![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/20260130-nasa-droughtmonitorgraphic.png\")
<\/p>\nTwo representatives from NASA have joined the team of U.S. Drought Monitor authors.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
The monitor is hosted by the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska\u2013Lincoln and produced through a partnership between the drought center,\u00a0U.S. Department of Agriculture,\u00a0National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration\u00a0and now NASA.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The new authors are\u00a0Ben Cook, with the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies at Columbia University, and Jonathan Case, with the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center and the University of Alabama-Huntsville.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSince\u00a0the\u00a0inception\u00a0of the U.S. Drought Monitor\u00a0in\u00a01999, it has been a uniquely collaborative product,\u201d said Mark Svoboda, director of the drought center.\u00a0\u201cWe are\u00a0very\u00a0excited about this partnership, which marks\u00a0a new step in\u00a0joint\u00a0efforts between NASA and the Drought Monitor authoring team.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
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This is the first time NASA has\u00a0contributed authors to the monitor\u2019s development process.\u00a0To mark their involvement, the administration\u2019s logo\u00a0now appears in\u00a0the\u00a0lower-right corner of the\u00a0Drought Monitor\u00a0map.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Karen St. Germain, director\u00a0of\u00a0NASA\u2019s Earth Science Division, said\u00a0NASA Earth science has been proud to contribute unique data and\u00a0expertise\u00a0to the monitor\u00a0effort for years.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThis agreement formalizes our partnership and incorporates NASA scientists as key members of the expert team that produces the weekly maps that are the gold standard for observing and forecasting drought,\u201d she said. \u201cThis is one of many ways that NASA\u2019s Earth science and data power the operational services that U.S. farmers, ranchers and resource managers rely on.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Drought Monitor\u00a0is a weekly\u00a0map\u00a0showing\u00a0the location and severity of drought across the United States and its territories,\u00a0using six classifications to\u00a0designate\u00a0the extent of abnormal dryness or drought.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Authors\u00a0are from\u00a0the partner\u00a0organizations, and the new NASA authors bring their number to 11.\u00a0Each\u00a0week, one of the authors\u00a0uses dozens of indicators from multiple data sources, including NASA,\u00a0to update drought levels across the U.S. and territories.\u00a0A network of drought experts from each of the 50 states and Puerto Rico also provide input on local conditions.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Cook and Case have been added into the\u00a0author\u00a0rotation and will\u00a0each complete their first\u00a0two-week\u00a0shift later this year.\u00a0<\/p>\n