Latest news with #Earthscience
Free Malaysia Today
30-07-2025
- Science
- Free Malaysia Today
US, India launch powerful Earth-monitoring satellite
Nisar blasted off around 5.40pm from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre on India's southeastern coast. (AP pic) WASHINGTON : A formidable new radar satellite jointly developed by the US and India launched today, designed to track subtle changes in Earth's land and ice surfaces and help predict both natural and human-caused hazards. Dubbed Nisar (Nasa-Isro Synthetic Aperture Radar), the pickup truck-sized spacecraft blasted off around 5.40pm from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre on India's southeastern coast, riding an Isro Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle rocket. Livestream of the event showed excited schoolchildren brought to watch the launch and mission teams erupting in cheers and hugging. Highly anticipated by scientists, the mission has also been hailed as a milestone in growing US-India cooperation between president Donald Trump and prime minister Narendra Modi. 'Our planet surface undergoes constant and meaningful change,' Karen St Germain, director of Nasa's Earth science division, told reporters ahead of launch. 'Some change happens slowly. Some happens abruptly. Some changes are large, while some are subtle.' By picking up on tiny changes in the vertical movement of the Earth's surface – as little as 1cm – scientists will be able to detect the precursors for natural and human-caused disasters, from earthquakes, landsides and volcanoes to aging infrastructure like dams and bridges. 'We'll see land substance and swelling, movement, deformation and melting of mountain glaciers and ice sheets covering both Greenland and Antarctica, and of course, we'll see wildfires,' added St Germain, calling Nisar 'the most sophisticated radar we've ever built'. India in particular is interested in studying its coastal and nearby ocean areas by tracking yearly changes in the shape of the sea floor near river deltas and how shorelines are growing or shrinking. Data will also be used to help guide agricultural policy by mapping crop growth, tracking plant health, and monitoring soil moisture. Equipped with a 12m dish that will unfold in space, Nisar will record nearly all of Earth's land and ice twice every 12 days from an altitude of 747km. Microwave frequencies As it orbits, the satellite will continuously transmit microwaves and receive echoes from the surface. Because the spacecraft is moving, the returning signals are distorted, but computer processing will reassemble them to produce detailed, high-resolution images. Achieving similar results with traditional radar would require an impractically large 12-mile-wide dish. Nisar will operate on two radar frequencies: L-band and S-band. The L-band is ideal for sensing taller vegetation like trees, while the S-band enables more accurate readings of shorter plants such as bushes and shrubs. Nasa's jet propulsion laboratory and India's Isro shared the workload, each building components on opposite sides of the planet before integrating and testing the spacecraft at Isro's Satellite Integration & Testing Establishment in the southern Indian city of Bengaluru. Nasa's contribution came to just under US$1.2 billion, while Isro's costs were around US$90 million. India's space programme has made major strides in recent years, including placing a probe in Mars orbit in 2014 and landing a robot and rover on the moon in 2023. Shubhanshu Shukla, a test pilot with the Indian air force, recently became the second Indian to travel to space and the first to reach the International Space Station – a key step toward India's own indigenous crewed mission planned for 2027 under the Gaganyaan ('Sky Craft') programme.
