Satellite data paints a big picture of climate change

In 2024, Earth continues to break records. However, they are all unexpected events.

New records one after another

A worker collects mud at Lake Rusanda, which has dried up for the first time in history. (Photo: Getty Images).

In July, the Earth's average temperature was the highest in 175 years. In particular, July 22 was the hottest day on record.

Earlier in June, a report from scientists at the University of Leeds (UK) said early that human-caused global warming was at an all-time high.

At both poles, glaciers are melting at unprecedented rates , all due to human-caused heat.

The chart shows that July 22 was the hottest day on record (Photo: NASA).

The result is an irreversible process, as rising sea levels due to melting glaciers leave coastal communities devastated by tropical storms.

Animals are also being driven out of their habitats, simply because the Earth is changing too much, too quickly.

According to a recent report published in National Geographic magazine, scientists say that more than 4,000 species from around the world are moving away from where they used to live, to a different environment.

Warming is also changing the timing of biological cycles. Globally, many animals such as birds, frogs and insects are reproducing earlier .

This, when combined with disrupted plant growth, can alter the entire ecosystem of a large area, with serious implications.

What can satellite data do?

A map showing sea levels provided by the Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich satellite, showing areas in red where sea levels are higher than normal (Photo: NASA).

The only way we can see the connection between unusual weather events happening on Earth is by taking advantage of satellite data, said Cedric David, a scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Southern California.

According to this expert, satellite data can be seen as a "space sentinel army" from space, helping them "diagnose the health of the planet".

'NASA and international space agencies inspire humanity by exploring the planets in space,' David said. 'But space research also provides invaluable insights into our own planet.'

"They are like paintings, whose artists are satellites in space, recreating what we face on Earth in a holistic way."

Today, with advances in technology, we are doing this better and better. For example, satellites with spectrometers can reveal the concentration of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere.

Images of Greenland taken by NASA's Landsat 9 satellite show rapid snow melt in the summer of 2023 (Photo: NASA).

There, finding more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere means the greenhouse gas 'supercharger' effect will become more severe.

Some satellites, like NASA's Landsat, can collect visual images of how forests are shrinking due to forestry, and how they are making 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 diminishing food supply for some species.

Some satellites can use lasers to measure the rate of ice melting. Others have synthetic aperture radar, which shows how our planet responds to earthquakes, and also measures how earthquakes are increasing in frequency as the Earth warms.

Gravity cannot be ignored.

Accordingly, gravity satellites help scientists measure the influence of gravity on Earth.

Because gravity is directly correlated with objects that have mass, the technique can precisely measure when ice mass is lost, how much sea level is rising, or even fluctuations in groundwater supplies.

'Working at NASA for 10 years, I saw a lot of remote observations that really made me stop and think ,' David said. 'For me, the most amazing thing was gravity.'

According to experts from NASA, satellite data is providing undeniable evidence that our climate is changing at a dizzying pace.

This will be the deciding factor for us to have the necessary solutions to protect and maintain our species on the Blue Planet.