NOAA’s satellites floating above us can spot a yacht on the ocean surface, but ask the orbiters to show what’s down below and they get lost at sea.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s low-earth orbiters peering down on the Western Hemisphere provide the familiar satellite loops to track tropical storms and hurricanes.
They are also packed with instruments that plot lightning strikes, monitor the atmosphere, detect the magnetic field, and watch for solar flares.
State-of-the-art more than 20 years ago, the environmental satellites have been retrofitted several times. Yet, when peering beneath the waves for data to quantify aspects of climate change, their vision blurs.
NOAA scientists heard about the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation’s comprehensive network of water quality sensors. The sensors track the health of marine habitats, manage water resources, and respond to environmental stressors such as pollution or algal blooms to help scientists discover a clear-eyed view of the underwater environment.
Last month, Dan Lindsey, director of the NOAA program developing GeoXO, the next generation of environmental satellites to replace those in space now, and Ryan Vandermeulen, who oversees fisheries management technology for NOAA, spent an afternoon at the foundation.
"It's like having a magnifying glass on the water and a view from space at the same time."Eric Milbrandt, director of the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation's marine lab
The NOAA scientists learned more about how the SCCF created and is now running its network of marine sensors, many mounted on pilings throughout the Caloosahatchee River estuary, providing real-time water-quality data on dozens of parameters including salinity, pH, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, and temperature.
It turns out the nonprofit’s academic doctors may be the marine optometrists the federal agency has been looking for.
The potential collaboration between NOAA and SCCF could help scientists spot red tide and blue-green algae blooms earlier and track damage from hurricanes more effectively. That data is helpful for federal researchers as well as those in Southwest Florida‘s scientific community.
"By putting together precise measurements from our water sensors with the big picture from satellites we can better understand how changes in our local waters connect to larger climate trends," said Eric Milbrandt, director of the foundation’s marine lab. "It's like having a magnifying glass on the water and a view from space at the same time.”
Milbrandt said the scientists brainstormed for several hours together and came up with several ways to collaborate, and while too early for promises or contracts, goodwill and handshakes were abundant.
“The frequent satellite imagery loops could be applied to improving observations of harmful algal blooms, freshwater discharges, and post-hurricane disturbances,” he said. “This could be a game-changer for protecting our coastal ecosystems.”
Satellites in development for launch in the early 2030s will provide the information needed by the most sophisticated climate-forecasting models to predict weather patterns, improve short-term forecasts, and warn of extreme weather.
The orbiters will be able to categorize environmental hazards, help scientists better predict and follow up on natural events, and discover emerging patterns caused by climate change.
Lindsey is in charge of the joint effort between NOAA and NASA, the satellites will be geostationary, which means they will orbit at a speed that keeps them above the same spot on the planet.
The cutting-edge capabilities of the satellites include a suite of updated tools that capture images including lightning and other atmospheric phenomena. Those images help researchers and forecasters understand what’s going on with storms, hurricanes, and wildfires as they become more severe.
The three NOAA satellites will be part of an international network that monitors weather, oceans, climate, and air quality around the world.
Should a collaboration work out, whether the letters SCCF will be next to NASA and NOAA on the satellites is yet unknown.
Sign up for WGCU's monthly environmental newsletter, the Green Flash, today.
WGCU is your trusted source for news and information in Southwest Florida. We are a nonprofit public service, and your support is more critical than ever. Keep public media strong and donate now. Thank you.
