NASA Earth Science Division Summary Bradley Doorn, Program Manager 28 April 2010

Science Mission Directorate Earth Science Astro- physics Helio- physics PlanetaryScience Jnt. Ag. Sat. Div. The purpose of NASA's Earth science program is to develop a scientific understanding of Earth's system and its response to natural and human-induced changes, and to improve prediction of climate, weather, and natural hazards.

Earth Science Division Flight Research Applications Research focus areas: Atmospheric composition Weather Climate Variability and Change Water and Energy Cycles Carbon Cycle and Ecosystems Earth Surface and Interior Applied Sciences Program elements: Agriculture Air Quality Climate Natural Disasters Ecological Forecasting Public Health Water Resources Weather

Jason Cloudsat Quikscat CALIPSO Tropical Rainfall Measureing Mission (TRMM) Airborne Science Aqua Aura Terra Gravity Recovery And Climate Experiment (GRACE) Ice, Clouds,and Land Elevation Satellite (ICESat) New Millennium Program Earth Observing-1 (NMP EO-1) Solar Radiation and Climate Experiment (SORCE) Landsat Data Continuity Mission (LDCM) GPM NOAA Polar Operational Environmental Satellite (POES), N and N’ Aquarius Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) GOES O/P/R National Polar-Orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS) Preparatory Project (NPP) SMAP NASA develops and operates Earth-observing satellites that monitor changes to our planet’s oceans, ice caps, land masses and atmosphere from a unique global perspective. Promotes free and open access to high quality Earth science products. Missions in Development Missions in Operation ICESAT-2

SMAP Applications web site Soil Moisture Active/Passive (SMAP) Mission Soil Moisture Mapping A dedicated soil moisture mission selected as a new Earth science mission NASA fly an active / passive microwave soil moisture with mission in the 2012-2013 timeframe Extends soil moisture to deeper depths with improved spatial resolution Mission applications program developing tools and products prior to launch SMAP Applications web site http://smap.jpl.nasa.gov/science/applicWG/

NASA Volcanic Cloud Data for Aviation Hazards Credit: A. Krueger, N. Krotkov (UMBC); G. Serafino (NOAA/NESDIS); M. Guffanti (USGS) Background This project has demonstrated reliable and more accurate detection of volcanic ash clouds using NASA Aura/OMI SO2 data. The proven utility of this data led to its operational use at the Volcanic Ash Advisory Centers (VAAC’s) in the NOAA NWS. NOAA VAAC website provides direct link to the NASA products which are used operationally to formulate and validate Volcanic Ash Advisories. SO2 is a reliable marker for fresh ash clouds: Clear discrimination between volcanic plume and clouds SO2 serves as clear marker of ash from explosive magmatic eruptions Few large sources of SO2 other than volcanic eruptions (smelters); however, locations of smelters and volcanoes are known and fixed (no false alarms). Recent Highlights NASA is now providing near real-time information on volcanic SO2 and ash aerosols from Aura/OMI for the London VAAC (and other operational entities), through the NOAA VAAC website.  This information had been previously available for sectors covering the Americas and the Pacific (the areas of responsibility for NOAA); however, beginning on April 19, NASA began to provide this information for sectors covering Iceland and Northwest Europe.  Additionally, the Support to Aviation Control Service (SACS) (a support center for the European VAACs) is now directly linking to the Aura/OMI near-real time data (http://sacs.aeronomie.be/). Figure 1. Comparison of OMI SO2 and ash plume data with MODIS imagery from the July 1, 2007 Kamchatka eruption. Figure 2. OMI SO2 data from Iceland sector on April 21, 2010 (1301Z).

Harvard University’s Ash Institute Honors NASA Earth Science Application Research Rick Allen (Univ. of Idaho), Bill Kramber and Tony Morse (Idaho Department of Water Resources) Harvard University’s prestigious Ash Institute selected a Landsat-based water-use mapping method as a 2009 Innovations in American Government Award winner. Idaho Department of Water Resources began working with the University of Idaho to develop a computer model based on objective Landsat satellite data to compute and map water use in vegetated areas. The resulting Landsat-based water-use mapping method (a program called METRIC-Mapping EvapoTranspiration at high-Resolution with Internalized Calibration). Landsat characteristics identified for supporting water-use management decisions: The spatial resolution of Landsat enables water managers to map water use for individual agricultural fields and thereby manage on a field-by-field basis. (2) This thermal information from Landsat is essential to measuring energy absorption which relates to evaporating water. (3) There is now an archive containing a quarter of a century worth of global Landsat data that has the spatial resolution, spectral coverage, and thermal imagery needed for water-use mapping. (4) The Landsat satellites' orbit place them overhead during morning hours, avoiding common afternoon cloud cover. (5) The entire Landsat archive is freely available. Figure 1: Landsat scene of Idaho’s extensive use of irrigation (irrigation comprises over 90% of water consumption in the state). The scene shows why the spatial resolution of Landsat is ideal for field and farm irrigation management decisions. A decade ago, the Idaho Department of Water Resources (IDWR) needed to map water-use in the Bear River Basin shared by Idaho, Utah, and Wyoming. Water from the river basin is allocated between the three states based on interstate compact guidelines and new irrigation projects can only be added if a state is honoring its water allocation limits. Accordingly, IDWR needed a way to “consistently, inexpensively, and accurately” map water use by each state, explains Anthony Morse, an IDWR water management specialist. So, in 2000 IDWR began working with the University of Idaho to develop a computer model based on objective Landsat satellite data to compute and map water use in vegetated areas. The resulting Landsat-based water-use mapping method (a program called METRIC—Mapping EvapoTranspiration at high-Resolution with Internalized Calibration) has now been hailed as an important American Government innovation.  Significance In the dry Western states, where irrigated agriculture accounts for 86% of all water consumption, the water-use (evapotranspiration or ET) information provided by METRIC is critical for arbitrating increasingly common water-resource conflicts. As agricultural irrigation needs, swelling city populations, and a changing climate increase demand for scarce water supplies, water management strategy is shifting from increasing water supply to innovatively managing water use at sustainable levels. Accurate water-use mapping is essential for effective water management, and the Landsat-based method can be as much as 30 percent more accurate than traditional measurement methods. In the decade since Idaho introduced METRIC, users in many thirsty Western states have adopted it including: Montana, California, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming, Texas, Nebraska, Colorado, Nevada, and Oregon. The mapping method has enabled these states to negotiate Native American water rights; assess urban water transfers; manage aquifer depletion, monitor water right compliance; and protect endangered species. In general, Landsat-based water-use mapping helps to “quantify the effectiveness and distribution of water-use [and to] manage the administration of water rights and diversions,” Richard Allen, a University of Idaho Water Resources Engineering Professor and Landsat Science Team member, explains. “If one stands back and looks at the bigger picture for a large river system, improved management should make the global use of the water resource more economically efficient.” The Idaho innovation is well poised to inspire replication worldwide. Internationally, Spain, South Africa, and Morocco have already employed the novel method. Figure 2: A Landsat 5 image (False Color) and a Landsat 5 derived relative ET image from the thermal band shows the field level detail available for water-use managers.