Spectacular revelations about the changing face of Australia are emerging from an airborne mission by CSIRO and US scientists.
The world's most sophisticated airborne remote sensing technology is flying over Australia, collecting detailed information on the state of our rainforests and mangrove swamps, scope for rich mineral deposits, and the exact shape of the landscape.
In a joint CSIRO and NASA project, NASA's DC-8 airborne laboratory will be in Australia until 25/11. The aircraft carries three advanced remote sensing systems developed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena that are prototypes for future spacecraft instruments. These are the Airborne Synthetic Aperture Radar (AIRSAR), Thermal Infrared Multispectral Scanner (TIMS) and Airborne Emission Spectrometer (AES).
"The AIRSAR system enables scientists to create precision topographic maps with a height accuracy of less than 1 metre, detect geological structures associated with oil, gas and minerals, assess hazard from flood potential, landslides and volcanoes, map soil moisture and measure the impact of humans on the environment," CSIRO scientist, Dr Ian Tapley said.
The radar is an all-weather imaging tool able to penetrate clouds and collect data day and night. It is an active system that transmits its own energy in three frequencies. Information about the ground surface and subsurface are provided from the radar signal bouncing back off the ground surface and subsurface features.
TIMS records the temperature of the ground and since this varies between day and night, can collect two sets of data. By combining and contrasting the data sets, scientists are able to detect ancient river systems and geological structures beneath the sand of Australia's deserts.
The AES is an instrument designed to measure trace atmospheric gases such as ozone, methane and carbon monoxide (these are some of the "greenhouse" gases as well as pollutants in the troposphere). Using remote sensing instruments like AES, scientists can study the contributions of forest fires and controlled burning to atmospheric pollution. A space-borne system will monitor atmospheric composition on a global scale.
During the rest of its time in Australia the aircraft will fly from Townsville over the Daintree and PNG, the Alice Springs district and the Top End.
The aircraft will fly over the Daintree River area tomorrow, investigating the structure and biodiversity of a number of mangrove ecosystems.
Next week the aircraft will fly over the Northern Territory and make a study of the extent weed infestation along the Daly river, assess meteorite impact structures, and will map the desert, woodland, rangeland, mangroves and freshwater vegetation areas.
Flight Program:
14/11 - From Townsville over Daintree and Weipa 19/11 - Townsville to Alice with sites in Alice district 21/11 - Alice Springs to Darwin with sites in Tanami, Great Sandy Desert, Kimberley region 23/11 - local flight out of Darwin
There is an opportunity for journalists to be on board a flight on 23/11. If you would like to arrange this the organisers will need plenty of warning, including names, affiliations and reasons for wanting to take the trip so please contact them as soon as possible. Contact Dr Ian Tapley 015 483 893.
There will also be opportunity for photos on morning of 23/11 at Darwin airport, or other days by arrangement.
Dr Ian Tapley, a scientist with the Cooperative Research Centre for Landscape Evolution and Mineral Exploration through the CSIRO Division of Exploration and Mining, will be available for interviews this afternoon (13/11), 22/11, 23/11 (pre-flight and post flight), telephone: 015 483 893.
Dr Alex Held CSIRO Division of Water Resources about will be available from today to talk about the Daintree part of the project: (06) 246 5718.