NASA scientist discusses changing climate on Earth Day

LEIDNER, EARTH DAY. OF COURSE, A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO REFLECT ON THE HEALTH OF OUR PLANET. WHAT ARE YOU AT NASA SEEING WHEN IT COMES TO THE CHANGES ON LAND AND AT SEA? I THANK YOU AND HAPPY EARTH DAY. UM, OUR SATELLITES ARE ABLE TO GIVE US THIS INCREDIBLE VIEW OF OUR LAND AND OUR OCEAN AND OUR ATMOSPHERE, AND HOW THEY ARE ALL CONNECTED IN THIS INTRICATE KIND OF WAY. AND IT’S A REALLY PHENOMENAL WAY TO TO SEE NOT ONLY HOW IS EARTH CHANGING, BUT REALLY LEARN ABOUT WHY IS IT CHANGING AND WHAT DOES THAT MEAN FOR THE PEOPLE AND THE COMMUNITIES HERE IN THE UNITED STATES AND AROUND THE WORLD? SO OUR SATELLITES ARE ABLE TO GIVE US THESE INCREDIBLE VIEWS. OUR LATEST SATELLITE, CALLED PACE, GIVES US A VIEW NOT ONLY OF OUR OCEANS, BUT ALSO OF OUR ATMOSPHERE AS WELL. SO 2023, BEING ONE OF THE WARMEST YEARS ON RECORD ACROSS THE GLOBE AND HERE IN NEW ENGLAND, MANY FOLKS WILL PROBABLY REMEMBER FOR ALL OF THE RAIN AND FLOODING WE EXPERIENCED LAST SUMMER. PLUS, WE’RE COMING OFF OF A LACK OF SNOW THIS WINTER. COULD YOU TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT HOW THIS FITS INTO THE LONGER TUM TRENDS YOU’RE SEEING? IN 2023 WAS THE HOTTEST YEAR ON RECORD, AND WHAT WE KNOW FROM LOOKING AT CLIMATE CHANGE AND UNDERSTANDING HOW GREENHOUSE GASES ARE CHANGING IN THE ATMOSPHERE, WE SEE THE IMPACTS IN ALL SORTS OF DIFFERENT WAYS, AND WE SEE THAT NOT ONLY THROUGH THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE CHANGES AND FEELING JUST A LITTLE BIT HOTTER, BUT WE ALSO FEEL IT THROUGH EXTREMES THAT WE FEEL THESE CLIMATE IMPACTS IN ALL SORTS OF DIFFERENT WAYS. WE FEEL HEAT WAVES, WE FEEL EXTREME RAIN EVENTS, WE SEE A LACK OF SNOW. IN SOME CASES WE SEE DROUGHT IN SOME CASES. AND SO CLIMATE CHANGE IS REALLY ABLE TO BRING TOGETHER. WE’RE REALLY ABLE TO SEE ALL OF THESE DIFFERENT KINDS OF IMPACTS. AND AND ALSO SEE HOW THEY’RE CHANGING THROUGH TIME. SO DOCTOR LEIDNER, LET’S ACTUALLY CIRCLE BACK TO SOME OF THAT NEW TECHNOLOGY. NASA IS USING, INCLUDING YOUR NEW PACE SATELLITE. CAN YOU MAYBE TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THIS SATELLITE AND SOME OF THE FEATURES IT BRINGS TO THE TABLE? SURE. SO PACE WAS LAUNCHED IN EARLY FEBRUARY AND IT’S ALREADY GIVING US THESE AMAZING INSIGHTS INTO THE OCEAN AND IN THE ATMOSPHERE. PACE IS WHAT WE CALL A HYPERSPECTRAL IMAGER. AND SO WHAT THAT DOES IS IT ALLOWS US TO SEE SO MANY DIFFERENT COLORS IN THE OCEAN AND ALSO SO MANY DIFFERENT KINDS OF COLORS IN ESSENCE, IN THE ATMOSPHERE AS WELL. AND SO IN OUR OCEAN, WE USED TO BE ABLE TO SEE 3 OR 4 DIFFERENT COLORS WITH OUR SATELLITES, AND NOW WITH PACE, WE CAN ACTUALLY SEE LIKE 200 OVER 200 DIFFERENT COLORS. SO IT’S LETTING US SEE A WHOLE RAINBOW OF BLUES AND GREENS AND ALL SORTS OF OTHER COLORS THAT LET US SEE THE PHYTOPLANKTON IN THE OCEAN, PHYTOPLANKTON ARE THE BASE OF THE FOOD CHAIN. THEY’RE LIKE, YOU KNOW, THEY’RE THE VEGETATION OF THE OCEAN THAT HELPS SERVE AS THAT BASE. AND WE CAN SEE THESE DIFFERENT COLORS, AND WE CAN ALSO SEE HOW THEY’RE CHANGING AND WHY THEY’RE CHANGING. WE CAN SEE THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF PHYTOPLANKTON. AND WE KNOW WHICH DIFFERENT KINDS OF ORGANISMS CAN EAT THOSE PHYTOPLANKTON. AND ALSO HOW THEY INTERACT WITH THE ATMOSPHERE AS WELL. AND IN THE AND IN THE ATMOSPHERE, WE CAN SEE ALL SORTS OF TINY PARTICLES CALLED AEROSOLS. AND THAT’S REALLY IMPORTANT BECAUSE AEROSOLS CAN AFFECT HUMAN HEALTH. THE AEROSOLS ARE THINGS LIKE SEA SALT, WILDFIRE SMOKE, DUST. AND SO WE CAN SEE NOT ONLY JUST KIND OF ARE THERE AEROSOLS IN THE ATMOSPHERE. AND HOW MANY THERE ARE, BUT WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT KINDS AND WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT SIZES. AND SO WE’RE ABLE TO GET ALL OF THIS DETAIL ABOUT OUR OCEAN AND OUR ATMOSPHERE THAT WE WEREN’T ABLE TO SEE BEFORE. SOME FANTASTIC