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| Earth Science and Applications from Space | |
|---|---|
| Name | Earth Science and Applications from Space |
| Caption | Earth observation satellite over view of continents |
| Established | 20th century |
| Disciplines | National Aeronautics and Space Administration, European Space Agency, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency |
| Notable programs | Landsat program, Copernicus Programme, GOES-R series |
Earth Science and Applications from Space Earth observation from orbit integrates sensor platforms, data systems, and analytical models to study United States, Russia, China, India, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, European Space Agency activities across the Arctic, Antarctica, Amazon Rainforest, and continental regions. Programs such as Landsat program, Copernicus Programme, GOES-R series, and missions by National Aeronautics and Space Administration and China National Space Administration drive applications in Hurricane Katrina, Mount Pinatubo impact studies, and resource monitoring in the Sahel. Interagency coordination with United States Geological Survey, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and international treaties like the Outer Space Treaty shapes operational priorities.
The field seeks to quantify terrestrial, atmospheric, cryospheric, and oceanic processes using missions from National Aeronautics and Space Administration, European Space Agency, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Indian Space Research Organisation, and Russian Federal Space Agency while supporting stakeholders including United States Geological Survey, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, United Nations Environment Programme, World Meteorological Organization, and Food and Agriculture Organization. Objectives include hazard response domains exemplified by Hurricane Sandy, Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, Eyjafjallajökull eruption, and resource mapping for Amazon Rainforest, Congo Basin, and Great Barrier Reef. Science priorities are guided by reports from Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Committee on Earth Observation Satellites, Group on Earth Observations, and national roadmaps from European Commission and National Science Foundation.
Orbiting platforms range from low Earth orbit constellations like Landsat program and Sentinel-2 to geostationary systems such as GOES-R series and Meteosat. Instruments include multispectral scanners aboard Landsat 8, synthetic aperture radar exemplified by Sentinel-1, altimeters used on Jason-3, and lidar payloads on ICESat-2. Hyperspectral sensors appear on missions like EnMAP and instruments developed by Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and Canadian Space Agency. Commercial entrants include companies such as Planet Labs, Maxar Technologies, and Spire Global operating microsatellites, while international programs like Copernicus Programme and military-affiliated systems from NATO-partner nations provide additional capability.
Common techniques combine optical remote sensing from Landsat program and Sentinel-2 with radar from Sentinel-1 and passive microwave retrievals used in Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission. Data products include surface reflectance maps, digital elevation models like those from Shuttle Radar Topography Mission, sea surface temperature products from NOAA-20, soil moisture maps from SMAP, and greenhouse gas columns from OCO-2. Calibration and validation efforts employ field campaigns and reference sites tied to institutions such as United States Geological Survey, National Center for Atmospheric Research, and Lamont–Doherty Earth Observatory. Data dissemination leverages portals run by USGS, ESA, Copernicus, and commercial platforms.
Space-based observations underpin weather forecasting by agencies including National Weather Service and Met Office, improving forecasts for events like Hurricane Katrina and Typhoon Haiyan. Climate monitoring uses records from Landsat program, NOAA-20, and ICESat-2 to track ice loss in Greenland, sea level rise documented by Jason-3 and TOPEX/Poseidon, and aerosol transport following eruptions such as Mount Pinatubo. Environmental applications span deforestation monitoring in the Amazon Rainforest and Congo Basin, agricultural yield estimation for Food and Agriculture Organization programs, water resource management in the Murray–Darling basin, and urban heat island studies for cities like New York City and Tokyo.
Integration with geographic information systems developed by companies such as Esri and open platforms like QGIS enables land cover classification, change detection, and model assimilation into numerical frameworks used by European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts and NOAA National Centers for Environmental Prediction. Data assimilation couples satellite retrievals with models like those at National Center for Atmospheric Research and research at Jet Propulsion Laboratory to improve predictions for El Niño–Southern Oscillation events, monsoon dynamics in Indian subcontinent, and wildfire behavior in California. Machine learning efforts draw on datasets from Landsat program, Sentinel, and commercial constellations to automate feature extraction and hazard detection.
Global initiatives foster interoperability among NASA, ESA, JAXA, ISRO, Roscosmos, Canadian Space Agency, and Australian Space Agency through frameworks like the Group on Earth Observations, Committee on Earth Observation Satellites, and bilateral partnerships exemplified by NASA–ESA cooperation. Capacity-building efforts engage United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs and regional entities such as African Union and Association of Southeast Asian Nations to expand access to data products from Copernicus Programme and Landsat program. Data sharing agreements reference principles in the Outer Space Treaty and multilateral dialogues at forums such as the World Meteorological Organization.
Challenges include sustaining long-term climate data records across programs like Landsat program and Jason-3, ensuring calibration continuity amid commercial growth from Planet Labs and Maxar Technologies, and addressing space debris issues spotlighted by incidents involving Iridium constellation. Future directions emphasize constellations for high-revisit monitoring, smallsat innovation propelled by entities such as SpaceX and Rocket Lab, integration of quantum sensing research from institutions like CERN and Imperial College London, and expanded use of artificial intelligence developed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Stanford University to operationalize near-real-time decision support for disasters such as 2010 Haiti earthquake and 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami.