Articles tagged with Earth Observations
Satellite data can provide crucial information on renewable energy potential, land availability, and climate risks, enabling more strategic data center planning. The authors argue that governments and regulators should require satellite evidence in decision-making processes to support the clean energy transition.
Research team led by University of Zurich found Arctic fires occurred 2.5 times more often in lit areas associated with human activity than in climatically similar unlit areas. Effective fire prevention and response can help reduce risks extending far beyond the Arctic.
Researchers reveal that spacecraft observations can conceal the true movement of particles in near-Earth space, challenging traditional assumptions about radiation belt dynamics. The study highlights a fundamental challenge for space scientists: different physical processes can produce similar observational evidence.
A study proposes an operational framework combining machine learning models with Sentinel-2 data to estimate agricultural drought conditions in irrigated and non-irrigated maize fields. Deep Neural Network (DNN) achieved the best performance, showing higher prediction accuracy and lower error metrics for non-irrigated fields.
A new study proposes a switching-based pervasive augmented reality framework that integrates location-based AR, deep learning, and context-awareness to improve landmark recognition. The framework significantly enhanced detection accuracy compared with conventional LBAR systems, while demonstrating high user satisfaction.
A new catalog centralizes publicly available soil moisture content datasets, streamlining data discovery and comparison. The UB-SMDC portal provides a unified platform for researchers to efficiently access and analyze global soil moisture data.
A breakthrough study reveals that powerful solar storms can lead to sharp changes in North American weather patterns, including declines in precipitation. The more intense the storm, the more dramatic the shift in weather.
Landsat 10 will process up to 1.8 gigabits of compressed data per second, capturing detailed images of the Earth's surface with unmatched radiometric precision. SwRI is developing control technology and operational simulators to regulate instrument temperature and position camera mirrors.
Researchers at Texas A&M University are designing how humans will build and survive on the moon, focusing on sustainable construction using lunar regolith. The institution's efforts aim to reduce costs associated with shipping materials to the moon, making it possible to produce rocket propellant locally.
The study systematically evaluates popular Uncertainty Quantification (UQ) methods and metrics for AI/ML-based geospatial applications. It demonstrates that Deep Ensembles and Bayesian Neural Networks achieved the best performance, while highlighting framework-specific differences between TensorFlow and PyTorch.
A new study introduces a free, open-source Web Crop Phenology Metrics Service (WCPMS) for analyzing large Earth observation satellite time series, enabling efficient crop monitoring. The tool calculates phenological metrics from data cubes and validates its effectiveness using soybean sowing dates in Brazil.
The SWIFTT platform uses Copernicus Sentinel satellite data and machine learning models to identify tree health changes, detect anomalies, and predict threats like spruce bark beetle outbreaks and wildfires. Foresters can access timely alerts, prioritize inspections, and coordinate clearing of dead wood to protect forests.
The CA-MTransU-Net architecture achieves superior mIoU of 87.00% and faster inference speeds compared to benchmark algorithms, providing a scalable solution for post-fire damage assessment in cloud-prone landscapes.
Researchers modelled the structure of the magnetic field and cosmic radiation throughout the Laschamps excursion. The results show that cosmic radiation penetrated the atmosphere at record levels, with regions where it could freely enter irradiating a major fraction of the Earth's atmosphere.
The NASA EDGE mission will help better understand changes to the Earth's surface, creating detailed 3D maps of vegetation and ice formations. This will improve capabilities for assessing pre-fire risk and evaluating post-fire impacts in semi-arid ecosystems.
The Small Magellanic Cloud's stars do not orbit around its center due to a direct collision with the Large Magellanic Cloud. The collision disrupted the SMC's internal structure and destroyed its gas rotation, making it a unique case to study galaxy evolution.
The Big Earth Data journal is launching a special issue to reflect on its decade-long impact and showcase cutting-edge advancements in big data research. The journal focuses on Earth-related big data, emerging as a flagship platform at the intersection of Earth science, space science, information science, and sustainability science.
The study presents a comprehensive roadmap for building an integrated GGBEO to meet the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals and advance climate science. The system would integrate regional and global ground-based in situ and remote sensing systems, marine, and airborne observational data.
Mustafa Aksoy is leading a research team to develop machine-learning algorithms to detect and remove radio frequency interference from NOAA satellite measurements. The goal is to improve the accuracy of weather forecasts and climate monitoring by mitigating the impact of RFI.
A team of scientists has discovered chemical evidence of ancient life in 3.3 billion-year-old rocks, doubling the window of time for detecting organic molecules that reveal information about original organisms. The study also found molecular signs of photosynthesis dating back over 800 million years earlier than previously documented.