Daily Mail
17-07-2025
- Science
- Daily Mail
Mysterious ‘blobs' deep inside the Earth may cause deadly volcanic eruptions that wipe out life
Explosive volcanic eruptions don't just damage property or cancel flights; they can kill hundreds or even thousands of people with lethal 'pyroclastic' flows. Now, scientists in Australia have identified mysterious 'blobs' about 1,200 miles under the surface that could cause massive eruptions. Blobs are three-dimensional regions that span the length of continents and can be 100 time the height of Mount Everest. They sit at the bottom of Earth's rocky mantle above the molten outer core, a place so deep that Earth's elements are squeezed beyond recognition. The blobs are also the starting point for plumes of hot molten rock which flow up towards the Earth's surface. There they erupt as lava, gases and rock fragments with the capability of wiping out life as we know it. The scientists warn that giant, large-scale eruptions can have serious impacts, such as sudden climate change and mass extinction events. Volcanic eruptions can intensify global warming by adding greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide (CO2) to the atmosphere. Giant volcanoes also triggered events that led to the largest mass dying on Earth, the Permian-Triassic extinction 252 million years ago. 'These blobs have possibly existed for hundreds of millions of years,' say the researchers from the University of Wollongong, near Sydney. Earth is made up of three layers – the crust, the mantle and the core, which was recently separated into 'inner' and 'outer'. According to the team, blobs are at the bottom of Earth's mantle, betwee 1,200 miles and 1,800 miles below our feet. The mantle, the planet's thickest layer, is predominantly a solid rock, but blobs may be different compared with the surrounding mantle rocks. Blobs are made of rock just like the rest of the mantle, but they're thought to be hotter and heavier. For their study, the team used computer modeling to simulate 'mantle convection' – the movement of material in Earth's mantle powered by heat – over one billion years. Blobs, which are some 1,200 miles below Earth's surface, move over time and are connected to Earth's surface by 'mantle plumes' that create giant eruptions Their findings suggest that mantle plumes – columns of hot molten rock in the mantle – rise up from the continent-sized blobs. Mantle plumes are shaped a bit like a lollipop sticking upwards, with the 'stick' the plume tail and the 'candy' nearer Earth's surface the plume head. The researchers found that locations of volcanic eruption fall either onto, or close to, the location of blobs, as predicted by their models. This suggests that blobs, an acronym for Big LOwer-mantle Basal Structures, are essentially the deep-Earth origin of volcanic eruptions. Typically, deep Earth motions are in the order of 0.4-inch per year, so they only become significant over tens of millions of years. Blobs probably shift in a year at roughly the rate at which human hair grows each month, the team say. Although they have possibly existed for hundreds of millions of years, it's unclear what causes their movement. Mantle plumes rise very slowly from blobs through the mantle because they transport hot solid rock, not melt or lava. At lower pressures in the uppermost 125 miles of Earth's mantle, the solid rock melts, leading to volcanic eruptions. 'We used statistics to show that the locations of past giant volcanic eruptions are significantly related to the mantle plumes predicted by our models,' explain the authors in a piece for The Conversation. 'This is encouraging, as it suggests that the simulations predict mantle plumes in places and at times generally consistent with the geologic record.' The new findings, published in Communications Earth and Environment, suggest that the deep Earth is even more dynamic than we realized. Future research aims to explore the chemical nature of blobs, which might be possible with simulations that track the evolution of their composition.
Daily Mail
14-07-2025
- Science
- Daily Mail
Mysterious blobs deep inside Earth may fuel deadly volcanic eruptions - with the capability of wiping out life as we know it
Explosive volcanic eruptions don't just damage property and cancel flights. They can kill hundreds or even thousands of people, burying them under lethal 'pyroclastic' flows. Now, scientists in Australia have identified a possible cause of gigantic volcanic eruptions – mysterious 'blobs' about 1,200 miles under our feet. Blobs are three-dimensional regions that span the length of continents and stretch 100 times higher than Mount Everest. They sit at the bottom of Earth's rocky mantle above the molten outer core – a place so deep that Earth's elements are squeezed beyond recognition. And they're a starting point for plumes of hot molten rock which flow upwards towards the Earth's surface. There they erupt as lava, gases and rock fragments – with the capability of wiping out life as we know it. The authors warn that giant, large-scale eruptions can have serious impacts, such as sudden climate change and mass extinction events. Volcanic eruptions can intensify global warming by adding greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide (CO2) to the atmosphere. Giant volcanoes also triggered events that led to the largest mass dying on Earth, the Permian-Triassic extinction 252 million years ago. 