Skip to main content

GlobalChange.gov

Utility

  • About USGCRP
  • Agencies

Global search

  • Understand Climate Change
  • Assess National Climate Assessment
  • Explore USGCRP Highlights
  • Browse Reports & Resources
  • Engage Connect & Participate

You are here

  • About USGCRP
  • Highlights

Two Cutting-Edge Missions to Measure Global Change

Posted
Oct 1, 2014
Observations, Extreme Events

In 2014, NASA launched two new satellite missions that will enable fundamental advancements in our understanding of climate and global change. The Global Precipitation Measurement satellite, launched in February in collaboration with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), carries state-of-the-art instrumentation that will collect unparalleled observations of rain and snow worldwide every three hours. Such high-resolution data will improve forecasts of extreme weather and climate events, lead to a better understanding of the global water and energy cycles, and support predictions of freshwater availability. The GPM mission is already returning unprecedented observations, including recently captured measurements of Hurricane Arthur, the first hurricane of the 2014 season. To learn more, visit: http://go.usa.gov/NgWY

In July, NASA launched the Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2), its first satellite dedicated to measuring atmospheric carbon dioxide from space. This new satellite mission will provide a global picture of human and natural sources of carbon dioxide, and will also help to quantify carbon dioxide sinks—places on Earth that naturally pull carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere. OCO-2 will deliver a dramatic increase in the resolution of carbon dioxide observations, collecting hundreds of thousands of measurements each day. These measurements will be combined with data from ground stations, aircraft, and other satellites to help answer key questions about the global carbon cycle (see related Highlight 4) and how it interacts with climate change. To learn more, visit: http://go.usa.gov/NgWB

 

This frame from an animation of GPM data shows the internal structure of Hurricane Arthur off the coast of South Carolina. This event marks the first time that a satellite has followed a hurricane through its full life cycle with high-resolution measureme

This frame from an animation of GPM data shows the internal structure of Hurricane Arthur off the coast of South Carolina. This event marks the first time that a satellite has followed a hurricane through its full life cycle with high-resolution measurements of rain and ice. The GPM mission’s observations of storms like Arthur will help scientists answer pressing questions about hurricanes, such as how and why they intensify. (Credit: NASA Scientific Visualization Studio/JAXA) 

 

Highlight Region: 
Southeast & Caribbean
Highlight Agency: 
National Aeronautics & Space Administration
Source Report: 
Our Changing Planet: The U.S. Global Change Research Program for Fiscal Year 2015

Other Highlights

Marine transportation response and recovery operations during major hurricanes

Posted
Mar 29, 2023

A seasonal climate and health forecasting tool for heat

Posted
Apr 3, 2023

Monitoring and assessing urban heat island variations and effects

Posted
Apr 3, 2023
GlobalChange.gov is made possible
by our participating agencies
  • USDA
  • DOC
  • DOD
  • DOE
  • HHS
  • DHS
  • DOI
  • DOS
  • DOT
  • EPA
  • NASA
  • NSF
  • SI
  • USAID

Get Our Newsletter

Get Social

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • RSS
  • Contact Us
U.S. Global Change Research Program
1800 G Street, NW, Suite 9100
Washington, D.C. 20006 USA

Tel: +1 202 223 6262
Fax: +1 202 223 3065
Privacy Policy