"Watching the Planet Breathe": New Technology Allows NASA to Leap Atmospheric Bounds

By: Genevieve Finn

The Earth is headed towards a crisis. Yes, you read that right: our Earth will soon face drastic consequences if we continue to burn fossil fuels, cut down oxygen-making trees at our current rate, and do not fortify our atmosphere. "Count all the barrels of oil and all the fossil fuels and we should see an increase in CO2 levels in the future," says reputable Cal-Tech scientist Dr. Christian Frankenberg. Another factor in this crisis is the "global tree die-off", which is significantly lowering oxygen-encouraging photosynthetic activity. Dr. Frankenberg says photosynthetic activity is, "the input energy into everything on Earth." It is key to creating oxygen, light, and our very lifestyles. "It is the reason we live as human beings." Can you imagine a world without oxygen or light? Not likely. So you see, if we do not move to stop this impending atmospheric crisis, our world will soon change dramatically for the worse.

            Luckily, NASA is working to prevent this crisis, and the first step to preventing the problem is exploring it. This is where the work of Dr. Frankenberg and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) come in. Dr. Frankenberg, who we interviewed, studies patterns of photosynthesis and how oxygen/carbon levels fluctuate under different conditions. Working with the Japanese, Dr. Frankenburg and his team have closely examined the Earth's carbon levels. They are also a key part of NASA's newest project, labeled OCO-2 to allude to the actual element carbon's scientific name CO2.                        

            This project is a special satellite that will orbit the Earth collecting maps of CO2 distribution across the globe. The satellite will measure chlorophyll distribution by taking photos of areas of high chlorophyll fluorescence, which are places where chlorophyll, a key ingredient in plants, shines strongly. Dr. Frankenberg said proudly, "Now (carbon) won't be able to play hide-and-seek with us." This project falls under the auspices of NASA, which means it is ultimately financed by the public. Dr. Frankenberg says the costliest part of the project will be launching it on Delta 2, the most reliable US space vehicle.

            In three days, the NASA Orbiting Carbon Observatory will launch into space and begin sending back vital information about chlorophyll fluorescence and the carbon cycle to scientists on Earth. The scientists will analyze this data and assess Earth's current atmospheric situation to understand how we can better manage our oxygen usage and carbon generation in the future.

            OCO-2 will launch on June 30th of 2014. You can look deeper into this project and the work of Dr. Frankenberg at these sites:

http://oco.jpl.nasa.gov

https://science.jpl.nasa.gov/people/CFrankenberg/

Also remember to look out for Earthscope Media's radio reports and excerpts of Dr. Frankenberg's interviews on KWL Radio Station this coming July.