Temperature maps taken from space will increase agricultural production

Scientists are developing a satellite system to record the temperature of crop fields from space. The data will help to estimate the use of water and the quantities available for crops.

 

 

 

The work is part of a coordinated effort between NASA, the US Space Agency and ESA, the European Space Agency. This new system is included in Copernicus, the EU's Earth observation program, and is added to the number of European satellites.

 

 

 

This Land Surface Temperature Monitoring (LSTM) system would be able to identify individual field temperatures of about 40m in diameter. More than 10 times more detailed than those provided by the current mapping of the Earth's surface temperature of the Sentinel satellite.

 

 

 

The LSTM would allow researchers to calculate in real time the amount of water needed by different plants in different areas and the frequency with which these plants should be irrigated. It could also be used to help computer models predict droughts.

 

 

 

"The main scientific goal is to help agriculture and increase agricultural production," said Professor Martin Wooster of King's College, London, UK, who heads a team of scientists.