10 Chilling Facts Space Tech Tells Us About Earth’s Climate [Infographic]

4th Oct 2024
10 Chilling Facts Space Tech Tells Us About Earth’s Climate [Infographic]

As the calendar turns to 4th October, space enthusiasts all around the world gear up for the start of World Space Week. This date marks the anniversary of Sputnik 1’s launch in 1957, humanity’s first artificial satellite. But while we celebrate our cosmic achievements, our eyes turn back to Earth, where satellites continue to reveal startling truths about our changing planet.

Ever wonder how a tiny metal box orbiting hundreds of miles above us can detect the Earth’s fever? Or how space tech can measure the ocean’s “heartbeat”? Our latest infographic uncovers 10 mind-bending facts about Earth’s climate, all discovered thanks to our eyes in the sky.

10 Chilling Facts Space Tech Tells Us About Earth’s Climate

Good or bad, these numbers are mind-blowing! But there’s so much more to the story. Behind each climate change statistic lies a mountain of analysis and data meticulously gathered by satellites. These silent sentinels, though invisible to us, keep a constant watch on our planet’s climate, tirelessly observing and measuring Earth’s vital signs.

As you delve deeper into these facts, prepare to be astounded. Each revelation peels back another layer of our planet’s complex climate system, leaving you increasingly awestruck. It’s a journey from curiosity to concern, from wonder to worry. The more you uncover, the more you’ll find yourself grappling with the sheer scale of what’s happening to our home.

I.  If Not for Satellites, We’d Be Blind to 90% of Climate’s Hidden Changes

Believe it or not, a whopping 90% of the critical data we use to understand climate change comes from way up in the cosmos! These orbiting metal boxes capture an astounding array of information, from sea level rise (measured to the millimeter) to global temperature trends (accurate to 0.1°C).

satellite monitoring
Credit: Getty Images

Let’s take the International Space Station (ISS). This celestial outpost, which witnesses 16 sunrises and sunsets daily, keeps watch over 90% of Earth’s populated areas. From its perch high above, the ISS has become an indispensable tool in climate research, combining the keen eyes of astronaut photographers with a sophisticated array of scientific instruments. The station’s external sensors collect data on everything from atmospheric dust particles to sea surface temperatures and ozone levels.

Another example is NASA’s Earth Observing System that alone consists of 18 major satellites. Take the GRACE mission, for instance – it can detect changes in Earth’s gravitational field so precise that it can measure groundwater depletion in aquifers deep below the surface. Or consider the Orbiting Carbon Observatory-3, which makes 100,000 measurements of atmospheric CO₂ every day!

II. The Skies Are Crowded: 11,330 Satellites Monitor Earth’s Every Breath

satellites
Amount of satellites, orbiting Earth. Credit: pixalytics

As of June 2023, that is the correct number of satellites, orbiting the Earth.

Right now, 11,330 satellites orbit the Earth – watching, collecting data, and never missing a moment. To put that in perspective, it’s like imagining every tree in Hyde Park suddenly lifted into space, floating silently, keeping a constant eye on our planet. That’s the sheer scale of the surveillance surrounding us – an invisible network tracking the Earth’s every move, day and night.

In the last five years alone, we’ve launched more objects into space than in the entire previous 60 years of the space industry combined! The culprit? Cubesats, which are cheaper to build and launch than their bulkier predecessors. Since Sputnik’s lonely beep in 1957, we’ve hurled a total of 15,946 objects skyward. Some of them have burned up on re-entry, others have taken a nosedive back to Earth, and a few adventurous ones are off exploring other celestial bodies.

III. 2023: The Year We Faced the Wrath of a Boiling Planet

Multiple scientific heavyweights, including NASA and the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service, have confirmed that 2023 wasn’t just hot – it was the hottest year ever recorded since we started keeping track. We’re talking a scorching 1.48°C (2.66°F) above pre-industrial levels. July and August 2023 claimed the dubious honor of being the two hottest months ever recorded.

We’re dangerously close to the 1.5°C warming limit set by the Paris Agreement. Some days in 2023 even surpassed 2°C above pre-industrial levels, giving us a glimpse of a future we’re trying to avoid.

IV. 250 Times Faster: The Terrifying Acceleration of Carbon Dioxide Levels

Carbon Emissions
Credit: Nature/Global Carbon Project

Yes, you read it right. According to data from NASA and the European Commission, since the onset of the Industrial Revolution in the late 18th century, human-induced emissions have pushed atmospheric CO₂ levels to a staggering 48% above pre-industrial levels. This rapid increase is primarily due to burning fossil fuels, deforestation, and agricultural practices, which collectively release massive amounts of greenhouse gases. In fact, CO₂ accounted for 80% of all U.S. greenhouse gas emissions in 2022 alone. 

