The image reveals the depths of the universe and is a window into time. The fainter, smaller bursts of light in these photos are images of galaxies as they existed more than 13 billion years ago, near the beginning of time. The telescope has not only allowed us a glimpse into the past, but will also help answer open questions about how galaxies evolved in the composition of atmospheric exoplanets. According to NASA “Webb will solve mysteries in our solar system, look beyond distant worlds around other stars, and explore the mysterious structures and origins of our universe and our place in it.” However, while JWST will allow us to look into the past and enlighten us about the origins of the universe, our future on this planet remains uncertain. With global temperatures rising, recent decades have seen a remarkable build-up in the trend and intensity of extreme weather events. Climate change has emerged as one of the most critical problems of our time, and the solution to this problem requires a look into the future. Advances and innovations in remote sensing technology have allowed satellites to serve as a lens and prove instrumental in solving climate change.
Satellite Data and Climate Change
The role of satellite data in continuously monitoring and measuring climate change is identical to JWST’s role in monitoring the depths of the universe. In fact, according to the Global Climate Observing System, over 50% of Key Climate Variables, which are key indicators of the earth’s changing climate, can only be monitored by satellites. For example, the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Climate Change Initiative produces reliable and long-term data on 21 key climate variables. This wide range of satellite data helps identify our vulnerability to climate change by monitoring and predicting extreme climate events such as floods, fires, droughts, heat waves and melting glaciers, among others.
Evaluation of climate indicators
To mitigate and manage the growing threat of extreme climate events to various aspects of our society and businesses, data-driven climate intelligence becomes vital. As most climate variables can only be monitored from space, satellites provide a wealth of valuable information for understanding the drivers and impacts of climate change. Currently, there are approximately 162 satellites in orbit that continuously monitor various climate variables. Some of the climate variables that can be continuously monitored by satellites are:
Fires
In recent years there has been a sharp increase in the occurrence and intensity of fires. As wildfires are closely linked to climate change, they tend to reinforce each other. Consequently, as the climate crisis worsens, fire monitoring could play a huge role in minimizing risks. Satellites in this regard have emerged as an effective monitoring tool that makes it possible to observe extended areas in real time. Satellite data also provides valuable information about wildfire behavior, such as patterns and potential paths. This along with other key information such as vegetation in the area, weather conditions that cause fires, etc. they can help create maps of potential fire hotspots and even predict wildfires. Because of their high temporal resolution and ability to detect wildfires in remote areas, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) satellites are polar satellites that have played an important role in wildfire detection worldwide. Fires in the United States as depicted on SpaceTime™ from July 15 to August 15, 2021. ©BSA, 2022
GHG emissions
Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions increase heat in the atmosphere, which leads to global warming. As long as emissions continue, the global temperature will also continue to rise. Thus, monitoring and mapping GHG emissions is crucial for developing strategies to reduce them. Satellite data in this regard plays a prominent role as it has the ability to detect emissions. In 2009, Japan launched the Greenhouse Gas Observation Satellite (GOSAT), the world’s first satellite to monitor greenhouse gases. Since then, several more sophisticated satellites have been launched for the same purpose. For now, the Copernicus Sentinel-5P, launched in 2018 by the European Space Agency (ESA), is known to be the world’s most advanced pollution monitoring satellite. More recently, in 2021, ESA has announced its new space missionwhich will be able to monitor anthropogenic GHG emissions from space. Emissions data in Blue Sky Analytics’ visualization platform, SpaceTime™. ©BSA, 2022
Floods
Climate change is causing more and more flooding intense and frequent. Therefore, reliable data is of the utmost importance as it can help in flood mapping and management and possibly even accurate forecasting. Because of its advantage, satellites provide information on the global occurrence and footprint of floods in near real time. It also helps to understand the scale and extent of flooding. For example, researchers used NASA’s TOPEX/Poseidon satellite and ESA’s ENVISAT satellite to calculate the height and extent of floods in different areas. Satellite imagery also helps create predictive models that could help predict floods. Here, satellites use weather patterns to estimate the temporary amount of rain each area can receive. Spatial soil images also allow the water holding capacity of the soil to be calculated. Plus, NASA’s Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) The satellite provides scientists with information about the amount of moisture in the soil. This is a key factor that helps estimate the likelihood of flooding. These critical pieces of information help cumulatively development of flood hazard maps. This further helps the authorities to predict floods and be better prepared to manage them. Satellites help monitor Arkansas River flooding in 2019. Source: NASA Landsat 8
Droughts
Climate change is causing an increase in drought frequent and severe. As the impact is far-reaching, ranging from the impact on water quality, public health, the economy and public infrastructure, among others, drought monitoring and forecasting has become crucial to managing the crisis. Satellites can play an important role in drought prediction. They do this from radiation measurement, which helps accurately soil moisture measurement flat. This provides beneficial weather information. For example, if satellite measurements find that the ground is getting wetter, it may indicate that a flood is imminent. Similarly, if he finds that the moisture content in the soil is drying up, it could be an indicator of a possible drought. For example, the Advanced Scatterometer (ASCAT) on EUMETSAT’s polar-orbiting Metop satellites measure, among other things, soil moisture content. Remote sensing as well monitors factors such as weather patterns and wind speed that affect weather conditions such as drought. In addition, satellites also help assess the effects of drought on vegetation. The satellite Fraction of absorbed photosynthetically active radiation (FAPAR) in this respect it helps to assess the effects of drought. In addition, it is necessary to continuously monitor various surface water systems for effective and sustainable water management and drought prevention. For example, falling lake levels may indicate the first signs of impending drought. Read also: Creating a Geospatial Data Refinery for Climate Intelligence Satellite image documents the shrinking of Lake Milh in Iraq over the past two decades. The red outline shows the lake in 2000 and the blue outline shows the lake in its current state Source: Google Earth Engine
Deforestation
Deforestation is one of the most pressing challenges we face today, as were the world’s rainforests is appreciated in 2019 to disappear at the rate of a football field every six seconds. Deforestation and land degradation act as a double-edged sword, as they not only rob the world of natural carbon sinks, but also result in the release of stored carbon back into the atmosphere. With traditional methods such as e.g rangers Having been found to be expensive and time-consuming, satellite data has revolutionized deforestation monitoring with high-resolution data. In this regard, satellites present images of the earth on a daily basis, which help to map the deforested areas over a period of time and identify hot spots. Actually, a new one study found that satellites help reduce deforestation. Earth-orbiting satellites have been found useful in reducing deforestation by 18% over two years in 22 African countries. Countries were helped by systems that used up-to-date satellite data to send alerts about declining forest cover in the tropics. Similarly, the Brazilian government created a data collection system called profitswhich uses high-resolution data from Landsat 5 and 7 satellites to monitor and map…
