Delwyn Moller: Gathering data about climate change

Glaciers like the one in the Wrangell mountains visible in the lower right of the photo above were one of the targets of the GLISTIN-A radar imaging mission flown by NASA's C-20A over Alaska April 24-27. (NASA / JPL Delwyn Moller)
› View Larger Image

Gary:
 Here's another article about the work my sister, Delwyn, is doing.  She sent it to me because it has a nice photo of a glacier that she flew over recently.  I used to think "remote sensing" was clairvoyance.

I don't know about you (readers of this blog) but all this research into climate change has me very worried: Are we documenting Man's destruction of life on Earth.  Yes we must measure what we are doing to the planet! But when are we going to do something serious about it?  Have we left things too late? I suspect we have.

Here in NZ, we are in the process of opening up our entire oceans to oil and gas exploration while making grand official statements of becoming carbon neutral in a few years from now!  Its madness.  Its global suicide.

By the way you are doing a great job, Delwyn, documenting the demise of the planet.  Your family is in awe of you (Well, I am, ha ha!).
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NASA Radar Collects GLISTIN Ice and Glacier Data

04.30.13

The NASA Dryden flight crew that supported the C-20A deployment to Alaska included (from left) mechanic Gary Carlson, C-20A project manager John McGrath, avionics technician Carlos Meza, operations engineer Brittany Martin, and pilots Dean Neeley and Tim Williams. (NASA) › View Larger Image Glaciers, sea ice and snow were the focus of a recent airborne Earth science study using NASA's Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle Synthetic Aperture Radar (UAVSAR). The UAVSAR is mounted in a pod under the belly of NASA's Dryden-based C-20A research aircraft that flew over Alaska, the Beaufort Sea and the Sierra Nevada range during this data collection mission.

The UAVSAR uses a technique called interferometry to detect and measure very subtle deformations in Earth's surface. For this mission, the UAVSAR was adapted for single-pass interferometry for measuring ice-surface topography.

The research is part of the Glacier and Ice Surface Topography Interferometer – Airborne (GLISTIN-A) effort conducted by scientist Delwyn Moller of Remote Sensing Solutions at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. The UAVSAR initially collected UAVSAR Ka-band data in 2009 with a focus on ice research, and this mission recorded the first science data since the UAVSAR system was recently upgraded.

"Now we have a wealth of data to work with that promises to be very exciting on multiple fronts," remarked Moller. "The flights went smoothly and the vistas were truly awe-inspiring!"

The C-20A and science team departed its home base at NASA's Dryden Aircraft Operations Facility in Palmdale, Calif., April 24, returning April 27. During the deployment, the aircraft flew five missions for a total of 26.3 flight hours. The aircraft flew from Eielson Air Force Base south of Fairbanks, Alaska, while collecting data over the Arctic. The April 27 flight of more than five hours was the 600th flight for the C-20A, a military version of the Gulfstream III aircraft, since it was acquired by NASA.

NASA Dryden's C-20A carrying JPL's UAVSAR radar system taxis by a large hangar and control tower April 25 at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska. The aircraft was stationed at Eielson during its four-day GLISTIN-A radar survey mission to record data on the topography of glaciers and ice sheets in areas like the Beaufort Sea north of Barrow, Alaska. (USAF / Sr. Amn. Zachary Perras) › View Larger Image

Beth Hagenauer, Public Affairs
NASA Dryden Flight Research Center

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