El satélite SAC-D/Aquarius confecciona un mapa global de la humedad del suelo terrestre

Sigue a continuación una nota publicada por el Centro Espacial Goddard de la NASA,  el día 7 de julio, sobre la misión SAC-D/Aquarius, en la cual se informa que la NASA ha dado a conocer un  mapa global de humedad del suelo terrestre. El mapa es generado mediante el instrumento Aquarius de la NASA que viaja a bordo del satélite argentino SAC-D.

NASA'S AQUARIUS RETURNS GLOBAL MAPS OF SOIL MOISTURE

Scientists working with data from NASA's Aquarius instrument have released worldwide maps of soil moisture, showing how the wetness of the land fluctuates with the seasons and weather phenomena.

Soil moisture, the water contained within soil particles, is an important player in Earth's water cycle. It is essential for plant life and influences weather and climate. Satellite readings of soil moisture will help scientists better understand the climate system and have potential for a wide range of applications, from advancing climate models, weather forecasts, drought monitoring and flood prediction to informing water management decisions and aiding in predictions of agricultural productivity.

Launched June 10, 2011, aboard the Argentinian spacecraft Aquarius/Satélite de Aplicaciones Científicas (SAC)-D, Aquarius was built to study the salt content of ocean surface waters. The new soil wetness measurements were not in the mission's primary science objectives, but a NASA-funded team led by U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) researchers has developed a method to retrieve soil moisture data from the instrument's microwave radiometer.

Fuente: NASA
Nota completa: (ver aquí)