Produced by: Tarun Mishra Designed by: Manoj Kumar
In a significant partnership, NASA and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) have come together to launch the NISAR radar satellite mission in early 2024. The satellite will be launched onboard a Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) Mark II rocket from Satish Dhawan Space Centre.
The NISAR mission's primary objective is to provide detailed insights into two critical ecosystems - forests and wetlands. These ecosystems play a pivotal role in naturally regulating greenhouse gases in the Earth's atmosphere.
According to a report by India today, the NISAR satellite, armed with state-of-the-art radar systems, will conduct scans of nearly all of Earth's land and ice surfaces. Impressively, it will accomplish this task twice every 12 days.
By collecting data from these scans, the mission aims to shed light on the processes of carbon capture and release within these ecosystems. Forests sequester carbon within their trees, while wetlands store it in their organic soil layers. Disruptions in these systems can hasten the release of carbon dioxide and methane, thereby contributing to global warming.
Land-use changes, which are responsible for approximately 11% of human-caused greenhouse gas emissions, will be more thoroughly understood through NISAR's data. This information is critical for addressing climate change.
NISAR's radar technology can penetrate the canopies of forests, bouncing signals off tree trunks and the ground below. This capability enables researchers to estimate the density of forest cover and track changes in these ecosystems over time.
Despite covering only a small fraction of Earth's surface (5 to 8%), wetlands house a significant portion of the planet's soil carbon, making them a substantial source of the potent greenhouse gas methane.
NISAR will closely monitor wetland ecosystems, tracking both seasonal and annual variations as well as long-term trends. This data will illuminate the impact of flooding and drying on carbon release.
In addition to improving our understanding of ecosystems, NISAR's data will be invaluable for informed management of wetland ecosystems, aiding in efforts to mitigate climate change's effects.
NISAR's capabilities go beyond ecosystem analysis. The satellite will also collect data on land motion, aiding researchers in understanding the dynamics of earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, landslides, and subsidence and uplift. Moreover, NISAR will track the movements and melting of glaciers and sea ice, contributing to the understanding of geological and climate-related events.