'These blobs have possibly existed for hundreds of millions of years,' say the researchers from the University of Wollongong near Sydney. Earth is made up of three layers – the crust, the mantle and the core, which was recently separated into 'inner' and 'outer'. According to the team, blobs are at the bottom of Earth's mantle, about 1,200 miles and 1,800 miles (2,000km and 3,000km) below our feet. The mantle, the planet's thickest layer, is predominantly a solid rock – but blobs may be different compared with the surrounding mantle rocks. Blobs are made of rock just like the rest of the mantle, but they're thought to be hotter and heavier. For their study, the team used computer modeling to simulate 'mantle convection' – the movement of material in Earth's mantle powered by heat – over one billion years. Blobs, which are some 1,200 miles below Earth's surface, move over time and are connected to Earth's surface by 'mantle plumes' that create giant eruptions How do scientists know about Earth's interior? No one can see inside the Earth, nor can drill deep enough to take rock samples from the mantle, the layer between Earth's core and crust. So geophysicists use indirect methods to see what's going on deep beneath our feet. For example, they use seismograms, or earthquake recordings, to determine the speed at which earthquake waves propagate. They then use this information to calculate the internal structure of the Earth - similar to how doctors use ultrasound to see inside the body. Their findings suggest that mantle plumes – columns of hot molten rock in the mantle – rise up from the continent-sized blobs. Mantle plumes are shaped a bit like a lollipop sticking upwards – with the 'stick' the plume tail and the 'candy' nearer Earth's surface the plume head. The researchers found that locations of volcanic eruption fall either onto (or close to) the location of blobs, as predicted by their models. This suggests that blobs – an acronym standing for Big LOwer-mantle Basal Structures – are essentially the deep-Earth origin of volcanic eruptions. Typically, deep Earth motions are in the order of 0.4-inch (1 cm) per year, so they only become significant over tens of millions of years. Blobs probably shift in a year at roughly the rate at which human hair grows each month, the team say. Although they have possibly existed for hundreds of millions of years, it's unclear what causes their movement. Mantle plumes rise very slowly from blobs through the mantle because they transport hot solid rock, not melt or lava. Cotopaxi, one of the highest active volcano in the world, stands at 19,347 feet (5,897 metres). Historically, its activity started in 1534 when the Spanish conquistadors began to venture into the territories that are now Ecuador At lower pressures in the uppermost 125 miles (200 km) of Earth's mantle, the solid rock melts, leading to volcanic eruptions. 'We used statistics to show that the locations of past giant volcanic eruptions are significantly related to the mantle plumes predicted by our models,' explain the authors in a piece for The Conversation. 'This is encouraging, as it suggests that the simulations predict mantle plumes in places and at times generally consistent with the geologic record.' The new findings, published in Communications Earth and Environment, suggest that the deep Earth is even more dynamic than we realised. Future research aims to explore the chemical nature of blobs, which might be possible with simulations that track the evolution of their composition. HOW CAN RESEARCHERS PREDICT VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS? According to Eric Dunham, an associate professor of Stanford University's School of Earth, energy and Environmental Sciences, 'Volcanoes are complicated and there is currently no universally applicable means of predicting eruption. In all likelihood, there never will be.' However, there are indicators of increased volcanic activity, which researchers can use to help predict volcanic eruptions. Researchers can track indicators such as: Volcanic infrasound: When the lava lake rises up in the crater of an open vent volcano, a sign of a potential eruption, the pitch or frequency of the sounds generated by the magma tends to increase. Seismic activity: Ahead of an eruption, seismic activity in the form of small earthquakes and tremors almost always increases as magma moves through the volcano's 'plumbing system'. Gas emissions: As magma nears the surface and pressure decreases, gases escape. Sulfur dioxide is one of the main components of volcanic gases, and increasing amounts of it are a sign of increasing amounts of magma near the surface of a volcano. Ground deformation: Changes to a volcano's ground surface (volcano deformation) appear as swelling, sinking, or cracking, which can be caused by magma, gas, or other fluids (usually water) moving underground or by movements in the Earth's crust due to motion along fault lines. Swelling of a volcano cans signal that magma has accumulated near the surface.
