Abstract
We present a concept for a small satellite mission to make systematic, global observations of night-time lights with spatial resolution suitable for discerning the extent, type and density of human settlements. The observations will also allow better understanding of fine scale fossil fuel CO2 emission distribution. The NASA Earth Science Decadal Survey recommends more focus on direct observations of human influence on the Earth system. The most dramatic and compelling observations of human presence on the Earth are the night light observations taken by the Defence Meteorological System Program (DMSP) Operational Linescan System (OLS). Beyond delineating the footprint of human presence, night light data, when assembled and evaluated with complementary data sets, can determine the fine scale spatial distribution of global fossil fuel CO2 emissions. Understanding fossil fuel carbon emissions is critical to understanding the entire carbon cycle, and especially the carbon exchange between terrestrial and oceanic systems.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | 34th International Symposium on Remote Sensing of Environment - The GEOSS Era: Towards Operational Environmental Monitoring |
| State | Published - 2011 |
| Event | 34th International Symposium on Remote Sensing of Environment - The GEOSS Era: Towards Operational Environmental Monitoring - Sydney, NSW, Australia Duration: Apr 10 2011 → Apr 15 2011 |
Other
| Other | 34th International Symposium on Remote Sensing of Environment - The GEOSS Era: Towards Operational Environmental Monitoring |
|---|---|
| Country/Territory | Australia |
| City | Sydney, NSW |
| Period | 4/10/11 → 4/15/11 |
Keywords
- CO emissions
- Human settlement
- Smallsat
- Urban
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Computer Networks and Communications
- Environmental Engineering