A study of 744 bridges worldwide reveals that North American and African bridges are most at risk, with spaceborne monitoring able to detect problems before they become disasters. The proposed solution integrates satellite data into risk frameworks to significantly lower the number of high-risk bridges.
Scientists at NYU Abu Dhabi create an AI model that forecasts solar wind speeds up to four days in advance, improving accuracy by 45% compared to current methods. The breakthrough helps protect satellites and power grids from disruptions caused by space weather events.
The GOSAT-GW satellite has successfully launched with the TANSO-3 sensor, confirming its proper operation. The first observation by TANSO-3 provided spectral absorption data for carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrogen dioxide, enabling the calculation of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere.
The new dataset provides a high-quality, readily available resource for researchers to streamline environmental monitoring and land use analysis in China. It addresses major challenges like cloud cover, sensor inconsistencies, and data gaps, offering a reliable, seamless dataset for large-scale analyses and informed decision-making.
Researchers have discovered a likely site of a new planet in formation using the European Southern Observatory's VLT. The disk, which extends 130 astronomical units from its parent star, shows a bright ring and spiral arms.
Researchers have discovered that urban areas experience a greater difference in wet bulb globe temperature between 0.5 m and 1.5 m above ground due to surface heat radiation, posing health risks to children and pets during extreme heat events. Total solar eclipses also alter atmospheric conditions and insect behavior, with some species...
A new study reveals that 25 of the 28 most populous US cities are sinking, with some areas subsiding at rates of over 5 millimeters per year. The primary cause is massive ongoing groundwater extraction, which can lead to stresses on infrastructure and buildings.
The NRL's Narrow Field Imager (NFI) has captured its first light images, primarily focused on calibrating the instrument and confirming pointing accuracy. The NFI will enable scientists to study the Sun's corona in unprecedented detail, helping to understand and predict coronal mass ejections.
The CONCERTO Project aims to advance the understanding and modelling of the terrestrial carbon cycle, reducing uncertainty in climate predictions. By integrating Earth observation data and innovative models, the project will contribute to improved climate policy and global efforts towards carbon neutrality.
The NRL-developed Narrow Field Imager is a compact coronagraph that will image the transition of the Sun's atmosphere to the solar wind, gaining insights into space plasma environments. The PUNCH mission aims to improve prediction and mitigation of space weather events like coronal mass ejections.
A recent study from the University of Eastern Finland found that bark beetle infestation can slow down tree growth even before visible signs of mortality appear. The researchers used dendrometer measurements to monitor stem diameter variation in healthy and infested spruce trees.
Global glacier mass loss has increased by 36% since 2000, with 6,542 billion tons lost between 2000 and 2023. This results in an 18 mm annual contribution to global sea-level rise, making glaciers the second-largest contributor after ocean warming.
A new study projects global sea-level rise between 0.5 and 1.9 meters by 2100 under a high-emissions scenario, with the very likely range being 90% probability for the event to occur. The fusion approach combines strengths of existing models with expert opinions, offering a clearer picture of future sea-level rise.
A new method combining Random Forest and Compound Maximum a Posteriori algorithms reduces invalid transitions and improves LULC classification, correcting 99.92 km2 of errors. The study outperforms traditional methods, especially in detecting changes in mountainous regions.
A team of scientists, including Binghamton University's Molly Patterson, is drilling into the Ross Ice Shelf to retrieve geological records and gain insights into the ice sheet's response to global warming. The project aims to provide crucial data for adapting to sea-level rise and mitigating greenhouse gas emissions.
The new system uses AI technology combined with Earth observation data to detect risks of events that might trigger forced displacement, delivering timely alerts ahead of emergencies. It will help humanitarian actors plan and respond more effectively, minimizing response times and avoiding duplication of efforts.
A recent study provides fresh insights into the ocean's role in climate during the Mid-Pleistocene Transition, a period of change that began about one million years ago. The research suggests that changes in the deep ocean played an equally important but nuanced role in driving climate cycles.
Researchers from DTU have discovered a neutron star that rotates at an astonishing 716 times per second, making it one of the fastest-spinning objects ever observed. The neutron star is part of an X-ray binary star system and is located in the Sagittarius constellation.
The new hubs and databases document past environmental events experienced by Arctic societies and provide a more complete picture of past change. They also present contemporary weather and ecological monitoring, cultural indicators, and oral histories to establish baselines of change in the Arctic environment.
Researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder have discovered a link between lightning storms on Earth and high-energy electrons in space. The team found that lightning strikes can knock these 'killer electrons' out of the inner radiation belt, which could pose a threat to satellites and astronauts.
