them, see Recipes.
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q01·intermediate
Is deforestation happening in this area, and what are its effects?
Datasets: 5 · 5–15 min (small AOI) using cloud-direct access
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q02·intermediate
Has methane increased near this oil/gas infrastructure?
Datasets: 5 · 15–45 min depending on plume density
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q03·intermediate
How has air quality changed in my city over the last decade?
Datasets: 5 · 10–30 min
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q04·intermediate
Did a wildfire impact downwind air quality, and how far did the smoke reach?
Datasets: 6 · 20–60 min
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q05·advanced
How is global atmospheric CO₂ changing, and where are the strongest sources?
Datasets: 5 · 30–90 min
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q06·intermediate
Is my reservoir / lake / river running low compared to historical normals?
Datasets: 6 · 15–45 min
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q07·advanced
What's happening with groundwater in my region?
Datasets: 6 · 30–90 min
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q08·beginner
How much rainfall has my region had this year compared to the 30-year normal?
Datasets: 4 · 5–15 min
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q09·intermediate
How much ice has Greenland or Antarctica lost?
Datasets: 6 · 30–60 min
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q10·intermediate
Is Arctic sea ice breaking up earlier each year?
Datasets: 6 · 15–30 min
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q11·intermediate
How has the urban heat island in my city changed over decades?
Datasets: 6 · 20–60 min
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q12·beginner
Is light pollution / electrification changing in this region?
Datasets: 4 · 5–20 min
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q13·intermediate
Was this region flooded after a recent storm?
Datasets: 6 · 1–6 hours (real disaster response timing)
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q14·intermediate
When and where do harmful algal blooms occur in my coastal waters?
Datasets: 5 · 20–60 min
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q15·intermediate
How are coastal sea-surface temperatures changing, and are marine heatwaves becoming more common?
Datasets: 6 · 15–45 min
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q16·intermediate
Where is surface water, and how is it changing over time?
Datasets: 5 · 20–60 min
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q17·intermediate
How much water are crops in my area using, and are they water-stressed?
Datasets: 5 · 10–20 min (small AOI) using cloud-direct access
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q18·intermediate
How much of my region's water supply is locked in snow, and is the snowpack shrinking?
Datasets: 5 · 15–30 min
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q19·intermediate
Is a volcano degassing or erupting — can I track its SO₂ plume?
Datasets: 5 · 20–45 min
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q20·intermediate
Is the growing season shifting — are plants greening up earlier or staying green longer?
Datasets: 4 · 5–15 min (small AOI) using cloud-direct access
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q21·intermediate
After days of monsoon rain, is the hillside above my village about to slide?
Datasets: 5 · 30–60 min
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q22·intermediate
Is a drought quietly building across my region before the harvest fails?
Datasets: 6 · 10–20 min (small AOI) using cloud-direct access
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q23·intermediate
After the cyclone made landfall, which villages and farms near me got flooded?
Datasets: 6 · 1–6 hours (real disaster-response timing)
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q24·intermediate
When a heatwave hits my city, which neighborhoods bake the hottest — and who lives there?
Datasets: 5 · 20–45 min
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q25·intermediate
Is the lake or river my town drinks from getting choked with toxic algae?
Datasets: 3 · 20–60 min
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q26·intermediate
Is the air in my city getting more polluted — and how many people are breathing the worst of it?
Datasets: 5 · 20–45 min
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q27·advanced
Is the reservoir my town depends on rising or falling — and who relies on it?
Datasets: 4 · 45–90 min
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q28·intermediate
Are the coral reefs near me heading for a bleaching summer?
Datasets: 4 · 30–60 min
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q29·intermediate
Where are the productive, fish-rich waters off my coast — and when do they bloom?
Datasets: 4 · 30–60 min
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q30·advanced
How much carbon is locked in this forest, and where is it densest?
Datasets: 3 · 30–60 min
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q31·advanced
How fast is sea level rising at my stretch of coast, and who is exposed?
