A new space mission called TRUTHS or Traceable Radiometry Underpinning Terrestrial- and Helio- Studies is currently being prepared by the European Space Agency and its partners to measure the amount of heat Earth has trapped from climate change.
As specified in a Space.com report, this mission will perform the measurement to help gauge if humanity is attaining any progress in dealing with the worst impacts of climate change.
Specifically, TRUTHS will examine the so-called "energy balance" of Earth, the difference between the amount of energy that's arriving at the planet from the sun and the amount that's getting reflected to space.
The more heat this planet traps, the warmer it gets, and it is the hazardous greenhouse gases that develop conditions for Earth to tram pore of the entering heat.
The TRUTHS Mission
Introduced on November 3 at the UN Climate Change Conference or COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland, the TRUTHS mission will "set a benchmark" for the detection of change in the climate system of Earth, stated ESA in a statement. More so, it comprises a satellite that could take off into orbit in 2029.
According to the head of Earth observation and climate at the United Kingdom Space Agency, Beth Greenaway, the mission will play an important role in enhancing how climate change is monitored through the use of satellite data and back the pivotal climate action that "global nations are negotiating at COP26." The UK Space Agency is ESA's key partner for this new space mission.
The spacecraft carries two main instruments, including the Cryogenic Solar Absolute Radiometer and the Hyperspectral Imaging Spectrometer.
This pair of instruments will unceasingly gauge entering and reflected solar radiation. Moreover, the mission will not only help identify changes concerning climate change but develop a very precise reference system too that will be utilized as a benchmark for other gauges and climate models.
The TRUTHS mission is still waiting for a decision in terms of financial backing, although if everything goes well, by 2029, it should already be in orbit, as stated by ESA in the statement.
Monitoring Signs of Climate Change
Satellites play a crucial role when it comes to the monitoring of climate change, although a recent report by the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites said that preciseness of observations based in space need improvement to allow scientists and policymakers to evaluate whether mitigation measures have any impact, according to the UK Space Agency. This new space mission might help address such a challenge.
Head of Earth Observation and Science at aerospace Company Airbus Justin Byrne said TRUTHS is an essential mission because it will provide the gold standard for the space-based Earth observation's calibration, a type of standards laboratory in space. Airbus is a leader in the industrial consortium that develops the mission.
According to a scientific officer and researcher, Vera Thiemig, from the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission, maintaining global warming within 1.5 degrees Celsius will lessen the risk of wildfires and that of heat linked to death two-thirds. The danger of severe floods will drop by 50 percent.
Report about COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland is shown on EUClimateAction's YouTube video below:
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