Researchers developed DIAMANTE, a data-centric semantic segmentation approach to detect forest tree dieback events in satellite images. The approach trains a U-Net-like model on labelled remote-sensing datasets and achieves reasonable accuracy for early disease detection, reducing false alarms.
The University of Washington's STRIVE project aims to understand the troposphere and stratosphere, where the ozone layer resides, and their interface. This will help monitor changes in the ozone layer, air quality, and climate processes.
Researchers at PolyU are using GeoAI to monitor and analyze environmental changes, detect disaster-damaged buildings, and optimize traffic flow. The technology has the potential to support sustainable urban development and improve public health.
Rising water levels in East Africa's soda lakes are reducing the main food source for lesser flamingos, leading to declining populations. The birds may be pushed into new unprotected areas in search of food, threatening their survival.
Researchers reconstructed a Late Holocene-aged subfossil coral death assemblage and compared it to modern reefs in Southeast Florida. The study reveals significant differences in coral composition between the two periods, suggesting that modern reefs may not be able to support range expansions of temperature-sensitive species.
SEIS-UK, a seismic monitoring facility at University of Leicester, has received £2 million funding over 7 years to continue providing state-of-the-art equipment to UK researchers and their global collaborators. This investment supports high-quality research in earth and environmental sciences.
The study, published in The Astrophysical Journal, tested the future LIFE mission's capabilities on real spectra using data from NASA's Aqua Earth observation satellite. It demonstrated that a space telescope like LIFE could detect signs of a temperate, habitable world on Earth-like exoplanets.
Research in Frobisher Bay, Nunavut, reveals both local source and long-range transport impacts on marine sediment contaminant levels. Local activities like construction and airport operations contributed to pollutant inputs, while legacy military sites and fossil fuel burning also played a role.
The study found that different instrumental systems in the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS) complement each other and are essential for accurately monitoring ocean warming. The GOOS, which includes platforms such as free drifting instrumented floats, mooring buoys, and autonomous pinniped data, provides a comprehensive view of ocea...
The project aims to create a digital twin of the world's wetlands using satellite data, mathematical models, and artificial intelligence to monitor and reduce methane emissions. Dr Robert Parker from the University of Leicester will lead the project as one of 75 new Future Leaders Fellows.
The University of Texas at El Paso is leading a research effort to detect and study Unresolved Resident Space Objects (URSOs) using spectroscopy. The team aims to extract properties such as material composition and structural health to monitor the health of government-owned and commercial space assets.
Researchers created a large-scale remote sensing annotation dataset to support Earth observation research and monitor global land cover changes. The Globe230k dataset provides new insights into the dynamic monitoring of global land cover, enabling high-level semantic understanding of land use.
A global study reveals that farmworkers in major crop regions are facing increasing exposure to extreme heat and humidity, which can impair their ability to function. The most affected crops are rice and maize, with nearly half of the world's rice cropland already experiencing extreme conditions during the planting and harvest seasons.
Researchers found that Singapore's coasts were resilient during high sea-level rise rates due to high sedimentation rates. This study provides new insights into the interplay between rising sea levels and sedimentation.
Over 71 of Antarctica's 162 ice shelves have reduced in volume over the past 25 years, with a net release of 7.5 trillion tonnes of meltwater into the oceans. The western side of Antarctica experienced significant ice loss, while the eastern side remained relatively stable.
A new global observatory is needed to guide conservation efforts due to unprecedented biodiversity loss. The Global Biodiversity Observing System (GBIOS) aims to combine technology and data from around the world to foster collaboration and share urgently needed data.
A team of international scientists found that coral reefs, marshes, and mangroves could be destroyed within the next 30 years from rising sea levels. Coastal habitats are essential for protecting coastlines, trapping carbon, and supporting millions of coastal residents.
A new global biodiversity observing system (GBIOS) is proposed to combine technology, data, and knowledge from around the world to monitor biodiversity change and target conservation action. The system can provide the information needed at the pace required to support countries in achieving their biodiversity goals.
A team of researchers has successfully tested a new asteroid detection algorithm, HelioLinc3D, which identified its first 'potentially hazardous' asteroid, 2022 SF289. The discovery confirms the algorithm's effectiveness in finding near-Earth asteroids with fewer and more dispersed observations than traditional methods.
Researchers have found evidence of 20 million years of 'hot spot' magmatism under the Cocos plate, with a long-lived melt channel that originated from a mantle plume. The study suggests that this channel is regionally extensive and may be a widespread source for intraplate magmatism.