Deformation, Ecosystem Structure, and Dynamics of Ice (DESDynI)

Earth's surface and interior are undergoing a constant process of change. Variations in the ice sheets and land cover impact the climate and the environment. Violent events such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, landslides, and floods reshape the surface and pose significant hazards.

DESDynI is a proposed dedicated U.S. InSAR and LIDAR mission optimized for studying hazards and global environmental change.

http://desdyni.jpl.nasa.gov

Solid Earth Science Working Group (SESWG)

Understanding the dynamics of the solid Earth is critical for developing an interconnected view of Earth science. The dynamics of the solid Earth are, in fact, quite varied: tectonic plates shifting, coasts eroding, and volcanic eruptions occur from geologic timescales to sudden, catastrophic moments.

Experiments conducted over the past decade have shown that it is possible to study the dynamics behavior of the Earth from space. Satellite-based measurements are among the most practical and cost-effective techniques for producing systematic data sets over a wide range of spatial and temporal scales. The combination of space-based and surface measurements has the potential to mitigate the hazards and manage the risks associated with natural disasters.

Read the review of the SESWG report from the National Research Council of the National Academies [click here].

Global Earthquake Satellite System (GESS)

The Global Earthquake Satellite System (GESS) study responds to the clearly articulated need within the solid-Earth science community for dense surface deformation data. It is a detailed implementation plan in alignment with the recommendations of the Solid Earth Science Working Group (SESWG), and charts the course for NASA to make major contributions to the interagency EarthScope program, while broadening those goals to a global scope.

In the GESS study, we explored the requirements space for various components of an integrated system, but focused our mission architecture studies on systems that deliver high-accuracy, high-resolution surface deformation using InSAR. Detailed science requirements were gathered from the wider community to guide the studies.

Our Restless Planet

We live on a restless planet. Earth is continually influenced by the sun, gravitational forces, processes emanating from deep within the core, and by complex interactions with oceans and atmospheres. Accurate diagnosis of our restless planet requires an observational capability for precise measurement of surface change, or deformation. Measurement of both the slow and fast deformations of Earth are essential for improving the scientific understanding of the physical processes, and for optimizing responses to natural hazards, and for identifying potential risk areas.

Geo-Hazards Natural Laboratory for the Asia Pacific Arc and Western North America Meeting Report

An international meeting was held in Maui, Hawaii, to explore options for expanding several international Solid Earth programs into the larger framework of a Geo-Hazards Natural Laboratory for the Asia Pacific Arc and Western North America. This meeting topic falls within the larger context of Natural Laboratories worldwide, including discussions in Europe about the Alpine-Himalayan belt and the Mediterranean region. Participants met to (1) review the status of existing in situ networks and currently available remote sensing data sets; (2) determine what additional remote sensing observations are needed to achieve Natural Laboratory goals; and (3) draft recommendations to be forwarded to the international space agencies.

InSAR Workshop Summary Report

Errata for the Workshop Summary Report

InSAR movie (close captioned version)

This report summarizes the major findings of a symposium attended by 260 scientists and engineers in an effort to guide U.S. efforts in Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR), a critical tool for studying dynamic changes of the Earth’s surface and natural hazards associated with these changes. InSAR observations provide critical and otherwise unavailable data enabling comprehensive, global measurements to better understand and predict changes in the Earth system. The InSAR Workshop was funded jointly by NASA’s Earth Science program, the Geosciences Directorate of the National Science Foundation, and the U.S. Geological Survey. This report was assembled by the Reports Committee of the InSAR Working Group and echoes the call for "InSAR everywhere, all the time."