Latest news with #SethBorenstein
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Scientists raise alarm after uncovering growing threat circling Earth: 'There are millions of pieces of it'
Space junk in Earth's orbit may increase because of the effects of the same heat-trapping gases that are polluting the air and warming the planet, according to a recent study. A team led by Massachusetts Institute of Technology researchers determined that, with Earth's warming, space debris could accumulate enough to reduce the low Earth orbit area available for satellites by between a third and 82% by the year 2100, as the Associated Press detailed. The reason for this, per the study published in Nature Sustainability in March, is that climatic changes high above ground could reduce the effectiveness of the upper atmosphere in clearing up space litter. "Part of the greenhouse effect that warms the air near Earth's surface also cools the upper parts of the atmosphere where space starts and satellites zip around in low orbit," AP science writer Seth Borenstein explained. "The cooling also makes the upper atmosphere less dense, which reduces the drag on the millions of pieces of human-made debris and satellites." Because of that drag, space trash normally gets pulled back toward Earth and burns up along the way. This cleanup effect weakens when the upper atmosphere is cooler and less dense. Orbiting debris endangers equipment that people on Earth depend on for numerous reasons. "Rapid expansion in the utilization of satellites in low Earth orbit for communications, weather forecasting, navigation, defence and more has increased humanity's reliance on the long-term sustainability of this region," the study noted. The AP reported that there are millions of pieces of space junk of about one-ninth of an inch or larger that can carry the impact of a bullet. "A piece of space debris the size of a blueberry can create the impact of a falling anvil," per the Space Debris 101 page of The Aerospace Corporation, a company that tracks orbiting items. "We rely on the atmosphere to clean up our debris," Will Parker, the study's lead author, told the AP. "There's no other way to remove debris. It's trash. It's garbage. And there are millions of pieces of it." Do you think America has a plastic waste problem? Definitely Only in some areas Not really I'm not sure Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. The researchers used modeling to calculate the satellite carrying capacity of low Earth orbit under different carbon pollution scenarios (with different abilities to burn up trash). Possibilities ranged widely, but the estimated reduction in capacity by 2100 was 82% under the worst-case scenario for the most useful part of the orbital space. Scientists and space companies are exploring ways to clean up potentially costly space waste — or to minimize the creation of more. Meanwhile, reducing the impacts of atmospheric pollution on space debris comes down to reducing that pollution. Under the researchers' better-case scenarios, carbon pollution is lower, and the atmosphere keeps burning space trash at a higher rate. Reducing pollution carries with it the connected benefits of limiting other costs and risks to people and the planet that come with overheating at Earth's surface. In addition to government and industry actions to reduce pollution, individuals can take actions big and small — from installing solar panels to finding ways to save money and energy at home. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Euronews
12-03-2025
- Science
- Euronews
Climate change could reduce the number of satellites that can safely orbit Earth, study finds
By Seth Borenstein with AP A new study says space may become more littered with debris as climate change lessens nature's way of cleaning it up ADVERTISEMENT Climate change is already causing all sorts of problems on Earth, but soon it will be making a mess in orbit around the planet too, a new study finds. Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have calculated that, as global warming caused by burning of coal, oil, gas continues, it may reduce the available space for satellites in low Earth orbit by anywhere from one-third to 82 per cent by the end of the century, depending on how much carbon pollution is spewed out. That's because space will become more littered with debris as climate change lessens nature's way of cleaning it up. How is climate change reducing space for satellites? Part of the greenhouse effect that warms the air near Earth's surface also cools the upper parts of the atmosphere where space starts and satellites zip around in low orbit. The cooling also makes the upper atmosphere less dense, which reduces the drag on the millions of pieces of human-made debris and satellites. That drag pulls space junk down to Earth, burning it up on the way. But a cooler and less dense upper atmosphere means less space cleaning itself, resulting in space becoming more crowded, according to a study in Monday's journal Nature Sustainability. 'We rely on the atmosphere to clean up our debris. There's no other way to remove debris,' said study lead author Will Parker, an astrodynamics researcher at MIT. 'It's trash. It's garbage. And there are millions of pieces of it.' The density at 400 kilometers above Earth is decreasing by about 2 per cent a decade, said Ingrid Cnossen, a space weather scientist at the British Antarctic Survey who was not part of the research. This decrease is also likely to intensify as society pumps more greenhouse gas into the atmosphere. Cnossen said in an email that the new study makes 'perfect sense' and is why scientists have to be aware of climate change's orbital effects 'so that appropriate measures can be taken to ensure its long-term sustainability.' How much junk is circling our planet? Circling Earth are millions of pieces of debris about 3 millimeters and larger - the width of two stacked pennies - and those collide with the energy of a bullet. There are tens of thousands of plum-sized pieces of space junk that hit with the power of a crashing bus, according to The Aerospace Corporation, which monitors orbital debris. That junk includes results of old space crashes and parts of rockets with most of it too small to be tracked. There are 11,905 satellites circling Earth - 7,356 in low orbit - according to the tracking website Orbiting Now. Satellites are critical for communications, navigation, weather forecasting and monitoring environmental and national security issues. 'There used to be this mantra that space is big. And so we can we can sort of not necessarily be good stewards of the environment because the environment is basically unlimited,' Parker said. But a 2009 crash of two satellites created thousands of pieces of space junk. Also NASA measurements are showing measurable the reduction of drag, so scientists now realise that 'the climate change component is really important,' Parker said.
