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Canadian Space Agency announces design contract with MDA for RADARSAT Constellation. Longueuil, Quebec, November 14, 2008 - The Canadian Space Agency announced today that MacDonald Dettwiler and Associates Ltd. (MDA) has been awarded a 16-month contract valued at $40 million to begin the design of the RADARSAT Constellation Mission (RCM). The RADARSAT Constellation is the [...]
The fight against climate warming has an unexpected ally: mushrooms growing in dry spruce forests covering Alaska, Canada, Scandinavia and other northern regions, according to new research. Results of the study appear online Nov. 3, 2008, in a paper in the journal Global Change Biology. When the soil in these forests is warmed, [...]
Humanitarian aid workers responding to devastating flooding in Honduras have received assistance from space, with satellite images of affected areas provided rapidly following activation of the International Charter on Space and Major Disasters. Tens of thousands of people have been displaced and 33 lives have been claimed by floods and landslides brought on by [...]
The amount of methane in Earth's atmosphere shot up in 2007, bringing to an end approximately a decade in which atmospheric levels of the potent greenhouse gas were essentially stable. The new study is based on data from a worldwide NASA-funded measurement network. Methane levels in the atmosphere have more than tripled since pre-industrial [...]
The thickness of sea ice in large parts of the Arctic declined by as much as 19 percent last winter compared to the previous five winters, according to data from ESA's Envisat satellite. Using Envisat radar altimeter data, scientists from the Centre for Polar Observation and Modelling at University College London (UCL) measured sea ice [...]
NOAA's Fisheries Service will increase its protection of threatened elkhorn and staghorn corals in Florida, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands through a new rule to prohibit activities that result in death or harm to either species. The new regulations take effect on Nov. 21. Elkhorn coral; credit: [...]
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The combined global land and ocean surface average temperature for September 2008 tied with September 2001 as the ninth warmest since records began in 1880, according to an analysis by NOAA's National Climatic Data Center
in Asheville, N.C. - NOAA
The 2008 ozone hole - a thinning in the ozone layer over Antarctica - is larger both in size and ozone loss than in 2007, but is not as large as in 2006. Ozone is a protective atmospheric layer found in about 25 kilometres altitude that acts as a sunlight filter shielding life on Earth from harmful ultraviolet rays, which can increase the risk of skin cancer and cataracts and harm marine life. This year the area of the thinned ozone layer over the South Pole reached about 27 million square kilometres, compared to 25 million square kilometres in 2007 and a record ozone hole extension of 29 million square kilometres in 2006, which is about the size of the North American continent. - European Space Agency
Most glaciers in every mountain range and island group in Alaska are experiencing significant retreat, thinning or stagnation, especially glaciers at lower elevations, according to a new book published by the U.S. Geological Survey. In places, these changes began as early as the middle of the 18th century. - US Geological Survey
Although Hurricane Ike is long gone, its impact lingers more than a thousand miles from where it made landfall. Runoff from tributaries dumped massive amounts of sediment into Lake Michigan, contaminating the water, compromising near-shore navigation and raising E coli bacteria to levels unsafe for swimming. - US Geological Survey
The UK Meteorological Office forecast for the coming winter suggests it is, once again, likely to be milder than average. It is also likely that the coming winter will be drier than last year. Seasonal forecasts from the Met Office are used by many agencies across government, private and third sectors to help their long-term planning. Earlier this year, John Hirst, Chief Executive of the Met Office and Michael Lake CBE, Director General of Help the Aged, signed an agreement to explore ways in which the two organisations can actively use weather information to support the health and well-being of older people. - UK Meteorological Office
NASA'S Johnson Space Center in Houston is scheduled to
reopen on Monday, September 22, ending its closure related to Hurricane Ike.
Johnson shut down on September 11, as Ike approached the Texas coast. - NASA
You can help the victims of thousands of disasters across the country each year, disasters like the Hurricanes of 2008, by making a financial gift to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund. Evacuees are encouraged to register on Safe and Well http://disastersafe.redcross.org , the Web site that allows people directly affected by a disaster to let their loved ones know that they are okay. Safe and Well is also accessible through the American Red Cross public Web site, http://www.redcross.org For those without internet access, you can register yourself and your family by calling 1-800-REDCROSS (1-800-733-2767). Follow the prompts for disaster information. - American Red Cross
Arctic sea ice coverage appears to have reached its lowest extent for the year, and the second-lowest amount recorded since the dawn of the satellite era, according to observations from the NASA-supported National Snow and Ice Data Center at the University of Colorado in Boulder. - NASA/National Snow and Ice Data Center
Using data from instruments in a constellation of NASA satellites, scientists have discovered that they can see deep inside of clouds. The satellites are taking first-of-a-kind measurements, shedding new light on the link between clouds, pollution and rainfall. - NASA
Following a formidable 106-day trek across the Arctic, which ended with the two Arctic Arc expedition members relying on Envisat images to guide them safely through disintegrating sea-ice, intrepid polar explorer Alain Hubert recently visited ESA to handover a unique set of snow-depth measurements. Malcolm Davidson, ESA's CryoSat Validation Manager noted that, 'ESA has now released the snow-depth data collected by the Arctic Arc expedition to the CryoSat Validation and Retrieval Team. The team has been quite eager to get the data and start the analysis. Ultimately we expect that - in conjunction with the core ESA-sponsored airborne campaigns and similar initiatives from other polar expeditions - the data will help us better measure ice-thickness changes over time from space with CryoSat-2.'
