/2016

Space in Images - 2016 - 08 - Italy earthquake displacement
▻http://www.esa.int/spaceinimages/Images/2016/08/Italy_earthquake_displacement

http://www.esa.int/var/esa/storage/images/esa_multimedia/images/2016/08/italy_earthquake_displacement/16104799-1-eng-GB/Italy_earthquake_displacement_node_full_image_2.jpg

Combining two Sentinel-1 radar scans from 20 August (Sentinel-1B) and 26 August 2016 (Sentinel-1A), this interferogram shows changes that occurred during the 24 August earthquake that struck central Italy.

The seven interferometric ‘fringes’ correspond to about 20 cm of surface deformation in the radar sensor line of sight. Each fringe (which is associated to a colour cycle) corresponds to approximately 2.8 cm of displacement.

Although Sentinel-1 has a swath width of 250 km over land surfaces, its pass over Italy on 26 August did not cover the entire area affected. Another acquisition planned for 27 August will cover the entire earthquake zone.

Space in Images - 2016 - 08 - Third Bosphorus Bridge progress
▻http://www.esa.int/spaceinimages/Images/2016/08/Third_Bosphorus_Bridge_progress

http://www.esa.int/var/esa/storage/images/esa_multimedia/images/2016/08/third_bosphorus_bridge_progress/16103590-1-eng-GB/Third_Bosphorus_Bridge_progress_node_full_image_2.gif

These 17 images from the Sentinel-2A satellite show a year of progress on the Third Bosphorus Bridge in Istanbul, Turkey.

Also known as the Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge, the hybrid cable-stayed suspension bridge forms part of the ongoing 150 km-long Northern Marmara Highway project. With eight lanes of motorway and two rail lines, its 322 m A-shaped towers stand taller than the Eiffel Tower.

The Third Bosphorus Bridge opened on 26 August 2016.

African mosaic
▻http://www.esa.int/spaceinimages/Images/2016/05/African_mosaic

http://www.esa.int/var/esa/storage/images/esa_multimedia/images/2016/05/african_mosaic/15989551-1-eng-GB/African_mosaic_node_full_image_2.jpg

Using almost 7000 images captured by the Sentinel-2A satellite, this mosaic offers a cloud-free view of the African continent – about 20% of the total land area in the world. The majority of these separate images were taken between December 2015 and April 2016, totalling 32 TB of data. Thanks to Sentinel-2A’s 290 km-wide swath and 10-day revisit at the equator, the chance of imaging Earth’s surface when the skies are clear is relatively high. Nevertheless, being able to capture the Tropics cloud-free over the five months is remarkable.

Presented at the recent Living Planet Symposium in Prague, Czech Republic, this is the first mosaic of Africa generated through ESA’s Climate Change Initiative Land Cover project.

#Afrique #images_satelitte

Root-zone soil moisture May 2016
Space in Images - 2016 - 05 - Root-zone soil moisture May 2016
▻http://www.esa.int/spaceinimages/Images/2016/05/Root-zone_soil_moisture_May_2016

http://www.esa.int/var/esa/storage/images/esa_multimedia/images/2016/05/root-zone_soil_moisture_may_2016/15984261-1-eng-GB/Root-zone_soil_moisture_May_2016_focuson.jpg

ESA’s SMOS mission was launched in 2009 to provide global observations of soil moisture and ocean salinity – two important variables in Earth’s water cycle. While this novel Earth Explorer satellite continues to advance our understanding of the planet, it is also showing considerable potential for real-world applications to improve everyday life. A number of these applications have been presented at the Living Planet Symposium in Prague in the Czech Republic. One example demonstrates how information from SMOS is being used to help forecast crop yield and to monitor drought.

With a growing population, the issue of food security is of global concern. Agricultural management and global food security can be more effective if crop yield is estimated accurately. Root-zone soil moisture data are now being used by the US Department of Agriculture in their crop-yield forecasting system.

#sols #cartographie