The Advertiser
04-07-2025
- Science
- The Advertiser
Australia's environment is in decline and so is the tool needed to protect it
Australia is changing - we know this from decades of careful, detailed observation. However, the systems that provide this environmental intelligence are now under severe strain. Satellites, weather and water stations, and field surveys are the window to our environment, but these systems are under threat just when we need them most. The latest Australia's Environment special report on 25 years of change makes this clear. Since 2000, our population has grown by 44 per cent, adding immense pressure on land, water and biodiversity. Over the same period, Australia's average land temperature has increased by 0.81 degrees Celsius, with 16 more days above 35 degrees each year. Ocean temperatures have also warmed, by around 0.43 degrees, fuelling more marine heatwaves and mass coral bleaching events of the Great Barrier Reef. The number of listed threatened species has risen by 741, from 1397 to 2138, a 53 per cent increase. Counts of birds, mammals, frogs and plants show dramatic declines, by more than 60 per cent in some cases. Their decline reflects habitat destruction, invasive species, climate stress and ecosystem disruption. There are a few hopeful signs. In parts of eastern and northern Australia, vegetation condition has improved, with increased leaf area, woody growth, and plant cover, likely driven by shifting rainfall patterns, reduced clearing and CO2 fertilisation. River flows and wetland inundation have also recovered in some regions. The hole in the ozone layer has started to close in response to global action. All of these insights come from long-term environmental monitoring. Our report draws on data from the Bureau of Meteorology, the Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network (TERN), national and state agencies, volunteer networks, and global satellite partnerships, including NASA's MODIS satellite program, now in operation for 25 years. The consistency and breadth of these records allow us to detect trends, understand drivers and make informed decisions. Australia does not operate its own Earth observation satellites. It relies entirely on other countries, particularly the United States, for critical data. Agencies like NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) supply the satellite imagery and climate records that underpin almost all aspects of environmental monitoring in Australia, tracking weather, water, fires, vegetation and greenhouse gases. Now that access is becoming uncertain. The Trump administration's 2026 budget blueprint proposes dramatic cuts to environmental science: NASA's Earthscience funding could be halved, while NOAA's climate and weather programs face deep reductions. These agencies have already begun scaling back services. NOAA has closed labs, cut staff and announced the decommissioning of public data portals, while forecasting and satellite operations are under pressure. Australia has no backup. If these data streams are disrupted or discontinued, no domestic system can replace them. At the same time, our own on-ground monitoring infrastructure is ageing and underfunded. Weather stations and stream gauges are being decommissioned or left unrepaired. Groundwater and soil-moisture networks are patchy, and many regional areas are data deserts. Field-based surveys of plants and animals are even more fragile. Many threatened species receive no dedicated monitoring. Long-term ecological studies are rare and often rely on individual researchers or one-off grants. Volunteer groups and citizen scientists remain a vital source of knowledge, but formal participation is declining and long-term support is thin. This slow erosion of Australia's environmental intelligence may go unnoticed until it's too late. Gaps in monitoring make it harder to detect emerging threats or assess the impact of policies and interventions. As long-term records are interrupted, their value diminishes, and when international access is uncertain, we may end up flying blind. A future national agency, Environment Protection Australia (EPA), currently in the works, must play a broader role than just regulation. It should become a champion for environmental data, recognising that protecting nature requires knowing what's happening, where, and why. That means investing in the infrastructure of environmental observation, from satellites to sensors to surveys. It means forging durable partnerships with international agencies but also building more sovereign capability. It also means valuing the contributions of community groups and researchers, and providing sustained support for the data they collect. The Australia's Environment: 25-Year Trends report shows what's possible when we invest in data: we gain a clearer picture of what's changing, what's improving, what still needs attention. But it also shows how easily that picture can blur or disappear altogether. You can't protect what you can't measure and right now, our ability to measure itself needs to be protected. Australia is changing - we know this from decades of