• by Marcela Valente* - Tierramérica (buenos aires)
• Monday, June 13, 2011
• Inter Press Service
• Tierramérica

Argentina and the United States have launched a jointly developed satellite observatory that will provide real-time information critical to understanding two major components of the earth's climate system: the water cycle and ocean circulation.

Equipped with instruments built by Argentina and the United States, with contributions from Canada, France and Italy, the Satélite de Aplicaciones Científicas (SAC)-D/Aquarius satellite was launched into space on Jun. 10 from Vandenberg Air Force Base in the western U.S. state of California.

'The main objective of the mission is to obtain data on the oceans, climate and environment,' said Sandra Torrusio, the head researcher for the project from the Argentine space agency CONAE.

Aquarius will measure the salinity or saltiness of the ocean, providing a better understanding of how ocean circulation, weather and climate are influenced by the massive natural exchange of freshwater between the ocean, atmosphere and sea ice.

Ocean surface salinity varies from place to place and over time. 'Any change in salinity causes changes in the density and pattern of ocean currents. This information is very important for greater understanding of the water cycle and climate,' Torrusio told Tierramérica.

'It will be a great observatory,' she declared. Aquarius will produce weekly maps with estimates of the salinity in all of the world’s oceans. Until now, this data could only be gathered by ships and buoys, and only in certain areas.

These maps will be 'more refined' than regular satellite images, but even a layperson would be able to interpret them through the use of a few simple references, said Torrusio.

The data provided, which will be freely available on the internet, will make it possible to develop much more accurate models for forecasting the weather and future climate.

Before it was launched, the satellite was tested by the Brazilian National Space Research Institute, another partner in the project.

It is the fourth and most sophisticated satellite jointly developed and launched by CONAE and the U.S. space agency NASA.

The main data collection instrument on board the spacecraft, Aquarius, was contributed by NASA. It is also equipped with seven other measurement and observation instruments, five of them built in Argentina, one in France, and one in Italy.

'Between the first satellite launched by Argentina in 1996, which weighed just 100 kilograms, and the new satellite, there has been an increase in complexity,' engineer and CONAE programme coordinator Fernando Hisas told Tierramérica.

The SAC-D spacecraft weighs 1,400 kilograms and measures 2.7 meters in diameter and seven meters in length with its antenna deployed. It can reach a speed of 28,000 kilometers an hour and orbit the earth 14 times in one day.

'When you think about how much it takes to place one gram of weight in space, this satellite gives you an idea of the development that has taken place,' commented Hisas.

SAC-D/Aquarius will make it possible to measure soil humidity in vast areas of land. The instruments developed in Argentina will facilitate monitoring of sea and land surface temperatures, volcanic activity and major fires, enabling early warning of flooding or droughts.

A microwave radiometer will measure wind speed, precipitation and the distribution of sea ice, while an infrared camera based on new technology will monitor fires, volcanoes and surface sea temperature and another will detect electrical storms.

CONAE has also developed a system to collect meteorological and environmental data gathered by terrestrial stations, as well as a system to monitor the speed and position of the satellite.

Argentina will be responsible for receiving the information sent by SAC-D and sending commands from the earth station at the Teófilo Tabanera Space Centre in Falda del Carmen, located in the central province of Córdoba.

The instruments developed by CONAE were conceived for specific applications in Argentina, but their services can be used by other Latin American countries with advance planning, said Torrusio.

CONAE shares 'very strong cooperation with the other countries of the region,' and there is definitely the potential for joint research based on the data provided by SAC-D/Aquarius, noted Hisas.

The satellite will carry out various tasks for a number of different projects that will be executed over the coming years, he explained.

SAC-D/Aquarius has a planned lifetime of five years, but could continue to operate longer, like the previous satellite sent into orbit by CONAE and NASA in 2000, which is still providing services. The first data from the new satellite are expected to arrive a month after its launch.

*This story was originally published by Latin American newspapers that are part of the Tierramérica network. Tierramérica is a specialised news service produced by IPS with the backing of the United Nations Development Programme, United Nations Environment Programme and the World Bank.

© Inter Press Service (2011) — All Rights Reserved. Original source: Inter Press Service

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