NASA has selected four proposals for climate science missions, including an effort led by a University of Washington researcher, to go forward for further study with millions of dollars in funding.
STRIVE, which has UW atmospheric scientist Lyatt Jaeglé as its principal investigator, would focus on interactions between the stratosphere and the troposphere.
“STRIVE would allow us to see the composition and temperature of the atmosphere with much finer detail than previously possible from space,” Jaeglé told GeekWire in an email. “It would enable us to observe how smoke from fires and volcanoes affect the ozone layer. It would give us needed information to understand how the troposphere and stratosphere interact, and how these interactions influence weather, climate and air quality.”
Jaeglé said “the entire STRIVE team is very excited at the prospect of moving forward in this next step to prepare the concept study.”
The three other studies winning support from NASA’s new Earth System Explorers Program are ODYSEA, EDGE and Carbon-I. Each of the science teams for the four selected proposals will receive $5 million to conduct a one-year concept study.
After the study period, NASA will choose two of the proposals to go forward to launch, with readiness dates expected in 2030 and 2032. For each chosen investigation, the mission cost will be capped at $310 million. That figure doesn’t include launch costs, which will be covered by NASA.
NASA’s Earth System Explorers Program focuses on Earth science questions relating to topics such as greenhouse gases, the ozone layer, ocean surface currents and changes in ice and glaciers around the world.
““The proposals represent another example of NASA’s holistic approach to studying our home planet,” Nicky Fox, NASA’s associate administrator for science, said today in a news release. “As we continue to confront our changing climate, and its impacts on humans and our environment, the need for data and scientific research could not be greater. These proposals will help us better prepare for the challenges we face today, and tomorrow.”
Here are further details about each of the proposals:
- STRIVE (Stratosphere Troposphere Response Using Infrared Vertically-Resolved Light Explorer): This mission would provide daily, near-global, high-resolution measurements of temperature, a variety of atmospheric elements and aerosol properties from the upper troposphere to the mesosphere. It would also measure vertical profiles of ozone and trace gases needed to monitor and understand the recovery of the ozone layer. The science team includes researchers from UW, NorthWest Research Associates, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and other institutions in the U.S. and Canada. Mission partners also include NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center and Northrop Grumman, BAE Systems and Leidos.
- ODYSEA (Ocean Dynamics and Surface Exchange With the Atmosphere): This satellite would measure ocean surface currents and winds to improve our understanding of air-sea interactions and surface current processes that impact weather, climate, marine ecosystems and human well-being. The proposal is led by Sarah Gille at the University of California in San Diego.
- EDGE (Earth Dynamics Geodetic Explorer): This mission would observe the three-dimensional structure of terrestrial ecosystems and the surface topography of glaciers, ice sheets and sea ice as they are changing in response to climate and human activity. The mission would provide a continuation of measurements that are currently made from space by ICESat-2 and GEDI. The proposal is led by UCSD’s Helen Amanda Fricker.
- Carbon-I (The Carbon Investigation): This investigation would enable simultaneous, multi-species measurements of critical greenhouse gases and potential quantification of ethane – which could help study processes that drive natural and human-caused emissions. The proposal is led by Caltech’s Christian Frankenberg.
We’ve updated this report with comments from UW’s Lyatt Jaeglé.
