NISAR, the soon-to be launched radar satellite from NASA and ISRO, will measure some key earth vital signs, from the health of wetlands to ground deformation by volcanoes to the dynamics of land and sea ice.
Set to be launched in 2024 by ISRO from southern India, NISAR will observe nearly all the planet’s land and ice surfaces twice every 12 days.
The satellite’s unique insights into Earth’s cryosphere will come from the combined use of two radars: an L-band system with a 10-inch (25-centimeter) wavelength and an S-band system with a 4-inch (10-centimeter) wavelength.
L-band can see through snow, helping scientists better track the motion of ice underneath, while S-band is more sensitive to snow moisture, which indicates melting.
In a recent post on X, NASA shared that “We have teamed up with ISRO on the NISAR mission, a satellite that will measure changes on Earth’s surface in fine detail. Data from NISAR can help us better manage natural resources and understand the pace and effects of climate change”
“Because of the subtle motions we can measure, we are able to understand what’s happening below the surface of the earth, we can see subsidence and that allows us to manage resources of what’s happening below the earth, Tracking the changes of the solid and how it’s moving ecosystems ice cover. In other thing, that’s changing at the scale of a centimetre on the earth in a way that we’ve never been able to see before”, asserted Paul Rosen, Project scientists, NISAR NASA’s jet propulsion laboratory.
“Scientists want to study the movement of the earth’s surface to understand the processes that could trigger earthquakes, volcanoes and landslides”, said Deepak Putrevu, science co -lead NISAR ISRO
Wendy Edelstein, Deputy project manager, NISAR NASA’s jet propulsion laboratory highlighted “It is different frequency radar, it has two different frequency radar, it basically looks through clouds and sees the surface of the earth. While witnessing the satellite you’ll be able to see how the radar collects data through the beams coming down and on the ground, you can see the swap that’s where it collects the data and it combines them altogether you get what we need for the science”
The measurements will also enable scientists to closely study what happens where ice and ocean meet. For example, when parts of an ice sheet sit on ground that is below sea level, saltwater can seep under the ice and increase melting and instability.
Both Antarctica and Greenland also have ice shelves – masses of ice that extend from land and float on the ocean – that are thinning and crumbling as icebergs break off. Ice shelves help keep glacial ice on the land from slipping into the ocean. If they are diminished, glaciers can flow and calve faster, NASA asserted.
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