Datasets: 3 · 30–60 min
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q32·advanced
After the storm, which neighborhoods lost power — and who lives there?
Datasets: 3 · 30–60 min
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q33·advanced
Is my river's snowmelt flood coming earlier as the mountains warm?
Datasets: 3 · 30–60 min
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q34·advanced
Is the ground under my city sinking — and is groundwater pumping to blame?
Datasets: 3 · 30–90 min
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q35·intermediate
When a dust storm blows in, how bad is the air — and who's downwind?
Datasets: 3 · 30–60 min
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q36·advanced
Is a flash drought drying out my region's soil before anyone notices?
Datasets: 3 · 30–60 min
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q37·intermediate
Are the mangroves and coastal wetlands that protect my shore shrinking?
Datasets: 3 · 30–60 min
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q38·advanced
Is the glacier above my valley thinning, and how fast?
Datasets: 3 · 45–90 min
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q39·intermediate
Is my coast's water getting murkier after storms or runoff?
Datasets: 3 · 20–40 min
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q40·advanced
Is the Arctic tundra near me warming and greening as permafrost thaws?
Datasets: 3 · 30–60 min
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q41·intermediate
How fast is my city sprawling — in built-up land and at night?
Datasets: 3 · 30–60 min
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q42·advanced
Is the river through my town running high, and is a flood building upstream?
Datasets: 3 · 30–60 min
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q43·advanced
How primed for wildfire is the land around me right now?
Datasets: 3 · 45–90 min
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q44·intermediate
After the fire, is the land actually recovering — and how fast?
Datasets: 3 · 30–60 min
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q45·intermediate
Is a sargassum seaweed mat drifting toward my beaches?
Datasets: 3 · 30–60 min
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q46·advanced
Is a volcano throwing up ash that could ground flights near me?
Datasets: 3 · 30–60 min
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q51·intermediate
How have rainfall and temperature changed over my region in recent decades?
Datasets: 3 · 5–15 min via Google Earth Engine
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q52·intermediate
Where did the floodwater spread — even under clouds?
Datasets: 4 · 15–40 min
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q53·intermediate
Did the power go out after this storm — and where?
Datasets: 3 · 15–30 min
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q54·intermediate
How severe was this wildfire's burn?
Datasets: 3 · 20–45 min
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q55·beginner
Where is the wildfire burning right now?
Datasets: 3 · 5–15 min
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q56·advanced
After this earthquake, where did the ground shift and the lights go out?
Datasets: 3 · 30–90 min
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q57·intermediate
Who and what is exposed in this hazard zone?
Datasets: 4 · 15–35 min
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qin1·intermediate
Are crop-residue fires upwind turning my city's air toxic?
Datasets: 5 · 15–40 min
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qin2·intermediate
Has the monsoon's arrival date over my region shifted earlier or later?
Datasets: 4 · 15–40 min
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qin3·advanced
Is a glacial lake above my valley growing toward an outburst flood?
Datasets: 5 · 15–40 min
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qin4·intermediate
Are downpours getting more intense, even if the yearly total isn't changing?
Datasets: 4 · 10–25 min
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qin5·intermediate
Is terminal heat stressing the wheat during grain-fill this season?
Datasets: 6 · 15–30 min
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qin6·intermediate
Is my region shifting from one crop a year to two or three?
Datasets: 4 · 15–30 min
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qin7·intermediate
Is the shoreline near me advancing or retreating?
Datasets: 4 · 15–30 min
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qin8·advanced
Where is methane rising from paddies, livestock, and landfills near me?
Datasets: 4 · 15–30 min
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x01·advanced
Is Earth warming from the Sun, or from us?
Datasets: 1 · 30–90 min
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x02·intermediate
Where will the aurora be visible tonight?
Datasets: 1 · 20–45 min
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x03·advanced
What would Earth look like as a distant exoplanet?
Datasets: 0 · 30–60 min
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x04·intermediate
How does dust on Earth compare to dust on Mars?
Datasets: 1 · 30–60 min