Satellites such as Sentinel have photographed vast areas of land and sea in highly regular fashion, changing the way crops and forests are managed over the years. But new equipment and technology are also revolutionizing our understanding of wildlife and the ocean. From balloons to satellite tags to information transmission technology, they all make life easier for biologists and scientists. This is especially valuable in times of great change in global warming.
sea level rise
One of the most obvious impacts of climate change is sea level rise. So the launch of the Sentinel-6 satellite is great news for researchers. A new satellite with a distinctive ‘doghouse’ shape is already providing information about these fluctuations on a planetary scale. While previous generation satellites have already recorded a 3mm annual increase over the past 30 years, Sentinel-6 will allow for much more detailed surveillance. The key is a precision altimeter that sends electromagnetic pulses to the surface and monitors both the surface and the waves. The data is then processed to obtain images that can be easily interpreted.this technology project, a joint effort by the United States and Europe, will allow us to better predict the fate of coastal populations in the coming decades. In fact, 15 of the world’s 23 largest cities are now located by the sea.
Marine life monitoring
In addition to monitoring the ocean, satellite technology is being used to track its creatures. The results of a new project in this field have been published in the scientific journal Animal Biotelemetry. Monitoring underwater animals presents several challenges. Primarily, many of these species migrate at great depths in uncharacteristic open seas. 5G coverageTo solve this problem, one company has developed a pop-up tagging device with accelerometers and thermometers. Therefore, swimming depth and speed as well as water temperature can be checked for up to 3 months. Once the device has completed its task, it detaches from the animal and rises to the surface, transmitting all information via satellite. As a starting point, it is mounted on a cedar specimen inside an experimental tank equipped with a camera. This made it possible to compare the information from the sensor with the data obtained from the camera. Once its reliability was proven, it was tested on Sandbar his shark specimens in the open sea for a month. The researchers point to the data as a basis for analyzing changes in species behavior due to global warming.
And thanks to AI, terrestrial animals
However, the working domain of these remote-sensing techniques is not limited to oceans, and they don’t necessarily have to occupy space orbits. One of his most promising projects is the use of balloons. Their use is common in weather forecasting, but the problem is that they come at the expense of wind direction. This precludes its use in studies of specific areas where it is necessary to maintain a stationary position.
good luck, artificial intelligence and machine learning Technology helps solve problems. Thus, his Loon project, which focuses on providing internet to areas without coverage thanks to a network of super-pressure balloons, integrates AI into its devices. Thanks to it, the balloon can rise or fall autonomously by calculating the wind speed at different heights and return to its initial position. Powered by solar energy, the device uses historical wind direction and strength data to gradually learn the optimal height.
The promoters of the project, who have already performed the first successful tests, point to numerous applications. In addition to communications applications, it will be able to monitor permafrost thaw, urban air quality, forest conditions, animal migration, and more.
sauce: BBC, Nature, science daily
image: runes
