American Astronautical Society, Astronauts and Robots: Partners in Space Exploration, May 12-13, 2015 - http://astronautical.org/event/astronauts-robots

1. Earth ScienceEarth Science
Presentation toPresentation to
American Astronautical SocietyAmerican Astronautical Society
Conference on Astronauts and Robots:
Partners in Space Science and Exploration
May 13, 2015May 13, 2015
Randall R. FriedlRandall R. Friedl

2. Jet Propulsion Laboratory
California Institute of Technology
"The Earth is a very small stage in a
vast cosmic arena. … Our
posturings, our imagined self-
importance, the delusion that we
have some privileged position in the
Universe, are challenged by this
point of pale light.“
-- Carl Sagan
From "Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of
the Human Future in Space,"
Random House, 1994
View from Voyager
View from Mars
Space observations provide a new
perspective on Earth

3. Jet Propulsion Laboratory
California Institute of Technology
Space observations reveal an inter-connected
Earth system
MISR - aerosols
MLS – ozone layer
TES – trace gas
AIRS – atmospheric temperature
CLOUDSAT – water content
JASON – sea surface height
QUIKSCAT – wind
GRACE – gravity
Aquarius - sea surface salinity

4. Jet Propulsion Laboratory
California Institute of TechnologySpace observations track Earth
transformations
Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP)
Operational Linescan System (OLS)

5. Jet Propulsion Laboratory
California Institute of Technology
At many spatial scales
1988
Pearl River Delta, China: Landsat false
color image
Chandler Arizona: Landsat True color
image
From NASA/USGS

6. Jet Propulsion Laboratory
California Institute of Technology
Sea Surface Temperature
(left) and Rainfall (Right)
anomalies in the Eastern
Pacific
From NASA’s Earth
Observatory based on
AVHRR and blended rainfall
data from multiple satellites
1997
2007
Example 1: Understanding El Nino,
La Nina, and Rainfall Patterns

7. Jet Propulsion Laboratory
California Institute of TechnologyExample 2: Projecting sea level rise
Satellite
Record
From TOPEX/Poseidon
And Jason series
3.0 m0.3 m Average Global Sea Level Rise
Over the Next 10 Years
100
50
0
%Probability
Greenland ice
mass loss, from
NOAA Arctic
Report Card

8. Jet Propulsion Laboratory
California Institute of Technology
Example 3: Understanding Arctic
sea ice inter-annual processes and
longer-term trends
2002
2008 2015
From NASA Earth Observatory
Based on SSMI/DMSP data

9. Jet Propulsion Laboratory
California Institute of Technology
1979 1990
2001 2013
From NASA Earth Observatory, based on TOMS/OMI data
Example 4: Understanding Antarctic ozone
inter-annual processes and longer-term
trends

10. Example 5: Understanding ground waterExample 5: Understanding ground water
storage changesstorage changes
Landerer, JPL
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
California Institute of Technology
GW
SW
Groundwater depletion during drought
threatens future water security of the
Colorado River Basin,
(from Castle et al., 2014)
Surface and ground water storage
anomalies from GRACE data

11. Jet Propulsion Laboratory
California Institute of Technology
Example 6: Characterizing Fault Slip and Crustal
Motion
• Central creeping segment (AA’ to DD’): nonuniform creeping at shallow depth (~0-6km) and partially locked at upper
crustal level (~6-10km)
• Parkfield segment (EE’ to GG’): creeping at 0-4 km and locked at variable depth range
• Increased coupling towards Parkfield and fully locked in 1857 EQ rupture area (HH’ and beyond)
(Liu, et al, 2011)