On Saturday, January 20 NASA successfully launched its Soil Moisture Active Passive satellite. The SMAP mission will provide data that can help to improve weather forecasts, flood planning, and more.
Tracking Snow: The Cryosphere in an Era of Climate Change
Supporting a Forest Observation System for Siberia: Earth Observation for Monitoring, Assessing and Providing Forest Resource Information
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.
The Big Thaw: Warming Affects Arctic Animals, People in Different Ways
Discussions of climate change often focus on mid-latitude effects in order to emphasize the need for action. However, climate change and ensuing ice melts are quickly devastating Arctic mammals and native peoples of the Arctic.
Live Fuel Moisture Content Derived from Remote Sensing Estimates in Temperate Shrublands and Grasslands
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
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.
Shark 'nursery' found on coral reef
Originally published by BBC – Edinburgh marine biologists discover a deep-sea shark spawning ground on Scotland’s only inshore coral reef.
Could the world's biggest marine sanctuary be declared in the Antarctic?
Originally published by the Guardian – Proposals will go before a commission next month to help protect thousands of species in Antarctic waters.