A Breathing Earth

50.000 circles moving through a year of data on planetary vegetation health

loading all 52 weeks, animation will start soon...

We all know that our Earth goes through a seasonal cycle, especially for the latitudes farther away from the equator. In the fall the "deciduous" plants lose their leaves only to grow back again in the next spring.

The animation happening in the map above, through all 52 weeks of 2016, visualizes these seasonal cycles. The rise and fall of the growing season in the Northern Hemisphere is particularly visible. However, when focusing on different parts of the planet other cycles & different seasons become noticeable as well; the Southern regions of Africa, Brazil, and New Zealand, having the reverse cycle as the North, or India getting drier and drier up until the July when the monsoons start. The more often you watch the year go by, the more small details will start to stand out.

Watch and see our Earth "breathing" throughout the year. All living organisms depend on these cycles in the growth of plants; for food, for oxygen, and more. Although we humans have started to affect these cycles, hopefully this gorgeous spectacle will be part of our lives for millennia to come.