careful, detailed observation. However, the systems that provide this environmental intelligence are now under severe strain. Satellites, weather and water stations, and field surveys are the window to our environment, but these systems are under threat just when we need them most. The latest Australia's Environment special report on 25 years of change makes this clear. Since 2000, our population has grown by 44 per cent, adding immense pressure on land, water and biodiversity. Over the same period, Australia's average land temperature has increased by 0.81 degrees Celsius, with 16 more days above 35 degrees each year. Ocean temperatures have also warmed, by around 0.43 degrees, fuelling more marine heatwaves and mass coral bleaching events of the Great Barrier Reef. The number of listed threatened species has risen by 741, from 1397 to 2138, a 53 per cent increase. Counts of birds, mammals, frogs and plants show dramatic declines, by more than 60 per cent in some cases. Their decline reflects habitat destruction, invasive species, climate stress and ecosystem disruption. There are a few hopeful signs. In parts of eastern and northern Australia, vegetation condition has improved, with increased leaf area, woody growth, and plant cover, likely driven by shifting rainfall patterns, reduced clearing and CO2 fertilisation. River flows and wetland inundation have also recovered in some regions. The hole in the ozone layer has started to close in response to global action. All of these insights come from long-term environmental monitoring. Our report draws on data from the Bureau of Meteorology, the Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network (TERN), national and state agencies, volunteer networks, and global satellite partnerships, including NASA's MODIS satellite program, now in operation for 25 years. The consistency and breadth of these records allow us to detect trends, understand drivers and make informed decisions. Australia does not operate its own Earth observation satellites. It relies entirely on other countries, particularly the United States, for critical data. Agencies like NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) supply the satellite imagery and climate records that underpin almost all aspects of environmental monitoring in Australia, tracking weather, water, fires, vegetation and greenhouse gases. Now that access is becoming uncertain. The Trump administration's 2026 budget blueprint proposes dramatic cuts to environmental science: NASA's Earthscience funding could be halved, while NOAA's climate and weather programs face deep reductions. These agencies have already begun scaling back services. NOAA has closed labs, cut staff and announced the decommissioning of public data portals, while forecasting and satellite operations are under pressure. Australia has no backup. If these data streams are disrupted or discontinued, no domestic system can replace them. At the same time, our own on-ground monitoring infrastructure is ageing and underfunded. Weather stations and stream gauges are being decommissioned or left unrepaired. Groundwater and soil-moisture networks are patchy, and many regional areas are data deserts. Field-based surveys of plants and animals are even more fragile. Many threatened species receive no dedicated monitoring. Long-term ecological studies are rare and often rely on individual researchers or one-off grants. Volunteer groups and citizen scientists remain a vital source of knowledge, but formal participation is declining and long-term support is thin. This slow erosion of Australia's environmental intelligence may go unnoticed until it's too late. Gaps in monitoring make it harder to detect emerging threats or assess the impact of policies and interventions. As long-term records are interrupted, their value diminishes, and when international access is uncertain, we may end up flying blind. A future national agency, Environment Protection Australia (EPA), currently in the works, must play a broader role than just regulation. It should become a champion for environmental data, recognising that protecting nature requires knowing what's happening, where, and why. That means investing in the infrastructure of environmental observation, from satellites to sensors to surveys. It means forging durable partnerships with international agencies but also building more sovereign capability. It also means valuing the contributions of community groups and researchers, and providing sustained support for the data they collect. The Australia's Environment: 25-Year Trends report shows what's possible when we invest in data: we gain a clearer picture of what's changing, what's improving, what still needs attention. But it also shows how easily that picture can blur or disappear altogether. You can't protect what you can't measure and right now, our ability to measure itself needs to be protected. Australia is changing - we know this from decades of careful, detailed observation. However, the systems that provide this environmental intelligence are now under severe strain. Satellites, weather and water stations, and field surveys are the window