Recently, reports from Chronicle.info explained how NASA succeeded in identifying tsunamis with the help of a laser. IceSat-2 is a laser which functionality reaches high demands. The space-based laser technology for Earth measurements has the skill to enter to a 40-foot depth of water on our planet.
IceSat-2 resurfaced a year ago when NASA released a laser mission. The mission has the goal to study why the glaciers of Antarctica and Greenland are melting. The mission developed at the National Space Agency succeeded to reach another goal. The laser proved an effective skill when it entered into the depths of water. IceSat-2 set a record of a depth of 40 meters with its laser beam.
NASA also succeeded to achieve with IceSat-2, a way to map the seabed around the low-positioned Pacific Islands. An intelligent way to help scientists identify the future tsunami, too. The space laser accords support, also, for researchers who started a mission of global reserves of freshwater evaluation.
Laser IceSat-2 Equipment
Atlas is another laser, part of the IceSat-2, able to emit 10,000 pulses of light per second. Atlas was released last year in September. The action of pulses which touches the layer of Earth is powerful. The pulses bounce back for a few milliseconds.
For scientists, IceSat-2 is a useful tool because they can take measurements of the Antartic and Greenland ice. They also can verify the status of the forests. IceSat-2 got in the attention of US Coast guard and US Geological, too.
Unfortunately, the use of the laser has its limits. IceSat-2 can’t perform any action if the water is turbid, because it is tough to get any information from it. Also, this type of advanced technology proved to be kind of useless for the depths of the ocean.
