Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 3, 2026
07:00
Thermocapillary Convection Space Experiment on the SJ-10 Recoverable Satellite
Published on: March 11, 2020
7.4K
NASA scales back its next flagship climate mission
Science (New York, N.Y.)
|August 10, 2023
Summary
Two major satellites have ceased operations, threatening future research into clouds, aerosols, and global warming. This impacts our ability to study climate change drivers.
Area of Science:
- Earth Science
- Atmospheric Science
- Climate Science
Background:
- Two significant Earth-observing satellites have recently become non-operational.
- This cessation of data collection poses a challenge for ongoing climate research.
Discussion:
- The loss of these satellites impacts the continuous monitoring of crucial atmospheric components like clouds and aerosols.
- Reduced observational capacity hinders the detailed study of their roles in Earth's warming trends.
Key Insights:
- The failure of landmark satellites jeopardizes future missions aimed at probing clouds and aerosols.
- Funding cuts loom for new initiatives, potentially limiting advancements in understanding climate change drivers.
Outlook:
- Urgent need for new satellite missions to fill the observational gap.
- Securing future funding is critical for advancing research on atmospheric processes and climate warming.
Related Concept Videos
01:07What is Weather?
17.2K
Overview
17.2K
01:16What is Climate?
17.5K
Climate refers to the prevailing weather conditions in a specific area over an extended period. As the saying goes, “Climate is what you expect. Weather is what you get.” Climate is influenced by geographic factors, such as latitude, terrain, and proximity to bodies of water.
17.5K
01:50Global Climate Change
24.4K
Throughout its ~4.5 billion year history, the Earth has experienced periods of warming and cooling. However, the current drastic increase in global temperatures is well outside of the Earth’s cyclic norms, and evidence for human-caused global climate change is compelling. Paleoclimatology, the study of ancient climate conditions, provides ample evidence for human-caused global climate change by comparing recent conditions with those in the past.
24.4K
01:50Threats to Biodiversity
21.7K
There have been five major extinction events throughout geological history, resulting in the elimination of biodiversity, followed by a rebound of species that adapted to the new conditions. In the current geological epoch, the Holocene, there is a sixth extinction event in progress. This mass extinction has been attributed to human activities and is thus provisionally called the Anthropocene. In 2019 the human population reached 7.7 billion people and is projected to comprise 10 billion by...
21.7K
02:31Habitat Fragmentation
15.7K
Habitat fragmentation describes the division of a more extensive, continuous habitat into smaller, discontinuous areas. Human activities such as land conversion, as well as slower geological processes leading to changes in the physical environment, are the two leading causes of habitat fragmentation. The fragmentation process typically follows the same steps: perforation, dissection, fragmentation, shrinkage, and attrition.
15.7K
01:27Microbes and Climate Change
91
Microorganisms are pivotal agents in Earth's biogeochemical cycles, significantly influencing climate dynamics through their metabolic activities. These microbes modulate the levels of key greenhouse gases by both contributing to and helping mitigate climate change.Microbial Contributions to Greenhouse Gas EmissionsRising global temperatures accelerate microbial metabolism, which, in turn, speeds up the decomposition of organic matter. This process releases carbon dioxide (CO₂) through...
91