to our environment, but these systems are under threat just when we need them most. The latest Australia's Environment special report on 25 years of change makes this clear. Since 2000, our population has grown by 44 per cent, adding immense pressure on land, water and biodiversity. Over the same period, Australia's average land temperature has increased by 0.81 degrees Celsius, with 16 more days above 35 degrees each year. Ocean temperatures have also warmed, by around 0.43 degrees, fuelling more marine heatwaves and mass coral bleaching events of the Great Barrier Reef. The number of listed threatened species has risen by 741, from 1397 to 2138, a 53 per cent increase. Counts of birds, mammals, frogs and plants show dramatic declines, by more than 60 per cent in some cases. Their decline reflects habitat destruction, invasive species, climate stress and ecosystem disruption. There are a few hopeful signs. In parts of eastern and northern Australia, vegetation condition has improved, with increased leaf area, woody growth, and plant cover, likely driven by shifting rainfall patterns, reduced clearing and CO2 fertilisation. River flows and wetland inundation have also recovered in some regions. The hole in the ozone layer has started to close in response to global action. All of these insights come from long-term environmental monitoring. Our report draws on data from the Bureau of Meteorology, the Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network (TERN), national and state agencies, volunteer networks, and global satellite partnerships, including NASA's MODIS satellite program, now in operation for 25 years. The consistency and breadth of these records allow us to detect trends, understand drivers and make informed decisions. Australia does not operate its own Earth observation satellites. It relies entirely on other countries, particularly the United States, for critical data. Agencies like NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) supply the satellite imagery and climate records that underpin almost all aspects of environmental monitoring in Australia, tracking weather, water, fires, vegetation and greenhouse gases. Now that access is becoming uncertain. The Trump administration's 2026 budget blueprint proposes dramatic cuts to environmental science: NASA's Earthscience funding could be halved, while NOAA's climate and weather programs face deep reductions. These agencies have already begun scaling back services. NOAA has closed labs, cut staff and announced the decommissioning of public data portals, while forecasting and satellite operations are under pressure. Australia has no backup. If these data streams are disrupted or discontinued, no domestic system can replace them. At the same time, our own on-ground monitoring infrastructure is ageing and underfunded. Weather stations and stream gauges are being decommissioned or left unrepaired. Groundwater and soil-moisture networks are patchy, and many regional areas are data deserts. Field-based surveys of plants and animals are even more fragile. Many threatened species receive no dedicated monitoring. Long-term ecological studies are rare and often rely on individual researchers or one-off grants. Volunteer groups and citizen scientists remain a vital source of knowledge, but formal participation is declining and long-term support is thin. This slow erosion of Australia's environmental intelligence may go unnoticed until it's too late. Gaps in monitoring make it harder to detect emerging threats or assess the impact of policies and interventions. As long-term records are interrupted, their value diminishes, and when international access is uncertain, we may end up flying blind. A future national agency, Environment Protection Australia (EPA), currently in the works, must play a broader role than just regulation. It should become a champion for environmental data, recognising that protecting nature requires knowing what's happening, where, and why. That means investing in the infrastructure of environmental observation, from satellites to sensors to surveys. It means forging durable partnerships with international agencies but also building more sovereign capability. It also means valuing the contributions of community groups and researchers, and providing sustained support for the data they collect. The Australia's Environment: 25-Year Trends report shows what's possible when we invest in data: we gain a clearer picture of what's changing, what's improving, what still needs attention. But it also shows how easily that picture can blur or disappear altogether. You can't protect what you can't measure and right now, our ability to measure itself needs to be protected. Australia is changing - we know this from decades of careful, detailed observation. However, the systems that provide this environmental intelligence are now under severe strain. Satellites, weather and water stations, and field surveys are the window to our environment, but these systems are under threat just when we need them most. The latest Australia's Environment special report on 25 years of change makes this clear. Since 2000, our