Last year alone, global levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide, the primary driver of global climate change, increased by 0.6 percent, or 19 billion tons. Additionally methane rose by 27 million tons after nearly a decade with little or no increase. NOAA scientists released these and other preliminary findings today as part of an annual update to the agency's greenhouse gas index, which tracks data from 60 sites around the world. The burning of coal, oil, and gas, known as fossil fuels, is the primary source of increasing carbon dioxide emissions. Earth's oceans, vegetation, and soils soak up half of these emissions. - NOAA
NASA's DC-8 flying laboratory departed the
NASA Dryden Aircraft Operations Facility in Palmdale, Calif., Tuesday
for Fairbanks, Alaska, to participate in one of the largest
international atmospheric studies ever attempted. The recent decline of sea ice is one indication the Arctic is
undergoing significant environmental changes related to climate
warming. NASA and its partners plan to investigate the atmosphere's
role in this climate-sensitive region during the Arctic Research of
the Composition of the Troposphere from Aircraft and Satellites
(ARCTAS) field campaign. - NASA
Explosive eruptions and noxious gas emissions at Kilauea Volcano in Hawaii this week have prompted scientists to work around the clock to understand what will happen next and how to keep the public out of harm's way. Scientists are monitoring gas emissions and seismic activity at Kilauea, which on March 19 experienced its first explosive eruption since 1924. The volcano is also emitting sulfur dioxide at toxic levels. - U.S. Geological Survey
Using data from the SCIAMACHY instrument aboard ESA's Envisat environmental satellite, scientists have for the first time detected regionally elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide - the most important greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming - originating from manmade emissions. - European Space Agency
The European Environment Agency has finalised an agreement with an ESA-led consortium to provide unparalleled information on air pollution, which contributes to the premature deaths of hundreds of thousands of Europeans annually. Under the agreement, the European Environment Agency (EEA) will use a service, which combines and processes satellite data with surface measurements from 29 European countries to deliver accurate information on air quality daily, to support the implementation of European air-quality policies. - European Space Agency
The International Ice Charting Working Group predicts more marine transportation in the Arctic as sea ice continues to diminish and warns of 'significant hazards to navigation,' according to a statement released yesterday. The statement was released during a five-day conference held at ESRIN, ESA's Earth Observation Centre in Frascati, Italy, in which operational ice experts from Europe and North America gathered to discuss the state of the polar regions.
'In September 2007, the Arctic sea ice reached the minimum extent - the lowest amount of ice recorded in the area annually - in the history of ice charting based on satellite, aircraft and surface observations, continuing a recent trend of diminishing sea ice that began in the 1980s and has accelerated. While there will still be natural inter-annual variability, the decline is likely to continue,' the statement reads. - European Space Agency
Human activities are releasing carbon dioxide faster than ever, while the natural processes that normally slow its build up in the atmosphere appear to be weakening. These conclusions are drawn in a new study in the early online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, October 22-26. The report states that 'together, these effects characterize a carbon cycle that is generating stronger-than-expected climate forcing sooner than expected.' - Carnegie Institution of Washington
Scientists have fully mapped convection cells in Earth's magnetic field for the first time, using Cluster data. Results show that the behaviour of the cells is heavily linked to solar activity. Convection cells, made of plasma, an ionised and highly variable gas, are found at altitudes of hundreds kilometres over the polar caps. Their behaviour pattern is intimately linked to the response of the Earth's magnetic environment to solar activity. - ESA
The area covered by sea ice in the Arctic has shrunk to its lowest level this week since satellite measurements began nearly 30 years ago, opening up the Northwest Passage - a long-sought short cut between Europe and Asia that has been historically impassable. - ESA
Future reduction of sea ice in the Arctic could result in a loss of 2/3 of the world's polar bear population within 50 years, according to a series of studies released today by the U.S. Geological Survey. Last December, Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne announced that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) was proposing to list the polar bear as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act. In January 2008, following a one-year review period, the Service is expected to make a recommendation to Secretary Kempthorne on whether or not to list the polar bear as threatened. - U.S. Geological Survey
Greece has experienced more wildfire activity this August than other European countries have over the last decade, according to data from ESA satellites. The country is currently battling an outbreak of blazes, which began last Thursday, that have spread across the country killing more than 60 people. ESA's ERS-2 and Envisat satellites continuously survey fires burning across the Earth's surface with onboard sensors - the Along Track Scanning Radiometer (ATSR) and the Advanced Along Track Scanning Radiometer (AATSR) respectively, known as the ATSR Word Fire Atlas, which is available to users online in near-real time. - ESA
