All articles tagged with #remote sensing
Public Starlink ephemeris data enables tomographic mapping of the thermosphere; researchers have used it to estimate atmospheric density at high altitudes, with results aligning with dedicated satellites like SWARM-B, suggesting this LEO constellation could become a major resource for upper-atmosphere science.
Europe’s Copernicus Browser now includes a wildfire visualization layer for Sentinel-2 data, letting users see active fires and burned areas with high-resolution 10-meter imagery. The feature, based on a JavaScript script by Pierre Markuse, went live Aug. 4 after ESA scientists helped integrate it. NASA’s FIRMS remains available for global fire mapping at coarser resolutions, but Sentinel-2 offers more detail and updates every few days, aiding wildfire monitoring during an intense season.
NASA’s Earth Observatory reports that spring–summer 2026 blooms of coccolithophores tint the Black Sea and the Bosphorus turquoise, a color captured by NASA’s PACE satellite; when diatoms dominate, waters can darken. These blooms are visible from space and contribute to the ocean carbon cycle, as dying coccolithophores transport carbon to the seafloor, with remote sensing aiding bloom-dynamics studies where direct sampling is limited.
Oak trees actively delay their spring leaf-out by about three days in years with heavy caterpillar outbreaks, a tactic that markedly lowers caterpillar survival and reduces insect damage by roughly 55%. Researchers combined field data with Sentinel-1 radar remote sensing over 2,400 square kilometers in Northern Bavaria, analyzing 137,500 observations from 60 forest sites (notably during a 2019 gypsy moth outbreak) to show this biotic-driven timing alters forest phenology and should be considered in ecological models amid climate change.
Mexico City is sinking at as much as 14 inches (35 cm) per year due to groundwater pumping and the weight of its sprawling urban area atop an ancient lakebed. NASA–ISRO’s NISAR satellite—a dual-frequency radar mission launched in 2025—now monitors surface changes with centimeter precision, revealing subsidence patterns across the city and demonstrating the mission’s capability to track ground movement globally.
German researchers found oak trees delay leaf-out by about three days after heavy caterpillar outbreaks, tracked with Sentinel-1 radar data over five years across 60 forests (137,500 observations). The delay reduces caterpillar survival and tree damage by about 55%, is more energy-efficient than producing extra tannins, and is reversible—showing trees actively adapt to biotic threats in a warming world.
New data from NASA-ISRO's NISAR radar show parts of the Mexico City region sinking by a few centimeters per month (Oct 2025–Jan 2026) due to long-running groundwater pumping and compaction of an ancient lakebed; the subsidence has damaged infrastructure and landmarks, and NISAR’s all-weather, dual-band radar enables persistent monitoring of land motion in densely populated or vegetated regions.
Australian physicist Enbang Li has built a compact, three‑foot device that uses gravity to bend light via spiraled fiber-optic coils, detecting tiny picosecond time delays to sense gravitational changes. The approach could enable high‑precision gravity sensing for mapping underground features, monitoring magma, and improving sensing on moving platforms like planes and submarines. While still in early lab stages, the work suggests photons can interact with Earth’s gravitational field in new ways and may prompt fresh thinking about light’s behavior, with findings published in Scientific Reports.
A new high-resolution topographic analysis suggests the Zhamanshin impact crater in Kazakhstan is about 26.5 km in diameter—roughly double previous estimates—meaning the energy released could be 7–10 times greater and potentially linked to abrupt environmental changes around 900,000 years ago; erosion and loess conceal outer rings, so further regional climate records are needed to assess any biological or climate effects, with implications for planetary protection and future planetary exploration.
A global analysis using daily NASA Black Marble night-time lights and continuous change detection (2014–2022) shows that artificial illumination is highly volatile, with locations undergoing multiple abrupt or gradual changes. The study finds 2.05 million km2 of abrupt ALAN changes and 19.04 million km2 of gradual changes, totaling far more area affected by changes than previously thought. Net radiance rose about 16% since 2014, driven by brightening (34% of the 2014 baseline) that outpaced dimming (−18%). Regions experience both directions of change, driven by factors such as urban expansion, rural electrification, gas-flaring reductions, and energy access disruptions. Asia (notably China and India) accounts for the largest cumulative change, Europe shows pronounced dimming linked to regulations, and some regions (e.g., Venezuela) dim due to economic collapse. The work challenges the view that night-time lights only steadily intensify and highlights the need to consider bidirectional, high-frequency dynamics for policy, energy transitions, and ecological implications. Open datasets and code accompany the work for global ALAN change mapping and analysis.
NASA-ISRO’s NISAR satellite captured cloud-covered imagery of the Pacific Northwest on Nov. 10, 2025 using L-band radar to see through clouds, highlighting Seattle, Portland, Mount Rainier, and Mount Saint Helens. With dual SAR instruments and a large 39-foot antenna, NISAR revisits areas roughly every 12 days to monitor changes in forests, wetlands, urban areas, and infrastructure, and to detect subtle ground movements associated with natural hazards such as volcanoes, earthquakes, landslides, and floods. The data aid resource management, hazard monitoring, and environmental decision‑making.
DARPA-backed researchers are developing radiovoltaic micro-batteries that directly convert nuclear radiation into electricity, enabling maintenance-free, long-duration power for buoys, spacecraft, and remote sensors, with gallium oxide boosting radiation tolerance and power density.
Scientists in Canada are using drone technology and the presence of specific lichens to efficiently locate dinosaur fossils in rugged terrain, marking a significant advancement in paleontological fieldwork by enabling large-scale, non-invasive fossil hunting from the air.
ESA's Biomass satellite has released its first stunning images of Earth's forests, deserts, and glaciers, demonstrating its advanced radar capabilities to measure forest biomass and monitor ecosystems, which is crucial for understanding carbon storage and climate change impacts.
Landsat 7, a satellite that provided 25 years of Earth imaging, has been decommissioned, marking the end of an era in Earth observation. Its data contributed significantly to environmental monitoring and scientific research, and it will now drift in orbit for decades before reentry, while newer Landsat satellites continue to monitor the planet.