Can Satellite Platforms Help us Map and Monitor Carbon Stocks?
Do satellite platforms hold the secret to reversing climate change? In this article, we will look at the key role satellite platforms play in carbon stock monitoring and why this is so critical in preventing a climate catastrophe.
What Is a Satellite Platform?
A satellite platform, also known as a satellite bus, is the physical structure or body of the satellite. The satellite platform houses the payload and scientific equipment. The payload refers to the equipment used to complete a scientific mission, such as a camera. The satellite platform needs to be well designed to ensure the payload is protected and can complete the mission. Satellite platforms typically contain communication systems, propulsion, navigation, data handling system, electrical power system, and temperature control. Spacex starship SN15 launch one step closer to mars.
Why Is Carbon Stock Important?
Carbon stock refers to pooled CO2 in a system that can accumulate and release CO2. Common carbon stocks include the ocean, soil, forests, and the Earth’s crust and atmosphere. The Earth’s atmosphere only contains a small amount of carbon compared to other systems. This is why unnatural and large releases of CO2 from other systems can trigger climate change and take centuries to clear.
The primary greenhouse gas emitted by humans is carbon dioxide. When carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere, it creates a greenhouse effect and traps in heat which raises the Earth’s temperature. By conducting monitoring of carbon stocks, scientists can determine if global warming is intensifying and predict future outcomes such as temperature increases, sea level rises, and occurrences of natural disasters. For example, scientists have already predicted that if current carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere double, then the Earth’s temperature will rise by 2 to 5 degrees Celsius. The mapping of carbon stocks is critical to determine if our climate solutions are effective or if we are skyrocketing into a climate crisis.
How Scientists Use Satellites to Measure Carbon Stocks?
Satellite platforms can monitor CO2 in the oceans, atmosphere, soil, and forests. Satellite platforms use various methods to determine the current carbon level and whether it is decreasing, increasing, or stable.
Scientists are using NASA’s Ice, Cloud, and Land Elevation Satellite (ICESat) to access topography and vegetation data. Scientists can upload satellite platform data sets and use cloud computing to crunch the numbers in just a few hours. The latest research reveals that most forests are CO2 sinks, meaning they absorb more CO2 than they release. Only in areas of extreme deforestation, such as in the Amazon and Indonesia, are forests a source of additional carbon. Researchers found forests absorbed over 15 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide from Earth’s atmosphere yearly and released 8 billion metric tons yearly due to mostly fires and logging. NASA researchers are hoping predictions will become more accurate as their data improves. Scientists are planning on using more satellite platforms to monitor forest carbon, including Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation (GEDI). The GEDI uses lasers to produce 3D maps of forests. The new satellite platform data will allow researchers to create detailed tree canopy profile maps of aboveground biomass.
There are now a variety of satellite platforms in space that can measure atmospheric carbon dioxide. Satellite platforms measure atmospheric carbon by observing changes in infrared light reflected off the Earth. Carbon dioxide absorbs infrared radiation, so a decrease in infrared light reaching the satellite platforms’ sensor means there is an increase in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Conversely, a decrease in atmospheric CO2 results in an increase in infrared light reaching the satellite platforms’ sensors.
Scientists can accurately determine which areas are emitting CO2 by establishing a grid of sensors. After creating a grid, they then identify different carbon dioxide sources by comparing nodes. If two adjacent nodes have different carbon dioxide readings, then there is a carbon emitter located between the nodes.
The most effective satellite platforms for measuring atmospheric CO2 are GOSAT and OCO-2. GOSAT is a Japanese satellite platform launched in 2009 and contains a greenhouse gas observation sensor and a cloud/aerosol sensor. The OCO-2 is an American satellite platform that was launched in 2014 and records the amount of sunlight reflected off the Earth is absorbed by CO2 molecules.
Get latest updates and more details on Orbital Today.
Using satellite platforms to monitor carbon stocks is vitally important to testing climate solutions and analyzing the current climate change situation.
Wrapping Up
The atmosphere now contains record levels of CO2. As we continue to burn fossil fuels and destroy our forests, more and more CO2 is released into the atmosphere. Satellite platforms have been able to accurately measure the carbon levels in forests using the NASA ICESat and in the atmosphere using GOSAT and OCO-2. Satellite platforms will continue to play a critical role in monitoring atmospheric and forest carbon and help researchers come up with effective climate change solutions before the planet becomes uninhabitable. Comment below what climate change solutions you have come up with
