Latest news with #Sentinel-5P
NDTV
09-07-2025
- Science
- NDTV
Here's Why NASA Is Watching Volcanoes From Space
NASA is closely monitoring volcanoes from space to better understand and predict volcanic eruptions, which can have significant impacts on the environment, climate and human populations. NASA is also studying the changing tree leaves, which can indicate the eruption of a nearby volcano. Scientists believe they can detect these changes from space by monitoring these changes. The US-based space agency has deployed satellites and instruments to monitor the volcanoes, such as Landsat 8 and 9 gives high-resolution images of volcanic activity and ash deposits, Sentinel-5P tracks sulfur dioxide and other volcanic gases, GOES-R Series provides real-time imagery of volcanic eruptions and ash clouds, MODIS monitors volcanic ash and aerosols in the atmosphere. Why Is Watching Volcanoes From Space Important? "Volcano early warning systems exist," volcanologist Florian Schwandner, chief of the Earth Science Division at NASA's Ames Research Center in California's Silicon Valley, who had teamed up with climate scientist Josh Fisher of Chapman University in Orange, California and volcanologist Robert Bogue of McGill University in Montreal a decade ago, said as quoted by NASA in a report published on May 15, 2025. "The aim here is to make them better and make them earlier." NASA reported that volcanic hazards pose a threat to approximately 10 per cent of the global population, particularly those living or working near active volcanoes and constant tracking can enable the authorities to prepare and respond accordingly. NASA's satellite instruments can detect volcanic ash and gases, such as sulfur dioxide, which can affect global climate patterns and pose hazards to aviation and human health. The observations also help to understand the climate impacts. Studying volcanoes from space helps scientists get a better understanding of geological processes, the Earth's interior and the interactions between volcanoes and the atmosphere.
BBC News
03-07-2025
- Science
- BBC News
Jeff Bezos-backed $88m methane satellite missing in space
An $88m satellite designed to detect releases of the planet-warming gas methane from oil and gas production, has been lost in space in a major setback for climate efforts. The MethaneSat satellite which had backing from Google and billionaire Jeff Bezos, was launched only last year aboard an Elon Musk SpaceX was meant to collect data for five years on sources of the powerful greenhouse gas, which is responsible for nearly a third of human-induced warming, to help curtail the worst Environment Defense Fund, the NGO which oversees the satellite, said that communication was lost ten days ago and is currently undertaking an investigation to understand what happened. Methane is the most potent of the greenhouse gases, and although it does not hang around in the atmosphere as long as carbon dioxide, it is 28 times stronger over a 100-year an international commitment to reduce methane levels by 30% by 2030, year-on-year it continues to rise with the target unlikely to be met, according to the European Space Agency. The main sources of methane are from oil and gas production, farming and food decomposition in many of the current satellites that monitor it are operated privately, reducing reducing transparency of who the worst offenders for methane release came after years of development by the NGO Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) and once launched made much of its data publicly available, allowing scrutiny by governments and was backed by a consortium of tech giants including Google and billionaire Jeff Bezos, which together contributed $88m to the instruments used by the satellite are some of the most sensitive in the world, able to pick up much smaller sources of methane as well as "super-emitters".Improving the sensitivity is important for detecting releases from agriculture which are often much more diffuse than from oil and gas production. 'Likely not recoverable' Google said when it was launched it hoped its project would "fill gaps between existing tools".The company was using its artificial intelligence tools to process the data and generate a global methane after just a year in orbit, in what was meant to be a five-year programme, communication was lost with team at EDF suspect that the satellite has lost power and said in a statement "that it is likely not recoverable."It went on to say that some of the software could be re-used but said it was too early to comment on whether a new satellite would be launched."To solve the climate challenge requires bold action and risk-taking and this satellite was at the leading edge of science, technology and advocacy," it of the other major publicly-available sources of methane data is hosted by CarbonMapper. One of its sources of data is the TROPOMI instrument aboard the European Space Agency's Sentinel-5P satellite. Although it continues to send back data its seven-year programme was meant to finish in October. It is unclear how much longer it can continue to collect information, further limiting global efforts to track the greenhouse gas. Sign up for our Future Earth newsletter to keep up with the latest climate and environment stories with the BBC's Justin Rowlatt. Outside the UK? Sign up to our international newsletter here.
India Today
09-06-2025
- Science
- India Today
Massive sandstorm blowing from Africa's Sahara desert seen from space
Sand and dust from the Sahara desert are highly responsible for fertilising several parts of global oceans and the world's landmasses. New satellite pictures have now captured the Saharan dust in action. A thick plume of sand and dust from the Sahara Desert is seen in these images blowing from the west coast of Africa across the Atlantic Ocean. The images were captured during multiple observations from Copernicus Sentinel-3 and Copernicus Sentinel-5P on May 7, 2025. The images show a dense, orange plume of Saharan sand over approximately 1,50,000 sq km of the eastern Atlantic Ocean. Sandstorms can be a major contributor to reduced air quality and can cause hazards to human health. (Photo: ESA) Sandstorms, which are common over the Sahara, occur when large amounts of dust particles from the desert are swept up by strong winds. They can float for days or even weeks, depending on how dry, fast and turbulent the air masses become. The satellite images also reveal the concentration of aerosols in the dust plume: darker tones of orange denote denser aerosol concentrations. The image was captured by the Sentinel-5P which carries the state-of-the-art Tropomi instrument that maps a multitude of trace gases and can measure the aerosol index, which is an indicator of the presence and intensity of aerosols such as dust. "This combination of Sentinel-3 and -5P satellite imagery allows scientists to improve their understanding of these massive dust clouds, and forecasters to provide better air quality predictions. These data are extremely important for air-quality models," the European Space Agency, said in a statement. The images show a dense, orange plume of Saharan sand. (Photo ESA) The team said that sandstorms can be a major contributor to reduced air quality and can cause hazards to human health. "The suspended particles, in fact, cause hazy skies, trigger air quality alerts and, when breathed, can lead to cardiovascular conditions and lung problems. The travelling Saharan dust plays an important role in our ecosystem. It is a major source of minerals and nutrients for phytoplankton and for ecosystems on the other side of the world, including the Amazon rainforest," ESA added.
