New NASA Satellite Advances Knowledge of Sea-Level Rise
There is no question that sea level rise is affecting our everyday life. As temperatures and ocean levels increase, so do the frequency of hurricanes, droughts, and flash-floods across the globe. However, there is an exciting new scientific development that is going to dramatically improve our understanding of rising sea levels. In an emblematic European-American alliance, on November 10, 2020, NASA plans to launch the Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich Spacecraft– a satellite specifically designed to improve our understanding of earth’s oceans.
Launching from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California, and using SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket as a carrier, the Sentinel-6– once released in space– will extend the current understanding of sea-level rise a decade beyond the information we already have. This new technology will not only allow us to see how sea-levels are rising, but also how the rate of sea level rise is accelerating. One of the most notable advancements this satellite will bring, is its ability to predict more accurate large-scale weather patterns.
According to NASA: “The Global Navigation Satellite System - Radio Occultation (GNSS-RO) instrument tracks radio signals from navigation satellites that orbit Earth. When a satellite dips below (or rises above) the horizon from Sentinel-6’s perspective, its radio signal passes through the atmosphere. As it does, the signal slows, its frequency changes, and its path bends. Called “refraction”, this effect can be used by scientists to measure minute changes in atmospheric density, temperature, and moisture content.”
In addition, Sentinel-6 will also allow for higher resolution images of sea-level rise. As Josh Willis, one of the projects chief scientists, contends, these higher resolutions are “incredibly important near the coastline, where currents are narrow and changes can be difficult to observe from space.” He further explains that because ocean currents “tilt” the ocean’s surface, it makes sea levels in some places lower than others. Traditionally, currents have made it difficult to get accurate readings on actual sea-level rise from space. However, the Sentinel-6 has a significantly more advanced altimetry– a meter used to measure the altitude of an object– than any other satellite before. This technology will help rectify current discrepancies in sea-level measurements. In fact, Sentinel-6’s altimetry is so powerful it can detect “millimeter-scale changes in elevation,” radically surpassing the capabilities of any technology that has come before it.
Another one of Sentinel-6’s benefits is that it will help politicians detect imminent climate disasters earlier. According to Paul Counet, the Chief of Strategy at the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT), “measurements of global and regional sea level have become a valuable tool for decision makers to assess one of the most compelling impacts of climate change and how to prepare for flooding of coastal areas.” With the information provided by Sentinel-6, leaders will not only be better able to predict the onset of harmful weather patterns, but will also have more advanced information on where they should build preventative “coastal-defense systems.”
According to Climate Central, most current studies show that hurricanes, one of the deadliest and most destructive climatic natural disasters, are “likely to become both stronger and more frequent in the years to come.” These storms can kill hundreds of people at a time, displace thousands from their homes, and destroy expensive infrastructure that is difficult if not impossible to replace. With the increased information provided by Sentinel-6, policymakers will be better prepared to protect citizens from these damaging storms, and better equipped to deal with their aftermath.
Regardless of large-scale weather patterns, there is no doubt that sea level rise on its own will have devastating political consequences for the planet. As low elevation coastal communities creep closer and closer to the water’s edge, entire populations will be forced to flee for higher ground. This potential for mass migration, which the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) estimates to be over 200 million people by 2050, also has the potential to dismantle governments across the globe. Hopefully, with the increased information on sea-level rise brought by Sentinel-6, governments will be able to better prepare for this inevitable migration crisis. With more accurate data, governments will be given better and more frequent early warning signs for communities vulnerable to ocean encroachment. Furthermore, governments of countries that are not directly impacted by climate change will be able to help those that are by making plans to assimilate climate refugees and providing disaster relief to communities overrun by rising seas.
Although it is unlikely that the world will find a meaningful or expedient solution to rising sea levels any time soon, the Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich Spacecraft will at least give governments and civilians more information and tools to help combat this potentially devastating climate phenomenon.
