Concrete, used in everything from streets to skyscrapers, needs sand, often mined from active rivers in developing countries with little oversight. Researchers can now use satellites to keep watch.
satellites
Posted inNews
Can NASA’s Gravity Satellites Detect Motions in Earth’s Core?
Measurements of our planet’s gravitational field could expose processes in the fluid outer core—if scientists can decipher the signals.
Posted inNews
Data from Satellites Help Uncover Exploding Meteors
By using data from two lightning-spotting satellites, researchers measure explosions of thousands of small meteors and create a database that could help the planetary defense community.
Posted inNews
Zimbabwe’s Scientists Look Forward to Country’s First Satellite
ZIMSAT-1 promises to expand Zimbabwe’s remote sensing capabilities and allow it to better monitor natural resources.
Posted inNews
The “Internet of Things” Boosts Agricultural Livelihoods in India
New technology is bringing better connectivity to remote areas, helping farmers improve crop yields and allowing fisherfolk to venture more safely out into the sea.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Understanding Aurora Formation with ESA’s Cluster Mission
Over 2 decades, Cluster has shed light on the auroral acceleration region, where parallel electric fields send charged particles on a collision course with the atmosphere.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Satellite Sensor EPIC Detects Aerosols in Earth’s Atmosphere
Aerosol observations from EPIC—a sensor aboard a satellite—align well with ground- and aircraft-based data, including measurements of smoke plumes produced by recent megafires.
Posted inEditors' Vox
A New Practical Guide to Using Python for Earth Observation
A new book presents an example-driven collection of basic methods, applications, and visualizations to process satellite data sets for Earth science research.
Posted inScience Updates
Sowing Seeds of Food Security in Africa
An innovative program focused on collaboration and capacity building is looking to improve outcomes for smallholder farmers, reduce hunger, and alleviate food insecurity in sub-Saharan Africa.
Posted inOpinions
Charting Satellite Courses in a Crowded Thermosphere
As the number of satellites in low Earth orbit grows by leaps and bounds, accurate calculations of the effects of atmospheric drag on their trajectories are becoming critically important.