The Sentinel 2 satellites provide a wealth of data and high-resolution images of the planet Earth (European Space Agency)

The Earth is heading towards boiling at a rapid pace that may often seem out of control, and this is what we are beginning to feel very clearly in all parts of the Earth. July 2023 was the hottest month ever, and the severity and frequency of weather phenomena is constantly increasing. This requires the combined efforts of the world's influential great powers to rectify the matter before it is too late.

Among the efforts in this field, the use of satellites in combating climate change stands out, as they are an effective means of obtaining high-accuracy data and analysis through which scientists and researchers are trying to propose various solutions that would mitigate the severity of the deterioration of our planet in the face of climate change and its effects.

Sentinel 2 satellites

The Sentinel satellites are a fleet of satellites specially designed to provide a wealth of data and images essential to the European Commission's Copernicus programme.

Sentinel 2 carries an innovative, wide-range, high-resolution multispectral imager with 13 spectral bands covering different corners of the Earth. The combination of high resolution and these spectral capabilities provides an unprecedented view of the Earth, within an area covering an area of ​​290 km.

Sentinel 2 carries an innovative, high-resolution wide-field multispectral imager with 13 spectral bands covering different corners of the Earth (ESA)

The Sentinel 2 mission included launching two identical satellites into the same orbit at a distance of 180 degrees to obtain optimal coverage of the entire surface of the Earth, large islands, and inland and coastal waters, every five days.

It is worth noting that both satellites are operated by a dedicated flight control team from the European Space Operations Center (ESOC). The Sentinel 2A satellite was launched into orbit in 2015, and the Sentinel B2 was launched two years later. These satellites continued to be launched with various missions, the last of which was Sentinel 6 in 2020.

In general, there are more than 5,000 satellites in operation to date, enabling us to detect illegal resource extraction, mining, illegal logging and fishing, and some of them have specialized sensors to measure sources of greenhouse gas emissions.

Support agriculture and vegetation

As scientists try to understand the impact of climate on trees and vegetation, advances in imaging technology are helping them see both the entire forest and each individual tree as never before possible.

An example of this is what was done by Professor Michael Alonzo, assistant professor of environmental sciences at the College of Arts and Sciences at American University in Washington, in his recent research, the results of which were published several months ago. He conducted it with the help of small satellites whose weight does not exceed a few kilograms, called CubeSats, which were launched. In low Earth orbit with the aim of obtaining more accurate images to measure the response of trees to rising temperatures.

CubeSats represent small satellites that weigh no more than a few kilograms (NASA)

“If we want to know whether a particular plant is changing its life cycle events due to warming, we need to do a better job at zooming in on the individual plant and how it interacts with the environment,” Alonzo said.

Alonzo and his colleagues analyzed CubeSatz images during the growing seasons between 2018 and 2020 of an area that covered more than 10,000 trees on Washington streets, in a sample that included 29 species of broad-leaved trees.

By collecting hundreds of photos taken almost every day, they monitored the timing of the appearance of green color in the spring, as well as the loss of each tree’s leaves in the fall, and they were finally able to analyze the length of the tree’s growing season, and calculate the percentage of influence of various factors on this period, including the type of tree and the location of planting. And air temperature, which ultimately helps in an in-depth understanding of ecosystems and their response to heat.

On the other hand, and on a larger scale, scientists - who monitor the decline in tropical forests - until recently relied mainly on medium-resolution satellite images, and the resulting data provided an annual view of tropical forests with an accuracy of 30 meters, although these efforts were They are useful for tracking the long-term effects of forest loss, but they do not enable us to monitor the destruction as it occurs.

Accordingly, the "NESAR" satellite - which represents the result of cooperation between the American and Indian space agencies - is scheduled to be launched during the first quarter of this year on a three-year mission, and NESAR will be able to monitor the entire surface of the Earth every six days using radar.

According to NASA, signals from the Nisar satellite radar can penetrate the forest canopy and reach tree trunks and the ground below, and by analyzing the signal that is reflected back, researchers will be able to estimate the density of vegetation in a small area approximately the size of a football field.

NESR, after its launch, will help estimate the density of vegetation in a small area approximately the size of a football field (NASA)

Nisar's unique advantage is that it will pass by the same place every six days, and will therefore be able to paint a near-real-time picture of global forest loss. Because the satellite will also be able to see the forest floor, it can provide data and evidence on the cause of forest loss as well, whether it is fire, disease or logging.

It is also worth noting the launch of the Crop Watch program in the field of innovation of the United Nations General Assembly in 2021, with the aim of using satellites to monitor the Earth and support agriculture and farms. In August of last year, 11 countries from all over Africa and the Middle East were qualified with the skills and knowledge necessary to adapt the system. Crop watch with local requirements.

CropWatch uses satellite systems to obtain data on climate, drought, pests and diseases to monitor crop conditions and improve farm management. The program helps with better planning for crop import or export needs, more effective early warning mechanisms, and in some cases faster assessments of crop damage after a disaster.

Preventing forest fires... is possible

Researcher at the Rall Space Center in Britain, Hugh Mortimer, points out that research in space technology never stops. Since the 1980s, the Rall Center has contributed to developing and calibrating a series of instruments to support satellites that can measure sea and land surface temperatures with unprecedented accuracy. They have recently worked on A tool to measure sea surface temperatures from a distance of 800 km with an accuracy of 0.2 degrees Celsius, which is equivalent to standing in Big Ben in London and looking at the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

Satellites supported by heat detectors help predict and fight fires (European Space Agency)

Equipping the Sentinel satellites with such highly sensitive thermal detectors helps capture what can be classified as a strong signal on Earth that can be translated as an initial warning of a forest fire somewhere on Earth.

This technology allows immediate work with forest managers and fire patrols to direct efforts to a specific place at the appropriate time to prevent a fire. It can also direct them, when a fire actually occurs, to the exact location of its spread, based on what is called the radiant energy of the fire, which expresses the amount of energy. That emanates from flames.

Fire crews are also provided with important information about fires, such as the locations of hot spots, which helps in choosing the best control methods. For example, the fire crew has prior knowledge whether using water or other fire retardants will be beneficial in a particular spot or whether it will be a waste of time and effort. The data they obtain also helps determine the direction and speed of the fire’s spread, which contributes to fighting forest fires more efficiently.

Source: Al Jazeera + websites