Climate change is one of the most prominent problems facing mankind in the 21st century and remote sensing through space based observation has come to play a more and more important role in the study of climate change since its inception (Cracknell and Varatsos, 2011; Navalgund and Singh, 2011.). Cracknell and Varatsos (2011) says there are two reasons as to why remote sensing plays a vital role in the study of climate change, namely the huge coverage the data provides in terms area which allows studies at a local, regional or global scale and also the temporal coverage of this data as there are now libraries of data covering several decades available.
The goal of of remote sensing within the realm of climate change is to provide a reliable scientific grounds for helping establish policies relating to both natural and anthropomorphic induced changes in the Earth's environment (Navalgund and Sing, 2011). Both the European Space Agency (ESA) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) both have space based observation programs dedicated to climate change.
The ESA have the Living Planet Program (ESA, 2006; Navalgund and Singh, 2011), with GOCE (Gravity field and steady state Ocean Circulation Explorer) recently completing its mission there now 5 missions operating at the moment in SMOS (Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity), ADM-Aeolus(Atmospheric Dynamics Mission), CryoSat-2, SWARM and Earth CARE (Earth Clouds Aerosols and Radiation Explorer. Soon the Sentinel series of satellites will also be added to this group ( Malenovsky et al., 2012) with Sentinel-1 due to launch in 2014.
Similar to the Living Planet Program NASA have the Earth System Science Pathfinder Program (ESSP) (NASA, 2013; Navalgund and Singh, 2011). Th...
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...and Singh, R. P., 2011. Climate Change Studies Using Space Based Observation, Journal of the Indian Society for Remote Sensing, 39(3), pp. 281 - 285.
Paul, F., et al., 2013. The glaciers climate change initiative: Methods for creating glacier area, elevation change and velocity products, Remote Sensing of Environment [Online] Available at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2013.07.043 [Accessed: 30 November 2013]
Willis, M., J., Melkonian, A. K., Pritchard, M. E. and Ramage J. M., 2012. Ice loss rates at the Northern Patagonian Icefield derived using a decade of satellite remote sensing, Remote Sensing of the Environment, 117, pp. 184-198.
Wulder, M. A., Masek, J. G., Cohen, W. B., Loveland, T. R. and Woodcock, C. E., 2012. Opening the Archive: How free data has enabled the science and monitoring promise of Landsat, Remote Sensing and the Environment, 122, pp. 2-10.
University of Colorado, Boulder, August 11, 2003, NASA funds Colorado University at Boulder study of changes in Earth’s glacier systems in Ascribe Science News Service: pNa, p 1.
It is an unquestioned fact that the climate is changing. There is abundant evidence that the world is becoming warmer and warmer. The temperature of the global land average temperature has increased by about 8.5 degrees centigrade from 1880 to 2012 (Karr, et al 406). The one or two degrees increase in temperature can cause dramatic and serious consequences to the earth as well as humans. More extreme weather occurs, such as heat waves and droughts. The Arctic Region is especially sensitive to global climate change. According to the data in recent decades, the temperature in the Arctic has increased by more than 2 degrees centigrade in the recent half century (Przybylak 316). Climate change has led to a series of environmental and ecological negative
Glaciers have drastically changed over time because on average, “glaciers worldwide have been losing mass since at least the 1970s”. The melting of glaciers has been contributing to the rise in sea level because the glaciers have been shrinking faster in the last decade. Three of the major glaciers in the us have shown an overall drop in mass since the 1950s and 1960s and an accelerated rate of decline in recent years. An ice cap covered Mt. Hood during the Ice Age, from about 1.8 million years ago to about 10,000 years ago. These ice caps covered the Oregon Cascades, a series of mountains in Oregon, with glaciers going down on the east and west sides of the range. These glaciers melted into smaller glaciers as the weather proceeded to get warmer...
The glaciers have been through a minimum of four glacial periods. They’ve been through the Little Ice age, which commenced around 4,000 years ago. Marks of retreating glacier ice are seen in the rock-strewn and sculpted peaks valleys. The land and bodies of water that the retreating ice has created a new display of animal and plant communities. Ice fields, expansive river and stream systems, and tidewater glaciers significantly determine the likelihood of animals and plants to
The argument to support the fact that global weather patterns have changed, draws its evidence from a number of sources and documented events, and by observation of what is happening in the environment. The increase in carbon emissions from industry, transportation and farming practices is widely accepted as being responsible for the greenhouse
Many scientist believe that the current warming trend is significant because, much of it has been caused by human activities. Satellites orbiting the earth and other technological equipment enables scientists to see and collect various information about our planets climate. Scientists have studied this collected information and has revealed the many changes of our planet and how these changes are effecting our climate, a few of them are:
NASA New Frontiers is a program that is dedicated to deep observation of the solar system (discoverynewfrontiers.nasa.gov). Lockheed Martin is an advanced technology development company that built Juno for NASA (lockheedmartin.com). Though Lockheed Martin did build the spacecraft, Juno’s parts were gathered from all over the world (missionjuno.swri.edu). Juno was also tested in designated rooms to see if Juno could withstand the possible conditions of its trip and if it would need to be adjusted.
McMean, G. (2007, June). Artic climate impact assessment (C. Symon, Ed.). New York, NY: Cambridge Univercity Press. http://www.acia.uaf.edu/pages/scientific.html
“Climate change: How do we know?” NASA. NASA n. d. n. pag. Web. 28 November
There is no longer any question that our world climate has changed (King, 2004). Over the last 100 years, "temperatures have risen by about 0.6 degrees Celsius and global sea level has risen by about 20cm" (K...
Furthermore, this analysis must take place amidst serious gaps in the existing research and technology concerning the developing climatic conditions. For these reasons, global warming stands as one of the most daunting policy issues facing our world today. This is compounded by the debate over the very existence of climate change. While countless sources of empirical evidence testify to the very real presence of climate change the world over, considerable denial of the phenomenon still exists. The argument has been made that evidence of climate change is a gross overstatement, or in some cases, a complete fabrication.
The observed changes on Earth generally depict a positive feedback loop, because surface, air, and water temperatures are warming and albedo is decreasing. Research is clear that the changes in temperature, ocean ice cover, and albedo are contributing to a positive feedback cycle. However, clouds remain a massive source of uncertainty in predicting how much the climate will change.
Solomon, S. (Ed.). (2007). Climate change 2007-the physical science basis: Working group I contribution to the fourth assessment report of the IPCC (Vol. 4, pg 501). Cambridge University Press.
Climate change is evidenced through shifts in the weather patterns such as winds, humidity and temperatures over certain durations. Natural climate changes occur less frequently and they are triggered by factors related to geographical aspects as well as solar radiation. The earth’s movement on the orbit triggers changes in climate, causing some areas to have higher temperatures than usual, while others are significantly cold depending on the position of the earth on the orbit. The heat from the sun causes changes in the stratospheric ozone and it increases the amount of greenhouse gases. Heat from the oceanic crust also contributes to warming as a result of episodic hydrothermal venting (Liao & Sandeberg, 2012).
Hardy, J. T. Climate Change: Causes, Effects, and Solutions. New York: J. Wiley, 2003. Print.