Table of Contents

Earth Observation Express

• Other Editions

1. Arctic Environment: Operational Monitoring of Wetlands with RADARSAT-2

Wetlands are among the most significant onshore stores of carbon, absorbing carbon dioxide that would otherwise increase global warming. Wetlands management and conservation requires specific information related to wetland class and condition. The very large aerial extent and number of Canadian wetlands immediately suggests the use of geomatics technologies, specifically Earth Observation. The Canada Center for Remote Sensing (CCRS), a part of Natural Resources Canada, is working in collaboration with Parks Canada (PC) to use the polarimetric mode aboard RADARSAT-2 to map and monitor the wetlands in Wapusk National Park in the Hudson James Lowlands area of Canada. This CCRS and PC project is supported by the Canadian Space Agency Government Related Initiative Program (GRIP). To view wetlands EO products or read more, please visit: www.esa.int/esaEO/SEMZ7XWPXPF_planet_1.html#subhead2. For further information, please contact ridha.touzi@nrcan-rncan.gc.ca or paul.briand@asc-csa.gc.ca.

2. Cultivating our future: RADARSAT-2 provides key information to monitor the effects and opportunities of climate change

Agriculture forms the basis of our way of life and our economy. Climate change is forcing Canadians to find new solutions in order to maintain our world leadership role in agriculture while ensuring food security. Data from the RADARSAT-2 satellite will enable Agriculture Canada to develop techniques and tools to better monitor and understand the effects of climate change on certain environmental parameters related to crop health: soil moisture, erosion, extreme temperatures, snow cover, etc. Seven projects are being developed by Agriculture Canada under the Canadian Space Agency's Government Related Initiatives Program (GRIP). For further information, please contact Tim Martin (martinti@agr.gc.ca) or guy.aube@asc-csa.gc.ca.

3. Northern Sovereignty: Hudson Bay On High Surveillance

Defending our sovereignty in the North demands that we maintain the capacity to act. Arctic patrol ships and expanded satellite surveillance are guarding Canada's Far North and the Northwest Passage. Thanks to Canada's RADARSAT-2 Earth observation satellite, the Government of Canada keep an eye on the North. RADARSAT helps track sea ice distribution, identify various types of ice, and produce daily ice charts. The information is also used for planning safe shipping routes and supply operations for offshore exploration platforms or ocean research stations. This RADARSAT image product was developed by the Canadian Ice Service in December, showing ice in the Hudson Bay region: ice-glaces.ec.gc.ca/content_contenu/images/Hudson_Bay_Dec%2007_2008.jpg.

4. International GEO Workshop on SAR to Support Agricultural Monitoring

Environmental and socio-economic pressures continue to place demands on agricultural production to meet regional and global food and food security needs. Over the last decade, the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) and its partners have been involved in the support of scientific initiatives, demonstration projects and operational activities related Earth Observation and the agriculture sector. The Group on Earth Observations (GEO) identified the need for a comprehensive, systematic and accurate global agricultural monitoring system of systems and established a Global Agricultural Monitoring Task (AG-0703) to support this development. A global agricultural monitoring system of systems would comprise mapping and monitoring of changes in the distribution of cropland area, monitoring of agricultural production to support reporting of national agricultural statistics and production forecasts, and effective early warning of famine. The call for coordinated and sustained observations to support agricultural monitoring comes at an opportunistic time for radar. A new generation of SAR sensors includes RADARSAT-2, ALOS PALSAR, Cosmo-Skymed, TerraSAR-X, RISAT-1, and Sentinel-1. An international GEO workshop on SAR to support agriculture monitoring will be held on November 2-4 2009 in Banff, Alberta. For more information about the workshop, please visit: www.cgeo.gc.ca/announce/sar-ros-eng.pdf. This event supports the Government of Canada new Growing Forward policy Framework (April, 2009). Growing Forward will generate new benefits for Canadians by contributing to priorities in the areas of health, wellness and the environment. The workshop is coordinated by the Canadian Group on Earth Observations (CGEO) and the CGEO Secretariat in partnership with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, CSA, Environment Canada, Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada, Health Canada, Natural Resources Canada and Statistics Canada.

5. Global Security: Historic Wildfires in Australia Seen from Space

Fire plays an important role in most ecosystems in Canada and abroad. From a socio-economic perspective fire can, however, have negative or undesirable effects on public health and safety, property, and natural resources. The states of Victoria and New South Wales in Australia were affected by intense bushfires in February. According to the regional and national authorities, it is the largest natural disasters in Australia's history. Earth observation (EO) satellites are key resources in a variety of disaster management scenarios. The data has been used effectively in disaster responses such as forest fires, landslides, shifting infrastructure and subsidence, flash floods, hurricane monitoring, etc. The ability to deliver data in near-real time is essential for relief operations to map and monitor damage and for assessing the impact on the future. To read more about Australia fires and EO, please visit: http://www.asc-csa.gc.ca/eng/programs/grip/archive_090213.asp.

6. Extending Forest Inventory and Monitoring Over Space and Time

Forest inventory and monitoring programs are challenged to produce accurate, timely, and cost-efficient estimates of attributes and changes over time with complementary spatial products from local to global scales. Earth Observation (EO) satellites are important tools to accomplish these tasks. Governmental, industrial, academic, and scientific organizations will participate in the international conference titled "Extending Forest Inventory and Monitoring Over Space and Time" on May 19-22 2009, Quebec City. For more information, please visit: http://skog.for.msu.edu/meeting/index.html. To download the conference poster: ftp.asc-csa.gc.ca/users/EO-Express/pub/Forest%20Inventory%20Poster/.

