Since publishing NASA Earth Observatory Goes to the Beach in July 2017, we have explored even more of the planet’s coasts via satellite images and astronaut photographs. During this first week of July, the Earth Observatory is returning to the beach with a look back at some of our favorite seaside stories published in recent years.

This stretch of coastline in Western Australia is a popular recreational site for people and an important stopover site for migratory birds.

The white sands of Florida's Emerald Coast beaches are primarily comprised of quartz grains from the southern Appalachian Mountains.

Sandy beaches are growing in some parts of the world and shrinking quickly in others, including one-third of marine protected areas.

Flanked by mountains, the capital of the Badakhshan Province in Afghanistan lies along a sharp bend in a valley sculpted by the Kokcha River.

Plumes of volcanic material traveled by air and by sea as the small Pacific island erupted in June 2024.

Heat waves rolled through parts of Europe, the Middle East, and South Asia, leaving vulnerable populations at risk.

A striking plume trailing from the topographic prominence in West Antarctica is likely an orographic cloud.