How satellite remote sensing is enhancing our understanding of Earth

Satellites like Landsat detect light interacting with substances in Earth’s atmosphere and on its surface. But it’s not as simple as just launching and pointing the instruments and reading out a conclusion. Instead, scientists must work hard to devise metrics, known as products and indices, to glean meaning from the data. They must also ensure the measurements are accurate, involving not just laboratory validation but also experiments that take scientists to more unusual settings in the atmosphere and ocean. And as new instruments take to the skies , covering more of the electromagnetic spectrum, scientists are accessing ever more information to help do everything from feeding the world to dealing with toxic algae.