Since January 2025, Ecuador has been grappling with extreme rainfall, affecting 23 of its 24 provinces. The torrential rains have triggered widespread flooding, landslides, and extensive damage to infrastructure, leaving nearly 20,000 people impacted. As a result, the government has declared a state of emergency in eight coastal provinces.

Satellite image: Flooding in Ecuador (24 Feb. - 2 March 2025)
Ecuador. Credit: European Union, Copernicus Emergency Management Service Data

On 26 February 2025, the Copernicus Emergency Management Service (CEMS) was activated to assess the extent of the flooding and landslides. This image, based on CEMS data, illustrates the progression of the flooded areas between 24 February and 2 March, with the affected regions marked in varying blue tones.

Copernicus provides essential open data for monitoring flood events, offering valuable insights that support emergency response efforts, including rescue and recovery operations in the wake of natural disasters.

Featured image credit: European Union, Copernicus Emergency Management Service Data | Basemap: Copernicus Sentinel-2 imagery

Image: Vatican building
Green policies can be vote winners, London mayor saysNews

Green policies can be vote winners, London mayor says

Vatican City, Holy See | AFP Green policies can win votes, London Mayor Sadiq Khan said Thursday, after winning a record third term despite the…
SourceSourceMay 16, 2024 Full article
Researchers analyzed sediment core samples collected by D/V JOIDES Resolution near Cape Town, South Africa. Their findings uncovered details about the changes in deep ocean temperature and salinity, as well as the mixing histories of waters originating in both the northern and southern hemispheres. Credit: Sophie Hines | ©Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Ancient ocean currents offer clues to Earth’s Ice Age cyclesNewsScience

Ancient ocean currents offer clues to Earth’s Ice Age cycles

About a million years ago, Earth’s ice age cycles underwent a dramatic shift, marking what scientists call the Mid-Pleistocene Transition (MPT). This period has long…
Adrian AlexandreAdrian AlexandreNovember 8, 2024 Full article
Image: map afghanistan
Fresh floods kill 66 in northern AfghanistanNews

Fresh floods kill 66 in northern Afghanistan

Kabul, Afghanistan | AFP (UPDATED) Fresh floods killed 66 people in northern Afghanistan, a provincial official said Sunday, after weeks of flooding that has inundated…
SourceSourceMay 19, 2024 Full article