Global warming is a talked-about phenomenon and now through the use of a laser-based photon-counting technique, researchers will be able to gather information and measure the height of the earth from space. This new technology provides them with a way to track the amount of growth and melt in the frozen regions.
The testing was conducted by NASA utilizing a multiple altimeter beam experimental lidar (MABEL) device that was mounted on an aircraft that traversed the Arctic Ocean and the terrain of Greenland.
The device and MABEL sent out green laser light pulses and took measurements of how long it took the individual photons to bounce off the surface of the earth and return to the device. The timing of the photons’ return, and the position charted by an onboard GPS on the aircraft work to determine the earth’s elevation and measure changes to within the width of a pencil.
A research scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory was quoted as saying,
“Using the individual photons to measure surface elevation is a really new thing. It’s never been done from orbiting satellites, and it hasn’t really been done much with airborne instruments either.”
In the past a single laser was used to capture the information but this made it difficult to determine the elevation. The single beam had to go over a specific area twice but it made it difficult for researchers to determine whether the area being measured had melted or whether the laser beam was off. With MABEL, the beams are split into six individual beams allowing for more accurate readings.
In 2017, researchers hope to launch a new device capable of measuring the entire surface of the earth including oceans and various vegetation.
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