Tracking Snow: The Cryosphere in an Era of Climate Change

EarthzineAgriculture, Climate, Earth Observation, Ecosystems, Feature, Featured Article, Original, Technology, Water, Weather

A new generation of weather satellites is helping researchers gain insights into the complex relationship between the cryosphere ‰ÛÒ the planet’s cold regions ‰ÛÒ and the climate. With drinking water supplies dwindling around the world, understanding the cryosphere is becoming a front-burner issue.

Supporting a Forest Observation System for Siberia: Earth Observation for Monitoring, Assessing and Providing Forest Resource Information

EarthzineEcosystems, Original

he monitoring and assessment of the remote Russian forest resources of Siberia is challenging and can only be done by integrating remote sensing techniques. Human and environmental forest disturbances continuously affect changing forest cover and biomass levels. The ZAṔS initiative is prototyping and supporting a forest observation system for Siberia using Earth observation data from European and Russian satellite data providers.

Live Fuel Moisture Content Derived from Remote Sensing Estimates in Temperate Shrublands and Grasslands

EarthzineArticles, Ecosystems, Original, Sections, Themed Articles, Wildfires Theme

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The paper proposes a new approach to estimating live fuel moisture content, a key variable in fire danger assessment. Our proposed model uses an alternative inversion procedure based on the look-up table technique. The model outperforms already-published Mediterranean models in estimated moisure content in the temperate grassland and shrubland of Spain’s Eurosiberian ecosystem.

No Refuge: Tons of Trash Covers The Remote Shores of Alaska

EarthzineEcosystems, Oceans

Originally published by Yale Environment 360 – A marine biologist traveled to southwestern Alaska in search of ocean trash that had washed up along a magnificent coast rich in fish, birds, and other wildlife. He and his colleagues found plenty of trash – as much as a ton of garbage per mile on some beaches.

World’s largest urban bat colony

EarthzineEcosystems, Would You Believe?

Bat colony in Austin, TX. Credit: Pam Rice Phillips. Originally published by EarthSky – The Congress Avenue bridge in downtown Austin is the spring and summer home to some 750,000 bats with up to 1.5 million bats at the peak of the bat-watching season. It’s the largest urban bat colony in North America.

Exploring Antarctica

EarthzineEcosystems

Photo of antarctica.

Photo of antarctica.Originally Published by The Washington Post – The frozen landscape, dry valleys and active volcanoes that make up Antarctica provide a living laboratory for scientific study and a wondrous journey for those traveling to the ends of the Earth.