Hot spots across Southeastern Europe from 21 to 26 August have been detected with instruments aboard ESA satellites, which have been continuously surveying fires burning across the Earth's surface for a decade. Working like thermometers in the sky, the Along Track Scanning Radiometer (ATSR) on ESA's ERS-2 satellite, and the Advanced Along Track Scanning Radiometer (AATSR) on ESA's Envisat satellite, measure thermal infrared radiation to take the temperature of Earth's land surfaces. - ESA
The detection of emergency beacons will be greatly improved by the introduction of Europe's satellite positioning system, Galileo. The Galileo satellites will carry transponders to relay distress signals to search and rescue organisations. - ESA
Highlighting the extreme weather conditions hitting Europe, space sensors aboard ESA's Envisat satellite have detected the worst floodwaters to hit Britain for 60 years and deadly fires raging through southern Europe. Heavy rains caused the River Thames to burst its banks on Wednesday, forcing the evacuation of hundreds of homes in Britain's university city of Oxford. The flooding across England and Wales has left tens of thousands without electricity and water. - ESA
The Met Office today can reveal the three months from May to July 2007 have broken records for this period, even before July is over. Provisional figures from the Met Office show that 387.6 mm of rain have already fallen across England and Wales, making it the wettest May to July since the England and Wales Precipitation record began in 1766. These figures will come as no surprise to many across England and Wales who have suffered flooding from the exceptionally heavy rainfall experienced in June and July. - UK Meteorological Office
The first soil moisture maps with a spatial resolution of one km are available online for the entire southern African subcontinent. As soil moisture plays an important role in the global water cycle, these maps, based on data from ESA's Envisat satellite, will lead to better weather and extreme-event forecasting, such as floods and droughts. - ESA
If declines in sea ice availability continue, the authors expect that the proportion of polar bears denning in coastal areas will continue to increase, until such time as the autumn ice retreats far enough from shore that it prohibits offshore pregnant females from reaching the Alaska coast in time for denning. - U.S. Geological Survey
The Envisat image shows the southern part of the Caspian Sea, the world's largest inland body of water, with a total surface area of 371 000 square kilometres. The Caspian has experienced large variations in its water level in the last few decades, a development at least partly due to human activity, including the building of dams. It fell during the 1960s and 1970s, has risen since then, but may now be falling again. - ESA
The Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere (AIM) spacecraft has captured the first occurrence this summer of mysterious iridescent polar clouds that form 50 miles above Earth's surface. The first observations of these clouds by the Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere (AIM) satellite occurred above 70 degrees north on May 25. Observers on the ground began seeing the clouds on June 6 over northern Europe. AIM is the first satellite mission dedicated to the study of these unusual clouds. - NASA
Two Belgian explorers currently nearing the end of a staggering 2 000 km trek across the Arctic Ocean were recently guided through hazardous conditions using observations from Envisat, as sea ice in the Lincoln Sea began to break up unexpectedly. - ESA
As summer brings out more boaters, campers and hikers, NOAA satellites are ready to pinpoint the locations of a likely increase in distress calls from emergency locator beacons carried by outdoor enthusiasts. - NOAA
With the design consolidation phase soon to start for ESA's EarthCARE mission, scientists and engineers from around the world recently met to discuss preparations for a mission that is being implemented with the cooperation of Japanese partners to address the need for a better understanding of how the interactions between clouds, aerosols and solar radiation regulate climate. - ESA
The origin and movement of waves reaching up to 11 metres that devastated France's Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean on Saturday evening have been detected with ESA's Envisat satellite. The waves that thrashed the southern port of Saint Pierre, leaving two fishermen missing, causing several piers to collapse and flooding several homes and businesses, originated south of Cape Town, South Africa, and travelled northeast for nearly 4000 km over a period of three days before slamming into Reunion Island. - ESA
A team of NASA and university scientists has found clear evidence that extensive areas of snow melted in west Antarctica in January 2005 in response to warm temperatures. This was the first widespread Antarctic melting ever detected with NASA's QuikScat satellite and the most significant melt observed using satellites during the past three decades. The affected regions encompass a combined area as big as California. [Editor's note: the melting of polar ice threatens the global 'conveyor' system of deep water circulation. It is the North Atlantic thermohaline conveyor which gives us the Gulf Stream and our habitable climate. If polar ice continues to melt at the current rate, it could sink the conveyor, which cannot then be restarted.] - NASA
Storm Prediction Center: