Landsat – A key climate sensor

Compton TuckerNASA/Goddard Space Flight Center

Greenbelt, Marylandand

Climate Change Science ProgramWashington DC

Houston, We Have a Problem…

We are altering our planet’s

climate

Atmospheric CO2 since 1740

Different d CO2 slopes d time

reflect techno-economic conditions

385 ppm now

What? Me worry?

What do we need to be rescued from?

Landsat – A key climate sensorAbsolutely crucial land climate sensors:

•Landsat 1972 – now•AVHRR-MODIS-VIIRS continuum 1981 -- now

•Lidar for the 3rd Dimension (DESDnyI)Why?

Land use, land cover changeCarbon cycle landCryosphere, etc.

Landsat – A key climate sensor

Why?

1.30 m spatial resolution close-to-perfect match to surface variability (Townshend and Justice 1988)2.Spectral bands are well situated 3.Repeat cycle OK4.Excellent data system

Tropical Glaciers of Peru & Bolivia: Landsat data from 1972 to 2008

90% of world’s tropical glaciers are in Peru (70%) and Bolivia (20%)

5500-6500+ m elevations, summer growth/winter recession

Compton Tucker, Tim Killeen, and Dan Slayback

NASA/GSFC Code 610 & Conservation International

Study Area and Landsat Scenes Used (WRS-2)

Cordillera Blanca Peru 2006

Cordillera Blanca22-Jul-2006 / TM5 / 543

Landsat-4/5 TM Data UsedP1r70 1980s: 08Jul84, 08Sep89, 30Jul86, 09Jul90, 11Sep90, 26Aug90, 30Jul86P1R70 2000s: 18May06, 19Jun06, 21Jul06, 24Jul07

P1r73 1980s: 02Oct86, 08Sep89, 15Aug86P1R73 2000s: 23Sep06, 25Aug07

P2r70 1980s: 11Aug88, 16Jun85, 18Jul85P2R70 2000s: 03Oct07, 12Jul06

P2R72 1980s: 03Aug85, 05Jul86, 10Jul88, 28Sep88 p2r72 2000s: 03Oct07, 12May07, 29Aug06, 29Jun07, 30Sep06, 31Jul07

P3r69 1980s: 01Jul88, 15Jun88, 28Jul86P3R69 2000s: 04Aug06, 19Jul06, 23Aug07

P3r70 1980s: 01Jul88, 03Sep88, 15Jun88, 18Aug88, 20Jul89P3R70 2000s: 04Aug06, 16May06, 19Jul06, 23Aug07

P3r71 1980s: 02Aug88, 09Sep90, 11Nov84, 14Jun84, 15Jun88, 18Aug88, 25Aug88P3R71 2000s: 05Sep06, 23Aug07

P4r69 1980s: 03May90, 06Jun88, 08Jul88, 09Jun89, 10Sep88, 12Aug89, 25Aug88 P4R69 2000s: 14Aug07, 14Oct06, 26Jul06

P4r70 1980s: 4Aug8, 08Jul88, 09Aug88, 10Sep88, 22Jun88, 23Oct86 P4R70 2000s: 07May06, 12Sep06, 14Oct06, 26Jul06, 27Aug06, 27Jun07

P4r71 1980s: 24Nov86, 10Sep88P4R71 2000s: 14Aug07, 14Oct06

Tropical Glaciers of Peru & Bolivia:1982-1986: 2,854 km2

2006-2007: 2,150 km2

90% of world’s tropical glaciers are in Peru (70%) and Bolivia (20%)

5500-6500+ m elevations, summer growth/winter recession

How to enhance Landsat

• Landsat exploits the spatial & spectral domains– 30 m spatial resolution excellent– Excellent spectral band selection

• Exploit the time domain (e.g. AVHRR, MODIS, Seawifs, etc.) but at 30 m spatial resolution with TM/ETM spectral bands

• Wider field of view, 4-5 day repeat cycle• Build multiple instruments (e.g. Landsat-5’s

TM) = Continuity!!

Tropical Air Temperature

Cloud cover variations 1978 to 2004

Cloud cover variations 1978 to 2004