7. Forest Sector: Boreal Products From Space

Forests occupies 35% of the total Canadian land area and 77% of Canada's total forest land, stretching between northern tundra and southern grassland and mixed hardwood trees. Through the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) Earth Observation Application Development Program (EOADP), Dendron Resource Surveys has developed ecological land class mapping products of northern boreal forests based on RADARSAT-2 and TerraSAR-X data. To view exemples of the products, please visit: ftp.asc-csa.gc.ca/users/EO-Express/pub/R2%20Dendron/.

8. Great Lakes Seen From Space

The Great Lakes are said to be ‘gifts of the glaciers' because of the way they were formed. About 100 000 years ago, the last major glacier called Laurentide formed over most of Canada. As Laurentide formed, giant ice sheets flowed into the land carving out valleys and levelling mountains. Some 14 000 years ago warmer temperatures began to melt Laurentide. As it began to retreat, the resulting meltwater filled the huge holes left by the glaciers. Covering a total area of 244 000 km² and containing about 23 000 km³ of water, together the Great Lakes form the largest connected area of fresh, surface water on Earth – roughly 18% of the world supply. This February 22 Envisat image highlights three of the five Great Lakes. Lakes Huron (left) and Erie (bottom) are partially ice-covered following snow storms in Michigan, while Lake Ontario (right) is completely visible in blue: esamultimedia.esa.int/images/imageoftheweek/Great_Lakes_20090224_H1.jpg.

9. The Americas, Our Neighbors, Our Priority: Disasters Management From Space in Argentina

Three key objectives form the basis of Canada's engagement in the Americas, including the Latin America and Caribbean region: to meet new security challenges, as well as natural disasters and health pandemics; to strengthen and promote our foundational values of freedom, democracy, human rights and rule of law; to build strong, sustainable economies through increased trade and investment linkages, as well as mutual commitment to expanding opportunity to all citizens. In February, a massive mudslide set off by heavy downpours affected thousands of people in Tartagal, in the north of the province of Salta, Argentina. Hundreds of people have been evacuated. Radar Earth Observation satellites are key resources in a variety of disaster management scenarios. To view the RADARSAT-2 floods and landslides products delivered to the Servicio Geologico Minero Argentino, please visit: www.disasterscharter.org/disasters/CALLID_243_e.html

10. International Assistance: Colombia Gets Helps From Canadian Satellite During Major Flood

Pandemics and natural disasters transcend borders. That is why, Canada is working with its neighbors in Latin America to anticipate and respond to such threats. The ability to deliver data in near-real time is essential for relief operations to map and monitor damage and for assessing impacts. In December 2008, severe flooding and landslides were being reported in the Magdalena Medio and Mojana regions of Colombia. 78,203 houses have been damaged and 52,000 hectares of crops have been destroyed by floods. RADARSAT flood products were delivered to Colombia emergency authorities to better manage the event: www.disasterscharter.org/graphics/dis/CALLID_236/3_ZAPATOSA%20SWAMP-Radarsat%201-14DEC08-jpg.jpg

11. International Assistance: Chilean Authorities Gets Help From Space During Volcanic Eruption

In February, Chaitén volcano spewed a vast cloud of ash as well as gas and molten rock in a partial collapse of its cone. RADARSAT products were delivered to Chilean Authorities to better manage the event: www.disasterscharter.org/graphics/dis/CALLID_246/bp_Chaiten_city_Fusion_02MAR09_
Radarsat_1_Aster.jpg, www.disasterscharter.org/graphics/dis/CALLID_246/bp_Chaiten_volcan_02MAR09_
Radarsat_1-Aster.jpg.

12. Mobilizing Science and Technology to Canada's Advantage: Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment (ACE)

Scientific and technological innovations enable modern economies to improve competitiveness and productivity, giving us the means to achieve an even higher standard of living and better quality of life. Ozone shields the surface of the Earth from a large percentage of the Sun's harmful ultraviolet rays. Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment (ACE), also known as SCISAT, is a Canadian satellite mission for remote sensing of the Earth's atmosphere. Data from the satellite has given scientists new insights into air pollution, climate change and the depletion of the ozone layer, particularly in the polar regions. The satellite owes much of its success to the performance of its two instruments, both designed and built in Canada: MAESTRO, developed by Environment Canada, the University of Toronto and EMS Technologies of Ottawa; and the Fourier Transform Spectrometer (ACE-FTS), developed by ABB BOMEM of Québec City. For more information, please visit: www.ace.uwaterloo.ca/.

13. Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity

The Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) is the first mission dedicated to measuring both the moisture in soil and salt in the surface waters of the oceans. Mapping soil moisture and ocean salinity, SMOS water mission will further our understanding of the water cycle – key to advancing research into global and regional climate change as well as weather and extreme-event forecasting. To read more about SMOS, please visit: www.esa.int/esaEO/SEM4ZO05VQF_index_0.html

14. International Assistance: RADARSAT-2 Flood Maps (Chobe River, Namibia)

These maps illustrate satellite-detected increase in flood water extent along the Chobe River between March 17, 20, 25 & 29 in the Caprivi Region, Namibia. Flood analysis was made using Radarsat-2, DMC and ENVISAT-ASAR data:
(1) unosat.web.cern.ch/unosat/freeproducts/namibia/Floods2009/UNOSAT_Namibia_
ChobeFlood_DMC_29March09_Lowres_v1.pdf,
(2) unosat.web.cern.ch/unosat/freeproducts/namibia/Floods2009/UNOSAT_Namibia_
ChobeFlood_Radarsat_25March09_Lowres_v1.pdf