Page Three of Three for the Earth Day 2001 Story

THE TERRA ERA

CATCHING THE LIGHT IN THE CRACKS



MISR's nine cameras are useful for surface measurements, too. On the Pine Island glacier in Antarctica, a large crack has recently appeared. In very little time last year, the crack spread more than 25 kilometers (15 miles) across the glacier. Researchers are watching it carefully; they expect it to break off and become a huge iceberg sometime next year.

The value of a space based perspective is the ability to take in a wide area. With MISR, detailed analysis of the surface feature can be studied across the entire length of the fissure. By using images taken by the forward, nadir, and aft cameras, we can see differences in reflectance in the crack very clearly. This helps scientists track the crack as it grows as well as better understand the forces that led to its formation.
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THE DAWNING FUTURE:EO-1 OPERATIONAL ON ORBIT

HYPERION: A NEW VIEW OF EARTH

t's not so much that the Hyperion instrument will be able to see the Earth more "close up" or have a higher spatial resolution than previous instruments. Yet Hyperion's goals are nothing less than ambitious. The instrument is designed to gather highly complex data from a given region on the Earth by viewing the surface in terms of 220 distinct "bands" or colors of light. Think of looking at a photograph in black in white and then comparing the exact same frame in color. Even though there is no greater resolution to the image, no change in perspective, lighting, or magnification, the amount of data presented to the viewer has greatly increased. Project managers designed Hyperion to fill in that kind of data in observed regions on the ground.

The uses for an instrument than can make such fine spectral distinctions include studies of land use, changes in land cover, mineral resource assessment, research into coastal processes, changes in the atmosphere and more.

OBSERVATIONS ON THE EDGE OF THE FUTURE


In this visualization we see data gathered by Hyperion over a portion of Argentina. As the ground scrolls by in the imaging window, we see how the instrument assesses the surface features. Data about the surface features being observed by the instrument appear in the graphical readout. As scientists begin to use Hyperion data more and more, they expect to be able to quantify surface features in ways never before possible at planetary scales.
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HYPERION,THINLY SLICED


The principal reason Hyperion offers such powerful research opportunities for scientists is its ability to slice reflected light into more than 220 individual wavelengths. It doesn't see much more of the spectrum, but it sees light in significantly more subtle gradations. In this visualization, we see how light is broken into bands for processing by the Landsat instrument. Next to it we see a comparison to Hyperion's spectral capabilities. Hyperion slices the spectrum into thin colors, offering highly precise measurements of surface features.
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SEAWIFS: REMOTE VIEWS OF A LIVING PLANET
EARTH'S CHECK-UP
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If the Earth had a heartbeat,its pulse has just been taken. Using three years of continuous data from an orbiting instrument called SeaWiFS, NASA scientists have amassed a first look at how carbon moves through the biosphere. Carbon is one of the most essential elements for life, and experts say that this research is a major step in the effort to monitor overall planetary health, from climate change to the rhythms of life in oceans and on land.

COLORFUL SHADOWS: INFERRING CARBON'S CYCLE



By monitoring the color of reflected light via satellite, scientists can determine how successfully plant life is photosynthesizing. A measurement of photosynthesis is essentially a measurement of successful growth, and growth means successful use of ambient carbon.

Until now, scientists have only had a continuous record of photosynthesis on land. But following three years of continual data collected by the SeaWiFS instrument, NASA has gathered the first record of photosynthetic productivity in the oceans. The process begins with a measurement of surface chlorophyll concentration.

Chlorophyll is the material that allows plant cells to convert sunlight into energy, thus enabling them to grow. It's a green substance, and thus a good indicator of overall plant health: robust forests and lush lawns and vibrant phytoplankton blooms appear green. By measuring chlorophyll concentration, scientists can determine the health and growth of plants in a given area. By extension, healthy color signatures indicate the successful use of carbon, the fundamental building block for life. In other words, lots of green indicates lots of chlorophyll; lots of chlorophyll implies healthy photosynthesis; strong photosynthesis indicates growth, and growth indicates successful use of carbon.

Over the past twenty years, researchers have amassed a repository of chlorophyll concentration data about the land. That measurement is called NDVI, for the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index. But chlorophyll concentration measurements regarding the ocean have remained elusive.

This release from the SeaWiFS research team marks the first continuous record of surface chlorophyll concentration in the ocean. The power of these three years of collected data can be summed up by a single word: continuity. By taking three years of continuous data as a whole, experts have been able to map trends and anomalies in the global circulation of carbon to a degree of detail than has never been done before. It is a baseline measurement to by which all future measurements will be compared.
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Special Thanks to Dr. Jon Ranson, Terra Project Scientist and Darrel Williams, Landsat Project Scientist.

Portions of this multimedia presentation includes material from Space Imaging L.P.

For further information about Landsat, Terra, EO-1, remote sensing, Earth science conducted by NASA and its partners, or related topics, check out the following web sites:

This multimedia project is the work of a dedicated team of researchers, animators, and media specialists. A companion video to this web site is available from NASA-TV. Below are a list of agencies, departments, and researchers who provided expertise and data for this production:

NOTE: All SeaWiFs images and data presented on this website are for research and educational use only. All commercial use of SeaWiFs data must be coordinated with ORBIMAGE.


Please give credit for these images to:
NASA - Goddard Space Flight Center
Scientific Visualization Studio
Television Production NASA-TV/GSFC
The SeaWiFs Project and ORBIMAGE

Content Preparation and Project Production: Michael Starobin

Last Revised: February 4, 2019 at 06:02 PM EST