US and European space agencies are jointly deploying a new satellite nicknamed 鈥淐limate Guardian鈥� to monitor sea levels in an unprecedented way.
It鈥檚 not the first such satellite, but it is its accuracy that stands out the most, as scientists have managed to create never before seen sensitivity.
As reported in , there are considerable consequences to rising sea levels.
鈥淏illions of people living in coastal areas around the planet are at risk in the coming decades as melting polar ice and ocean expansion caused by warming push waters ever higher up the shore.
鈥淲e know that sea level is rising,鈥� Aschbacher said. The big question is, by how much, how quickly.鈥�
While scientists have measured sea levels in thousands of places worldwide, this doesn鈥檛 provide a uniform picture.The new satellite will take full measurements of the entire globe by orbiting the earth every 10 days.
And because the measuring sensors are a lot more sensitive, scientists will be able to gather a lot more precise data, especially in coastal areas.
This will provide never before seen volumes of data that scientists will use to gain more significant insights into how fast sea levels are rising and which places are most affected.
