NISAR - Post 6

NISAR

When first learning about the NISAR mission I was more interested in learning about the applications of the satellite more than how the satellite works. Some specific things I am interested in are looking at forest resources, glacial melting and ground water levels. The condition of the earth has always been important to me and NISAR has provided me with specific information from which I can make art that addresses these issues.
In my opinion, the information NISAR will provide will be crucial to scientists to study climate change and human impact on the environment. I have been inspired to try and make more people aware about the changes that are occurring and why we should care.

Growing up spending a lot of time outdoors in forests, in the ocean, or on mountains has allowed me to develop a lot respect for our earth. It saddens me how quickly the Amazon is disappearing, as one example, and how unaware people are of the effects these changes will have. NISAR’s mission will look at human based and environmental climate changes and how these changes will affect global food security, water availability, urban management, human health, natural hazards, climate risks and climate adaptations.

One of NISAR’s most notable features is the speed, accuracy and frequency in which the satellite gathers data. By using electromagnetic waves to scan the earth’s surface, NISAR can determine the distance between objects on the ground with an accuracy of millimeters. The satellite is constantly sending and receiving radar waves, sending them down in a large swath to the ground. The satellite will orbit on a 12 day period, providing data on a bi-weekly basis. This will provide scientists with up-to-date information regarding things like crop area, global forest extent and groundwater resources.

Aside from NISAR, one of my favorite new resources to look at is NASA’s Eyes. I think I was most shocked about the rise in CO2 in our atmosphere over the last decade. Seeing these visualizations makes me excited to see what kind of visualizations NASA can create from NISAR. This has inspired my project number two in which I want to paint the earth from the perspective of NISAR in 2067. There is no way to predict what the condition of the earth will be in exactly 50 years, and it may not be super drastic. Regardless, I want to depict the earth in a catastrophic state to draw people's attention to the lasting effects that things like deforestation and and glacial melting will have.

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