First forest canopy heights from NASA’s ICESat mission

Posted on June 29, 2019June 29, 2019 by Geoff Zeiss

First terrain surface and canopy heights from ICESat-2

Launched in September 2018, ICESat-2 (Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite-2) has just begun making its first data available. The data map global terrain surface and forest canopies. The Advanced Topographic Laser Altimeter System (ATLAS) instrument on-board ICESat-2 utilizes photon counting technology for the altimetry observations. Photon counting technology is relatively new to the vegetation mapping community. Data from ICESat-2 will provide global terrain elevation and canopy height estimates as well as showing potential for estimation of forest biomass.

The ATL08 land and vegetation product for the ICESat-2 Mission, Amy Neuenschwander, Katherine Pitts Remote Sensing of Environment, 221, February 2019, Pages 247-259 doi/10.1016/j.rse.2018.11.005

New high resolution methane emissions measuring satellite launched

Last night, September 2 GHGSAT-C1 or “Iris”, a 16 kg Canadian satellite that detects methane emissions from specific oil and gas facilities at high resolution was launched. The new satellite will enable private industry to estimate emissions from its own facilities anywhere in the world with 25 metre resolution.

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Temperatures slightly warmer than present deglaciated southern Greenland

Analysis of the last four interglacials reveals that significant loss of Greenland ice occurred under climate conditions only slightly warmer than present. During the oldest interglacial, 394,700 to 424,200 years ago, there was nearly complete deglaciation of southern Greenland.

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Economic losses caused by natural catastrophes are trending upwards

Since 1980 Munich Re has been collecting data on natural events worldwide which are triggered by natural and man-made climate variability. The data reveals an accelerating trend dominated by meteorological and hydrological events.

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From Our Files

Black carbon in the atmosphere infographic

Black carbon is the second most important anthropogenic contribution to climate warming

A reanalysis of the effect of black carbon emissions has found that it is second only to carbon dioxide emissions in its warming impact on the climate. Together carbon dioxide, black carbon, and methane emissions represent the anthropogenic sources with the largest impact on Earth’s climate.

US projected and actual CO2 emissions 2005 to 2017

Emissions from electric power generation decoupled from economic growth in US

Between 2005 and 2017 the U.S. economy as measured by real GDP expanded by about 20 %. Over this same period, emissions from power generation dropped which is evidence of a decoupling between economic growth and power generation.

Location of core site on the Bermuda Rise

Changes in Atlantic current triggered abrupt Northern hemisphere warming events during last ice age

This study reports measurements from ocean floor sediments that provide the first direct evidence that not only do variations in the primary North/South Atlantic current correlate with periods of rapid warming and slower cooling in the Northern Hemisphere during the last ice age, but that the changes in the Atlantic overturning current occurred before and likely initiated these warming/cooling cycles.

Oxygen decline in oceans and coastal waters

Decreasing oxygen in open ocean threatens biological diversity

Oxygen is fundamental to oceanic biological processes and its decline can cause major changes in ocean productivity and biodiversity. Over the past 50 years low oxygen zones in the open oceans have expanded by an area equivalent to half the size of Canada and hundreds of coastal sites now have low oxygen concentrations that limit the distribution and abundance of animal populations.

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