Missions carrying thermal sensors such as Copernicus Sentinel-3 is provide information about the changes in the temperature of Earth’s surface daily.

V. 20% of the Amazon Lost

Tracking Amazon Deforestation from Above. Credit: https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov

In just 50 years, we’ve managed to chop down a whopping 20% of the world’s largest tropical rainforest. That’s like erasing an area larger than France from the map. Satellites like Brazil’s DETER (Real-Time Deforestation Detection System) keep the score. Between 2001 and 2012, the Amazon lost an average of 1.4 million hectares per year – that’s like losing 5 soccer fields every single minute.

VI. Satellites Watch as Our World Burns: 50,000 Wildfires Detected

In 2023, satellites spotted a jaw-dropping 50,000 wildfires across Earth. But here’s where it gets really interesting: satellite-based detection can identify wildfires 90% faster than ground-based systems. That’s why Google’s newly announced FireSat constellation is gearing up to be the ultimate fire-spotter in the sky. These 50 eagle-eyed satellites will be able to detect fires as small as a classroom (5×5 meters), updating every 20 minutes. 

VII. Antarctica’s Chilling Cry for Help: 148 Billion Tons of Ice Vanished

Over the past three decades, Antarctica has been shedding ice at an alarming rate – 148 billion tons per year between 1993 and 2023. That’s a mind-boggling amount of ice, and the consequences are equally staggering. To put it into perspective, if all of Antarctica’s ice sheets melted, global sea levels could rise by up to 66 meters – enough to submerge major coastal cities around the world.

Credit: https://www.geospatialworld.net/blogs/satellites-for-monitoring-climate-change/

Satellite records since 1979 reveal that the area of the Arctic Ocean covered by ice has reduced by more than 10% every decade. Current estimates suggest that sea ice extent is at its lowest level in at least 1,000 years. Satellites have observed a shift towards thinner, younger ice that is more vulnerable to warmer summers and winter storms.

VIII. The Silent Fever Consuming Our Planet

Since the Industrial Revolution, our planet has been on a warming trajectory that would make even the most stoic astronaut raise an eyebrow. Earth’s global surface temperature has climbed by a staggering 2°F (1.1°C) – a change that may seem small on paper, but has colossal implications for our planet. Let’s put it in the perspective as well, it’s taken only about 150 years for human activities to warm the planet as much as it warmed over thousands of years at the end of the last ice age. 

IX. 91 mm of Global Sea Level Rise: The Haunting Warning from Above

The last three points in this infographic are actually intertwined but every number and fact is chilling by itself. Let’s focus on this one: 91 mm of global sea level rise has been detected by satellites since 1993. It might not sound like much, but in planetary terms, it’s a tidal wave of change. Since 1993, our oceans have been on a relentless upward march, swelling at an average rate of 3.4 mm per year.

A radar
A radar pulse bounces between the Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich satellite and the sea surface, collecting data on the height of the ocean. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

However, there is good news. Thanks to ssatellite data we know that this rise isn’t uniform across the globe, though. In some areas, particularly in the western Pacific and southern Indian Ocean, sea levels have surged by as much as 15-20 cm.

X. 28.3 Million Hectares of Tree Cover Disappeared

In 2023, our planet shed a staggering 28.3 million hectares of tree cover – that’s an area larger than New Zealand vanishing in just one year. According to the United Nations, the world is losing 10 million hectares of forest annually, contributing to 12-20% of global greenhouse gas emissions that drive climate change.

Missions & Mentions

Whether we believe in climate change or not, one undeniable fact remains: Earth’s climate is under constant scrutiny thanks to an impressive array of satellites and space technologies. From NASA’s PACE mission, which tracks vital ocean and atmospheric data, to small yet powerful CubeSats, to the Sea and Land Surface Temperature Radiometer (SLSTR) under ESA’s Copernicus project, these tools do provide crucial insights for our understanding of Earth’s climate and its change.

satellite image
Glaciers and ice caps in northwest Greenland in 1973 (left) and 2022 (right). In the 50 years, several glaciers have retreated. A dearth of snow in the second photo reveals dirtier ice beneath. Credit: NASA

Indeed, sometimes it takes a view from above to truly understand what’s happening down below.

Leave a Reply Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

Related Articles

Explore Orbital Today