population has grown by 44 per cent, adding immense pressure on land, water and biodiversity. Over the same period, Australia's average land temperature has increased by 0.81 degrees Celsius, with 16 more days above 35 degrees each year. Ocean temperatures have also warmed, by around 0.43 degrees, fuelling more marine heatwaves and mass coral bleaching events of the Great Barrier Reef. The number of listed threatened species has risen by 741, from 1397 to 2138, a 53 per cent increase. Counts of birds, mammals, frogs and plants show dramatic declines, by more than 60 per cent in some cases. Their decline reflects habitat destruction, invasive species, climate stress and ecosystem disruption. There are a few hopeful signs. In parts of eastern and northern Australia, vegetation condition has improved, with increased leaf area, woody growth, and plant cover, likely driven by shifting rainfall patterns, reduced clearing and CO2 fertilisation. River flows and wetland inundation have also recovered in some regions. The hole in the ozone layer has started to close in response to global action. All of these insights come from long-term environmental monitoring. Our report draws on data from the Bureau of Meteorology, the Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network (TERN), national and state agencies, volunteer networks, and global satellite partnerships, including NASA's MODIS satellite program, now in operation for 25 years. The consistency and breadth of these records allow us to detect trends, understand drivers and make informed decisions. Australia does not operate its own Earth observation satellites. It relies entirely on other countries, particularly the United States, for critical data. Agencies like NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) supply the satellite imagery and climate records that underpin almost all aspects of environmental monitoring in Australia, tracking weather, water, fires, vegetation and greenhouse gases. Now that access is becoming uncertain. The Trump administration's 2026 budget blueprint proposes dramatic cuts to environmental science: NASA's Earthscience funding could be halved, while NOAA's climate and weather programs face deep reductions. These agencies have already begun scaling back services. NOAA has closed labs, cut staff and announced the decommissioning of public data portals, while forecasting and satellite operations are under pressure. Australia has no backup. If these data streams are disrupted or discontinued, no domestic system can replace them. At the same time, our own on-ground monitoring infrastructure is ageing and underfunded. Weather stations and stream gauges are being decommissioned or left unrepaired. Groundwater and soil-moisture networks are patchy, and many regional areas are data deserts. Field-based surveys of plants and animals are even more fragile. Many threatened species receive no dedicated monitoring. Long-term ecological studies are rare and often rely on individual researchers or one-off grants. Volunteer groups and citizen scientists remain a vital source of knowledge, but formal participation is declining and long-term support is thin. This slow erosion of Australia's environmental intelligence may go unnoticed until it's too late. Gaps in monitoring make it harder to detect emerging threats or assess the impact of policies and interventions. As long-term records are interrupted, their value diminishes, and when international access is uncertain, we may end up flying blind. A future national agency, Environment Protection Australia (EPA), currently in the works, must play a broader role than just regulation. It should become a champion for environmental data, recognising that protecting nature requires knowing what's happening, where, and why. That means investing in the infrastructure of environmental observation, from satellites to sensors to surveys. It means forging durable partnerships with international agencies but also building more sovereign capability. It also means valuing the contributions of community groups and researchers, and providing sustained support for the data they collect. The Australia's Environment: 25-Year Trends report shows what's possible when we invest in data: we gain a clearer picture of what's changing, what's improving, what still needs attention. But it also shows how easily that picture can blur or disappear altogether. You can't protect what you can't measure and right now, our ability to measure itself needs to be protected.
Washington Post
08-06-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
The NASA science missions that would be axed in Trump's 2026 budget
President Donald Trump's fiscal 2026 budget request, if approved by Congress, would kill many of NASA's plans for robotic exploration of the solar system. Gone, too, would be multiple space-based missions to study Earth, the sun and the rest of the universe. Among the planets that would get less attention are Venus, Mars and Jupiter. But the planet facing the biggest drop in scrutiny from space is our own. The Trump budget proposal calls for reducing Earth science funding by 53 percent.
