How does remote sensing contribute to monitoring climate change?

Remote sensing significantly contributes to monitoring climate change by providing long-term data on temperature and various phenomena related to the Earth's climate system. This capability is essential because climate change is a gradual process that occurs over extended periods, making it necessary to have continuous and consistent data to detect trends and shifts over time.

Remote sensing technologies, such as satellites, gather data from different parts of the electromagnetic spectrum, allowing for the measurement of surface temperatures, atmospheric gases, and vegetation changes, among other factors. This extensive dataset helps scientists analyze how temperature patterns are changing over time and how these changes correlate with climate-related events such as droughts, floods, and shifts in ecosystems.

The continuity of the data collected from remote sensing ensures that researchers can establish baselines, identify anomalies, and track the effects of climate change globally. In contrast, focusing solely on individual weather events or specific phenomena would provide a limited view, which would not adequately represent the broader climate change narrative. Similarly, while ocean currents and soil composition are important aspects of environmental science, they do not encapsulate the comprehensive overview of climate change that long-term temperature data provides.