Download Three Poles Comparison Study using Earth Observations

Side Meeting for Reinforcing the Development of the GEOCRI
Three Poles Comparison Study using
Earth Observations
GUO Huadong
[email protected]
Institute of Remote Sensing and Digital Earth
Chinese Academic of Sciences
8 Nov., 2016 @ St. Petersburg, Russia
Earth’s Three Poles
The Earth Has a Third Pole
North Pole
South Pole
Tibetan Plateau, the world’s largest and
highest plateau, is the ‘world’s third
pole’ it contains the biggest ice fields
outside of the Arctic and Antarctic.
Third Pole
The Earth’s north and south extremities
are crucial for regulating the climate,
and at the same time are particularly
sensitive to global warming. The Third
Pole, because it is high above sea level,
is also sensitive to changes in
temperatures.
Understanding to Global Change Requirement
Global Climate Changing
Sea level is rising
IPCC: “Global Warming
is an unarguable fact
and the globe will
continue to warm.”
• Since 1993 Global sea level has risen 37
mm
• 60% from expansion as ocean
temperatures rise
• 40% from melting glaciers
Steve Nerem
Understanding to Global Change Requirement
Hurricane
Drought
Flood
Snow/Ice
Hazards and
Climate Change
Number of disasters
Global Change Challenge – Frequency Disaster
Year
Earth’s Three Poles
Example: Scientific Significance of Three Poles
The apparent connection
between an ancestral
high-elevation species
and its modern polar
descendant is consistent
with our ‘Out-of-Tibet’
hypothesis postulating
that high-altitude Tibet
was a training ground for
cold-environment
adaptations well before
the start of the Ice Age.
Earth’s Three Poles
Scientific Significance of Three Poles
 Three Poles are sensitive factors and
indicators of global change.
 There are differences in responses of
Three Poles to global change, and
the correlation of the responses is
not clear yet.
 The changes of Three Poles are not
isolated.
 Existing researches are focused on
single pole, and there is very little
study covering Three Poles.
Earth’s Three Poles
Scientific Significance Research Scheme
Three poles: The Arctic, Antarctic and Himalayas all connect
 Comparative study on the environment changing trend
direction, amplitude and rate of Three Poles.
 Considering Three Poles as a whole, study their spatialtemporal varieties, interconnections and relationships of
environmental parameters.
 Understanding the effects and
responses of Three Poles to
global change, and analyze
their synchronism and
asynchronism mechanisms.
Advantages of Earth Observation for Three Poles
Moon-based
Platform
 Space-based Earth observation technology is the
irreplaceable way to get large scope, long-term and
multiscale information of Three Poles.
380’000
km
 There are sparse ground
observatories and fundamental
observations in polar regions.
GEO
Satellite
LEO
Satellite
30’000k
m
Hundreds of
kilometers
Airborne
Platform
Dozens of
kilometers
 Space-based Earth observation
has obvious advantages in
observing large-scale
phenomenon of Three Poles.
 Existing satellite data of the
remote regions is from 40 years
ago, filling in the gaps of
historical information.
 Multiple advanced data: it is easy
to get the data of polar orbit and
geostationary satellite.
 Space-based Earth observation
could observe Three Poles in a
short time - tens of minutes almost at the “same” time.
Priorities of Three Poles Comparative Study using
Earth Observations
 Environmental changes in Three Poles
Nature Factors – Snow and Ice Change
• Dynamic responses of snow and ice transition, and their
spatial and temporal variations.
• The changes in Three Poles snow and ice, and the induced
rise of sea level.
• The relationship between snow/ice in Three Poles and
global change.
Human Activity – Aerosol Change
• Spatial and temporal distribution of aerosol in Three
Poles.
• The relationship of aerosol in Three Poles and human
activities.
• The direct radiative forcing of aerosol in Three Poles.
Polar vanward vegetation – Vegetation Change
•The changes of carbon emission and vegetation
biomass caused by permafrost melting in Three Poles.
•The effect of permafrost and polar pioneer
vegetation in Three poles on global carbon cycle.
Potential Scientific Contribution
 Scientific methodology and research patterns of comparative
study of Three Poles.
 Understand the change patterns (changing direction and
amplitude), change rate, synchronism and asynchronism of
global change factors in Three Poles.
 Spatial and temporal distributions of snow and ice in 30 years, and their
correlations and differences between climate factors.
 Spatial and temporal distributions of aerosol, and the effect of human
activities on aerosol.
 The changes of carbon emission and vegetation biomass caused by
permafrost melting, and the effect of permafrost and polar pioneer
vegetation on global carbon cycle.
 Build space observation networks and large datasets.
 Build the research with international collaboration at
various level.
Perspective of the three poles comparative
research is to contribute scientific
understanding of Changing Earth’s Three Pole.
Thanks!