NASA: Geological Earth Mapping Experiment

Using cutting-edge airborne photography, NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) will map areas of the southwest of the country for vital minerals.

In order to better comprehend Earth's geology, biology, and the effects of climate change, scientists can get new knowledge about the planet's surface and atmosphere via hyperspectral data collected from hundreds of wavelengths of reflected light.

The Geological Earth Mapping Experiment (GEMx) will collect data over the country's arid and semi-arid regions, including parts of California, Nevada, Arizona, and New Mexico, using NASA's Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) and Hyperspectral Thermal Emission Spectrometer (HyTES) instruments flown on NASA's ER-2 and Gulfstream V aircraft.

"This exciting new project is just one example of the Biden-Harris Administration's commitment to a clean energy future," said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. "NASA has a long history of Earth observation that shows us how the planet is responding to climate change. This project builds on our 60-year legacy, and can show us where to look for the resources that support our transition to a clean energy economy. With our partners at USGS, NASA has led the way in developing these Earth observation systems to gather information to measure and monitor the environment and climate change."

In hundreds of wavelength bands, these new discoveries capture the spectroscopic signatures of surface minerals. In other words, these are measurements of wavelengths of light that extend into the infrared as well as the visible light that our eyes can see. The information can be used to pinpoint the presence of a wide range of minerals, including the main minerals responsible for the formation of rocks as well as mineral weathering or alteration.

The Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source Investigation, the newest NASA instrument on board the International Space Station, will supplement the data from this research (EMIT). To better understand how mineral dust influences the heating and cooling of the globe, EMIT is concentrating on mapping the mineral dust source composition of Earth's arid regions. The device also performs spectroscopic observations on the many wavelengths of light reflected by Earthly materials. On July 27, the mission gave its first image of Earth, and it is anticipated that by next month, it will be fully operational.

The USGS Earth Mapping Resources Initiative, with funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, is supporting the five-year, $16 million GEMx research project. The project will make use of the spectroscopic imaging technology created by NASA as well as the know-how in dataset analysis and information extraction from minerals. GEMx will give NASA vital high-resolution data at regional scales to help the development of the Surface Biology and Geology mission, a component of NASA's new Earth System Observatory, in addition to adding more detail to the mineral maps created by EMIT. The questions surrounding the flows of carbon, water, nutrients, and energy within and between ecosystems and the atmosphere, ocean, and Earth will be addressed by the Surface Biology and Geology mission.

"This exciting new project is just one example of the Biden-Harris Administration's commitment to a clean energy future," said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. "NASA has a long history of Earth observation that shows us how the planet is responding to climate change. This project builds on our 60-year legacy, and can show us where to look for the resources that support our transition to a clean energy economy. With our partners at USGS, NASA has led the way in developing these Earth observation systems to gather information to measure and monitor the environment and climate change."

At the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NASA began researching spectrum imaging systems in 1979. AVIRIS was created as a result of the Airborne Imaging Spectrometer, the initial system. The 17-year Earth Observing-1 mission, which carried the first Earth-orbiting instrument spanning the AVIRIS spectral range, Hyperion, is only one example of the many missions in which NASA and USGS have worked together to collect and analyze spectroscopic data. Mineral research has a long history of using this kind of spectroscopic imaging. Other Earth science, ecological, and biological challenges such geological acid mine drainage, debris flows, agriculture, wildfires, and biodiversity can all be understood with the use of this data.

WNCTIMES by Marjorie Farrington October 3, 2022

Photo Credit: NASA