Answer to Question #294316 in Civil and Environmental Engineering for Fareed Askul

Question

Describe any five challenges in analysing climate change using remote sensing.

Answer 1

1. Increased Spatial and Temporal Coverage and Resolution of Satellite Observations

One of the major advantages of the satellite remote sensing is the capability to quickly observe large regions of the Earth. At the same time, coverage limitations of currently available satellite data are also evident (an overview of satellite coverage capabilities is discussed by Kim et al., 2020). For example, polar orbiting imagers in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) generally achieve global coverage in minimum of one day (but mostly two or more days), so many natural phenomena that have higher temporal and spatial variability are not fully captured.

2. Development of the State-of-Art Data Processing Approaches of the Next Generation

The quality of a remote-sensing retrieval algorithm is another critical aspect that affects the quality of the final product. In fact, once the instrument has been deployed, the quality of the resulting observational data cannot be radically improved, while retrieval algorithms remain under constant improvement. The final remote sensing product can be notably different not only due to ingesting data from different instruments, but also due to improvements of retrieval concepts. In this regard, the new generation of remote sensing retrieval algorithms have advanced significantly in the past decade. 

3.Achieving Continuity in Consistent Satellite Observations and Long-Term Data Record

A long-term and high-quality record of essential climate variables is critical for monitoring and studying the Earth’s Climate change. A necessary condition for achieving this goal is the continuity of the observations, which can only be assured when high quality data collection continues without breach. Otherwise, gaps in a multi-instrument data record cannot be properly interpreted, and the value of the satellite record nearly vanishes.

4.Increased Information Content and Exploring Synergy of Observations

Although the high capabilities of satellite observations have been clearly documented, the current data provided by our satellite instruments have limited information content for many applications. Therefore, the deployment of new sensors with enhanced capabilities is desirable and planned.

5.Lack of qualified staff

This is the issue that was most frequently mentioned in the literature. The fact that GIS is a relatively new technology means that staff with GIS training and skills are in high demand and beyond the reach of most health department budgets.