((PKG)) NASA EARTH SCIENCE
((Banner: Sky ))
((Reporter: Marita Davidson))
((Camera: Austin Harris, Cody Troxell))
((Adapted by: Martin Secrest))
VOA Persian
((Map: Pasadena, California))
((NATS))
((Locator:
Jet Propulsion Labs, NASA
Cal Tech University, Pasadena, California))
((Popup Banner: NASA’s Jet Propulsion are using dozens
of satellites to study climate change))
((Annmarie Eldering, OCO Project Scientist, Jet
Propulsion Labs))
I think some folks aren’t aware that NASA is such a big
contributor to the earth sciences. If you look at what NASA
is doing right now, somewhere probably between two dozen,
three dozen satellites, for example, the AIRS instrument is a
sounder to look at weather-related data, temperature,
clouds, water vapor. I used to work on pollution
measurement like TESS that looked at ozone, carbon
monoxide and other gases. There’s many different things
looking at clouds, looking at rain, looking at all those gases,
temperature, water vapor, just many, many different
satellites to interrogate the Earth.
((NATS,:
NASA announcer: 3, 2, engine start, 1, 0, and liftoff of the
Delta-2 rocket with OCO-2, tracking of greenhouse gas in
seek of clues to climate change.))
((Popup Banner: In 2014, NASA launched the second JPL-
built Orbiting Carbon Observatory Satellite, OCO-2))
((Annmarie Eldering, OCO Project Scientist, Jet
Propulsion Labs))
So, we're measuring carbon dioxide by looking at this
reflected sunlight in the atmosphere. And just a few
numbers for your number-loving crowd is when you fly
around Earth on OCO-2, it takes you about 90 minutes to
circle the Earth once. So, we get about 15, 16 cycles a day.
We collect that measurement of sunlight and there’s a million
measurements per day.
So, we know on an average basis about half of what humans
emit is being removed by plants and the ocean. But if you
look at the details from year-to-year, you’ve got these years
where it’s only 20 percent that's removed. And you’ve got
years where it’s 80 percent that’s removed. So one, why is
every year so different? What’s the driver for that? And two,
if I want to make some estimate of what's going to happen
30, 40, 50 years down the road, I have to really understand
the details of these behaviors to make a good prediction for
the future.
((MUSIC))
((Annmarie Eldering, OCO Project Scientist, Jet
Propulsion Labs))
We’re motivated to collect the very best scientific data we
can and that feeds into scientific inquiry, understanding,
better prediction. But the ultimate goal is to get that in the
hands of the policy makers because I think all of us want to
make sure that policy makers have the best information
possible to make the best decisions possible. And that really
is what we're trying to feed into. I mean that really motivates
me and my work. I think engineering is fun but problem
solving and having new information that can make a positive
impact in people's lives is really the most important thing to
me. So, we do have that goal ultimately with what we are
doing with our carbon dioxide measurements.
((NATS))
((Banner: Sky ))
((Reporter: Marita Davidson))
((Camera: Austin Harris, Cody Troxell))
((Adapted by: Martin Secrest))
VOA Persian
((Map: Pasadena, California))
((NATS))
((Locator:
Jet Propulsion Labs, NASA
Cal Tech University, Pasadena, California))
((Popup Banner: NASA’s Jet Propulsion are using dozens
of satellites to study climate change))
((Annmarie Eldering, OCO Project Scientist, Jet
Propulsion Labs))
I think some folks aren’t aware that NASA is such a big
contributor to the earth sciences. If you look at what NASA
is doing right now, somewhere probably between two dozen,
three dozen satellites, for example, the AIRS instrument is a
sounder to look at weather-related data, temperature,
clouds, water vapor. I used to work on pollution
measurement like TESS that looked at ozone, carbon
monoxide and other gases. There’s many different things
looking at clouds, looking at rain, looking at all those gases,
temperature, water vapor, just many, many different
satellites to interrogate the Earth.
((NATS,:
NASA announcer: 3, 2, engine start, 1, 0, and liftoff of the
Delta-2 rocket with OCO-2, tracking of greenhouse gas in
seek of clues to climate change.))
((Popup Banner: In 2014, NASA launched the second JPL-
built Orbiting Carbon Observatory Satellite, OCO-2))
((Annmarie Eldering, OCO Project Scientist, Jet
Propulsion Labs))
So, we're measuring carbon dioxide by looking at this
reflected sunlight in the atmosphere. And just a few
numbers for your number-loving crowd is when you fly
around Earth on OCO-2, it takes you about 90 minutes to
circle the Earth once. So, we get about 15, 16 cycles a day.
We collect that measurement of sunlight and there’s a million
measurements per day.
So, we know on an average basis about half of what humans
emit is being removed by plants and the ocean. But if you
look at the details from year-to-year, you’ve got these years
where it’s only 20 percent that's removed. And you’ve got
years where it’s 80 percent that’s removed. So one, why is
every year so different? What’s the driver for that? And two,
if I want to make some estimate of what's going to happen
30, 40, 50 years down the road, I have to really understand
the details of these behaviors to make a good prediction for
the future.
((MUSIC))
((Annmarie Eldering, OCO Project Scientist, Jet
Propulsion Labs))
We’re motivated to collect the very best scientific data we
can and that feeds into scientific inquiry, understanding,
better prediction. But the ultimate goal is to get that in the
hands of the policy makers because I think all of us want to
make sure that policy makers have the best information
possible to make the best decisions possible. And that really
is what we're trying to feed into. I mean that really motivates
me and my work. I think engineering is fun but problem
solving and having new information that can make a positive
impact in people's lives is really the most important thing to
me. So, we do have that goal ultimately with what we are
doing with our carbon dioxide measurements.
((NATS))
