The NISAR mission will employ radar technology to monitor global ecological changes, such as those in Tikal National Park’s forests in Guatemala, to gain a better understanding of the impact of climate change and human activities on these environments and their significance in the global carbon cycle. This mission is supported by USAID.
Researchers are poised to use NISAR to investigate the influence of alterations within Earth’s forest and wetland ecosystems on the global carbon balance and their role in climate evolution.
Scheduled for launch in early 2024, the NISAR radar satellite will closely observe forest and wetland ecosystems, which are critical in managing atmospheric greenhouse gases that contribute to global climate change.
The joint NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar Mission, or NISAR, represents a collaborative endeavor between NASA and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). Once operational, it will use advanced radar to map nearly the entire land and ice surface of the Earth every 12 days. This frequent data collection is vital for understanding the carbon absorption and emission activities of these ecosystems.
Depicted in an artist’s rendering, NISAR is a milestone mission, marking the inaugural partnership between U.S. and Indian space agencies in the development of Earth-observation equipment. Its dual radar systems are designed to chronicle changes across the planet’s terrestrial and icy domains at bi-monthly intervals. Credit is given to NASA/JPL-Caltech for the concept illustration.
Forests are carbon reservoirs within their timber, while wetlands sequester carbon in their organic soil strata. Disturbances to these ecosystems can trigger a swift increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide and methane. Mapping these shifts on a worldwide scale will enable scientists to assess the impact on carbon circulation, which encompasses the interchange of carbon among the atmosphere, land, oceans, and living organisms.
Paul Rosen, the NISAR project scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California, emphasized, “The radar technology on NISAR will provide us with a comprehensive view of the planet’s spatiotemporal changes. It promises a highly accurate depiction of the transformation in Earth’s land and ice.”
Table of Contents
Deforestation Monitoring
Changes in land use, including deforestation, contribute approximately 11% to the total anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. The insights from NISAR will refine our understanding of how global forest reduction influences the carbon cycle and adds to global warming.
Anup Das, an ecosystems scientist and co-lead of the ISRO NISAR science team, acknowledged the gap in our knowledge regarding the carbon dynamics in land ecosystems, particularly forests. He anticipates that NISAR will significantly contribute to this understanding, especially concerning less dense forests, which are more susceptible to deforestation and degradation.
NISAR will scrutinize the dynamics of wetland flooding to assess how these carbon-dense ecosystems respond to climatic changes. It will produce imagery analogous to that from a radar survey conducted over Peru in 2013, delineating various landscape features. NASA/JPL-Caltech is credited for this illustration.
NISAR’s L-band radar can penetrate foliage, reflecting off tree trunks and the ground, enabling scientists to gauge forest density with precision. Continuous monitoring over time will reveal whether a forest area has experienced thinning or clearing. This data, which can be captured during all weather conditions and at dawn or dusk, may also elucidate the causes of these changes.
For tropical rainforests, often obscured by clouds, such as those in the Congo and Amazon basins that experience significant deforestation annually, this capability is crucial. Deforestation directly emits carbon, while forest degradation diminishes their ability to absorb carbon dioxide.
This data is also pivotal for enhancing the measurement of deforestation, degradation, and forest regrowth, supporting countries reliant on logging to transition to sustainable practices, as highlighted by Josef Kellndorfer, a NISAR science team member and founder of Earth Big Data LLC. Kellndorfer notes that curtailing deforestation and degradation is a straightforward strategy to address a substantial portion of the global carbon emission issue.
The imagery from NISAR is exemplified by a composite image using data from two Japanese L-band SAR missions, mapping land-cover changes in Brazil’s Xingu River basin over a decade. This image is credited to the Woodwell Climate Research Center/Earth Big Data LLC, with data courtesy of METI and JAXA.
Wetland Flooding Surveillance
Wetlands are a complex element in the carbon equation: They store a significant percentage of Earth’s soil carbon yet make up a small fraction of the land area. Flooding triggers bacterial digestion of organic material in wetlands, making them a major natural source of methane, while drought conditions can cause them to release carbon dioxide.
“These represent immense carbon stores that could be rapidly liberated,” said Erika Podest, a member of the NISAR science team and a researcher at JPL.
The comprehensive understanding of the interplay between climate-induced temperature and precipitation shifts, alongside human actions, on wetland flooding is still developing. NISAR will allow for consistent monitoring of these patterns, which will assist researchers in discerning seasonal, annual, and long-term trends in wetland inundation.
Bruce Chapman, another NISAR scientist and JPL wetlands researcher, suggests that integrating NISAR’s observations with data on greenhouse gas emissions will be invaluable for wetland management strategies aimed at mitigating climate impact.
The anticipated launch of NISAR from southern India in early 2024 will not only enable tracking of ecological changes but will also gather critical data on terrestrial dynamics relevant to natural disasters like earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, landslides, and topographical shifts, as well as the movement and melting of glaciers and sea ice.
The NISAR Project
NISAR stands as a testament to the collaborative efforts between NASA and ISRO, setting a precedent for joint hardware development in Earth observation. JPL, under Caltech’s management, oversees the U.S. segment of the project, contributing the mission’s L-band SAR, along with other key components. Simultaneously, ISRO’s U R Rao Satellite Centre in Bengaluru heads the ISRO segment, providing the spacecraft bus, S-band SAR electronics, launch vehicle, and operational support for the mission.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about NISAR radar mission
What is the NISAR radar mission?
The NISAR radar mission is a collaborative effort between NASA and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to monitor the impacts of climate change on Earth’s forests and wetlands. The mission will employ advanced radar imaging to track changes in these ecosystems and their role in the global carbon cycle.
When is the NISAR mission scheduled to launch?
The NISAR mission is scheduled to launch in early 2024 from southern India. Once operational, it will provide valuable data on ecosystem changes, land motion, and the dynamics of natural events like earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
How will NISAR contribute to understanding climate change?
NISAR will enhance our understanding of how deforestation and wetland changes contribute to the global carbon cycle and climate change. By providing detailed imaging of forest and wetland ecosystems, it will aid in tracking the release and capture of carbon, thus offering insights into natural and human-induced changes.
What technologies are being used in the NISAR mission?
NISAR will use two radar systems, the L-band and the S-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), to monitor Earth’s land and ice surfaces. These systems can penetrate forest canopies and ground cover to provide data on ecosystem density and structural changes.
Who is managing the NISAR mission and what are their roles?
The NISAR mission is jointly managed by NASA and ISRO. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), managed by Caltech, leads the U.S. side by providing the L-band SAR and other mission components. ISRO’s U R Rao Satellite Centre is responsible for the spacecraft bus, S-band SAR electronics, and the launch vehicle.
More about NISAR radar mission
- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) NISAR Mission
- ISRO NISAR Collaboration
- Global Climate Change and Earth Science
- Carbon Cycle and Ecosystems
- Monitoring Global Deforestation
- Wetlands and Climate Change
5 comments
I heard about the NISAR launch in 2024, such a big step for global science collaboration… NASA and ISRO working together is pretty impressive stuff
its all well and good to talk about monitoring climate but what are the real-world applications? hows this data going to be used to make a difference?
really think that NISAR is gonna be a game-changer in how we view the Earth’s surface and climate change impacts, especially with the radar tech it’s using
read about this NISAR project, fascinating stuff but I gotta wonder how much all this is gonna cost us taxpayers, you know?
not sure how i feel about all these satellites watching over us. could be good for the envirnment but what about privacy??