Effects of Extreme Weather Events in Pakistan and Their Impacts on Sustainable Development

EarthzineArticles, Extreme Weather Theme, In-Depth, Original, Sections, Sustainability, Themed Articles

Figure showing layout of sustainable development

A pair of images of the Pasni area from February 16, 2005, and October 19, 2001, reveals some of the effects of recent, devastating flooding in southern Pakistan along the coast of the Arabian Sea. In these images, water appears dark blue (nearly black in places) to light blue, depending on the how much sediment is in the water. Vegetation is red, and the desert appears in shades of light brown and brownish yellow. The city of Pasni is located at the tip of the peninsula.Floods in Pakistan threaten the nation’s infrastructure, energy security, political and economic stability and natural ecosystems. In this situation, sustainable development may be the only way to manage both natural and man-made disasters. This paper presents the effects of extreme weather events in Pakistan and their impacts on sustainable development.

Advancing Extreme Weather Monitoring from Space: From TRMM to GPM

EarthzineArticles, Earth Observation, Extreme Weather Theme, Original, Sections, Themed Articles

A high-resolution water permeability map of North America. Image Source: MouthToSource.

Cropped satellite image of a cycloneThe Global Precipitation Measurement Mission will offer a new generation of space-borne precipitation measurements, building on the success of the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission, launched in 1997. The advancements can help us understand the impacts and better predict the future behavior of extreme weather events like landslides, floods and cyclones.