The practice of identifying and monitoring an area’s physical features by measuring its reflected and emitted radiation from a distance is known as remote sensing typically from satellite or aircraft. Researchers can “feel” facts about the Earth by using special cameras to acquire remotely sensed photos. Here are a few examples:
- Satellites and airplanes use cameras to photograph broad regions of the Earth’s surface, allowing us to see much more than we can from the ground.
- Shipboard sonar systems can be used to create photographs of the ocean floor without having to go to the ocean’s bottom.
- Images of temperature variations in the waters can be captured using satellite cameras.
what is some benefits of remote sensing?
- Large forest fires can be mapped from space, allowing rangers to see a much broader region than they would be able to see from the ground.
- Tracking clouds to help anticipate the weather or observe erupting volcanoes, as well as assisting in the detection of dust storms
- Over several years or decades, tracking the rise of a metropolis and changes in agriculture or woods.
Discovery and charting of the ocean floor’s severe topography (such as massive mountain ranges, deep gorges, and “magnetic striping”).
Applications
a. Coastal Applications : uses include tracking silt flow, monitoring shoreline changes, and mapping coastal land forms. Coastal mapping and erosion prevention can both benefit from data.
b. Ocean Applications: include tracking sea ice, monitoring ocean circulation and current systems, and measuring ocean temperature and wave heights. Data may be utilized to learn more about the oceans and how to best manage them.
c. Hazard assessment: Hurricanes, earthquakes, erosion, and flooding are all hazards to be aware of. Data can be used to assess the effects of a natural disaster and to develop disaster preparedness plans for usage before and after a disaster.
d. natural resource management: Monitoring land usage, mapping wetlands, and charting wildlife habitats are all part of natural resource management. Data may be utilized to reduce the environmental impact of urbanization and to help decide how to best maintain natural resources.
