In 2024, the Earth continues to break records. Unfortunately, all of these are events contrary to our wishes.
New Records Keep Coming
A worker collecting mud at Lake Rusanda, which has dried up for the first time in history. (Photo: Getty Images).
In July, the Earth’s average temperature hit its highest level in 175 years, with July 22 marking the hottest day ever recorded.
Earlier in June, a report from scientists at the University of Leeds (UK) revealed that human-caused global warming is at an all-time high.
At both poles, glaciers are melting at unprecedented rates, all due to heat generated by human activities.
Chart showing July 22 as the hottest day ever recorded (Photo: NASA).
The consequence is an irreversible process, as rising sea levels from melting glaciers are causing coastal communities to be severely battered by tropical storms.
Animal species are also being forced out of their habitats, simply because the Earth is changing too much and too quickly.
According to a recent report published in National Geographic, scientists indicate that over 4,000 species from around the globe are relocating from their original habitats to different environments.
The warming is also altering the timing of biological cycles. Globally, many animal species such as birds, frogs, and insects are reproducing earlier.
This, combined with disrupted plant growth, could change entire ecosystems over vast areas, leaving severe impacts.
What Can Satellite Data Do?
Map showing sea level provided by the Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich satellite, with red areas indicating higher than normal sea levels (Photo: NASA).
Cedric David, a scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, stated that the only way to understand the connection between unusual weather phenomena occurring on Earth is to utilize satellite data.
According to this expert, satellite data can be seen as “a space watch team” from above, helping us “diagnose the health of the planet.”
“NASA and international space agencies inspire humanity by exploring planets in space,” David said. “However, space research also provides invaluable insights into our planet.”
“They are like paintings, where the satellites are the artists from space, depicting what we face on Earth in a comprehensive way.”
Today, with advances in science and technology, we are doing this better and more effectively. For instance, satellites equipped with spectrometers can reveal the concentration of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere.
Image of Greenland taken by NASA’s Landsat 9 satellite showing snow melting quickly in the summer of 2023 (Photo: NASA).
There, detecting higher levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere indicates that the greenhouse effect is becoming increasingly severe.
Some satellites, like NASA’s Landsat, can collect visual images of shrinking forests due to logging and how they make way for commercial projects.
Satellite imagery can also help track factors such as changes in animal habitats, how they are forced to migrate, or the decreasing food supply for certain species.
Some satellites can use lasers to measure the speed of ice melt. Others employ synthetic aperture radar to show how our planet responds to earthquakes and measure the increasing frequency of earthquakes as the Earth warms.
We also cannot overlook gravity.
Thus, gravity-measuring satellites help scientists gauge the effects of gravitational forces on Earth.
Since gravity is directly related to mass, this technique can accurately measure the loss of ice mass, how much sea levels rise, and even fluctuations in groundwater supply.
“Having worked at NASA for 10 years, I have witnessed many remote observations that have truly made me stop and reflect,” David said. “For me, the most astonishing aspect is gravity.”
According to the NASA expert, satellite data is providing undeniable evidence that our climate is changing at a staggering pace.
This will be a decisive factor for us to develop necessary strategies to protect and sustain our species on the Blue Planet.
