In what has been the busiest-ever year of NASA Earth science launches, four new Earth-observing missions have been collecting important data from space.
Data from the recently-launched Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Core Observatory and other new missions has provided new insights into rain, wind, and snow patterns across the globe, as well as information on atmospheric carbon dioxide and aerosols.
"This has been a phenomenally productive year for NASA in our mission to explore our complex planet from the unique vantage point of space," said John Grunsfeld, associate administrator of NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. "Combined with data from our other Earth-observing spacecraft, these new missions will give us new insights into how Earth works as a system."
The addition of the new missions, as well as two instruments mounted on the outside of the International Space Station (ISS), have now brought the number of NASA Earth-observing space missions in operations to a grand total of 20.
"The highly accurate measurements from these new missions will help scientists around the world tackle some of the biggest questions about how our planet is changing," said Peg Luce, deputy director of the Earth Science Division at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "These new capabilities will also be put to work to help improve lives here on Earth and support informed decision-making by citizens and communities."
NASA recently released data from a network of 12 international satellites and the Core Observatory that demonstrates a global picture of rain and snow called the Integrated Multi-satellite Retrievals for GPM (IMERG).
"The IMERG data gives us an unprecedented view of global precipitation every 30 minutes," said Gail Skofronick-Jackson, GPM project scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. "Knowing where, when and how much it rains and snows is vital to understanding Earth's water cycle."
The newly-launched Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 has also provided preliminary maps of carbon dioxide concentrations that could allow researchers to identify its storage places around the world. The findings have shown that carbon dioxide concentrations (which are believed to be a major driver of climate change) are largely driven by the seasons and have currently reached an all-time high.
"The ultimate goal is to collect data to advance carbon cycle science, improve understanding of the global climate change process, and make better-informed decisions," said Ralph Basilio, OCO-2 project manager at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.
Additionally, the deployment of two Earth-observing instruments to the International Space Station: ISS-RapidScat, have allowed researchers to analyze wind speeds and direction over the ocean.
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