2. Why Do We Have Landsat?

3. Page 2 How is the global Earth system changing? What are the primary causes of change in the Earth System? How does the Earth system respond to natural and human- induced changes? What are the consequences of change in the Earth systems for human civilization? How can we predict future changes in the Earth system? NASA’s Earth Science Research Questions

4. Page 3 Landsat Science Themes Monitoring Ecosystem Changes Climate Dynamics Quantifying Water and Energy Budgets Quantifying Earth’s Carbon Cycle Together with other Earth Observing Satellite instruments, Landsat plays a critical role in NASA’s studies of Earth. A cornerstone of NASA’s Global Change Research:

5. Page 4 Although Climate Change is a global phenomenon… NASA Earth Science Questions with Respect to Ecosystems: How are global ecosystems changing? How do ecosystems respond to and affect global environmental change and the carbon cycle? … the effects of climate change on ecosystems are local and heterogeneous - treeline/ecotone changes - invasive species - desertification - coral reef declines, etc. Monitoring Ecosystem Changes

6. Page 5 Monitoring Ecosystem Changes Forest fragmentation in Amazon basin Coastal Marsh Loss in the Eastern U.S. Loss of Mesopotamian Wetlands Mapping extent and morphology of coral reefs Mapping Spotted Owl Habitat, Oregon

7. Page 6 1973-76 2000 Gradual changes require long-term, repeat satellite coverage Loss of wetlands in Mesopotamia (dark red areas) since 1973 from Landsat. Courtesy Hassan Partow, UNEP Monitoring Ecosystem Changes Landsat data are used to: Precisely assess the area affected Separate human from natural causes Bridge the gap between field observations and global monitoring

8. Page 7 Example: Eastern Hemlock Decline D. Royle and R. Lathrop, Rutgers University Highlands Piedmont Ridge & Valley Ecosystem disturbance and invasive species may be harbingers of climate change Monitoring Ecosystem Changes

9. Page 8 Landsat is well suited to providing detailed maps of burned areas and for verification of coarse scale operational burn-scar mapping. Courtesy U.S. Forest Service Cerro Grande Fire, New Mexico April 14, 2000 Before Fire May 9, 2000 During Fire A ratio of Landsat bands 4 and 7 is also used to create burn severity maps which are key in the post-fire rapid assessment process led by the Burn Area Emergency Response (BAER) Team. June 17, 2000 After Fire Monitoring Ecosystem Changes

10. Page 9 Monitoring Ecosystem Changes Climate Dynamics Quantifying Water and Energy Budgets Quantifying Earth’s Carbon Cycle

11. Page 10 MODIS, AVHRR SeaWiFS Global Climate Models Global Surface Properties Global Climate and Weather Regional Land-cover and surface properties Landsat Mesoscale Models Regional Climate Analyses Landsat and Climate Modeling

12. Page 11 Example: Climate and Land-Cover Change Pre-1900 Vegetation 1990’s Land Cover from Landsat Do changes in landscape structure affect regional climate?

13. Page 12 Monitoring Ecosystem Changes Climate Dynamics Quantifying Water and Energy Budgets Quantifying Earth’s Carbon Cycle

14. Page 13 Quantifying Water and Energy Budgets By 2025, 48% of global population will live in “water stressed” basins (<1700 m 3 /pers/yr) 1973 1987 2000 ARAL SEA Will future water supplies meet human needs? Courtesy WRI Water flux into the Aral Sea is being diverted for human use

15. Page 14 Most mountain glaciers worldwide have been retreating Franz Josef Glacier, New Zealand Mountain Glacier Dynamics What changes are occurring in the mass of the Earth's ice cover? D. Hall, NASA GSFC Pasterze Glacier, Austria 06-Sept-1999 Quantifying Water and Energy Budgets

16. Page 15 Antarctic Monitoring R. Bindschadler, NASA GSFC Landsat Archive Quantifying Water and Energy Budgets

17. Page 16 LDCM Science Themes Monitoring Ecosystem Changes Climate Dynamics Quantifying Water and Energy Budgets Quantifying Earth’s Carbon Cycle Together with other Earth Observing Satellite instruments, Landsat plays a critical role in NASA’s studies of Earth:

18. Page 17 Increasing atmospheric CO 2 levels are correlated with increasing global temperatures “How well can cycling of carbon through the earth system be modeled, and how reliable are predictions of future atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide and methane by these models?” Quantifying Earth’s Carbon Cycle

19. Page 18 Carbon Sources and Sinks source: WHRC 8 6 4 2 0 -2 -4 -6 18501870189019101930195019701990 -8 Source Sinks Emissions from Fossil Fuels Net release from land-use change Unidentified sink Oceanic uptake Atmospheric accumulation 1.6 +/- 1.0 5.5 +/- 0.5 1.9 2.0 +/- 0.8 3.2 +/- 0.2 Pg C / yr Reforestation Fire Supression Woody Encroachment CO 2, N Fertilization Climate Human-induced Carbon Flux since 1850: where has all the carbon gone?

20. Page 19 The Landsat Mission Over 30-year years of global land cover data Resolution shows human activities Key information for climate, ecosystems, biogeochemical cycles, and hydrology studies EPA-USGS NALC Land-cover Dataset

21. Page 20 19701980 1990 2000 MSS (79 m, 4 band) TM (30/120 m, 7 band) ETM+ (15/30/60 m, 8 band) 2010 LDCM Sensor (15/30/90 m, 9 band Landsat-2 Landsat-3 Landsat-4 Landsat-5 Landsat-6 LDCM Government operations Commercial operations Landsat-1 (ERTS) Landsat-7 Landsat – 30 Years of Earth Observations

22. Page 21 Landsat-7 Global Acquisitions The first truly global archive

23. Page 22 The Landsat Data Continuity Mission (aka LDCM) will continue the legacy of the Landsat program. Launch dates are years away, and the request for proposals for the instrument is to be released soon. For more information on the next satellite in the Landsat series, please visit http://ldcm.gsfc.nasa.gov Extending the Legacy of Global Land Observations Landsat Data Continuity Mission

24. Page 23 National Aeronautics and Space Administration http://www.nasa.gov