NASA has recently used data taken from space and Earth to determine that forests that have been burned or logged multiple times have fewer animal noises than the unharmed sections. It is likely that the species that were present in the area that was burned tend to leave the place and not return back. NASA showcased an unscathed piece of the Amazon rainforest using satellite cameras to back up this claim put forth by some of the leading scientists. The data to support this belief were collected from the satellite records of the Landsat program, which is the longest-running enterprise for the acquisition of satellite imagery of Earth.
The Landsat program that recently marked its 50th anniversary in space enabled scientists to look at the lidar measurements and decades of data to study the areas that get burnt or logged repeatedly. A video shared by the space organization features a close-up view of a forest canopy that zooms out to grow into a bigger picture including countless trees, rivers, and clouds surrounding the area. Finally, the clip ends with the entire view of South America. Notably, the audio of birds chirping from an unscathed Amazon forest fragment was recorded as a part of this field study. While sharing the clip, the official social media page of NASA stated, “That’s not your sound machine, that’s a piece of the unscathed Amazonian rainforest”.
The team further added, “With satellite records from our Landsat program, acoustic recordings from teams on the ground, and lidar measurements, the scientists were able to look at decades of data to study areas that have been deforested and logged repeatedly. The Landsat program recently marked its 50th anniversary in space. With such long records, scientists are able to “see back in time” and use historical data and new techniques to study the impact of humans on our natural world.” Take a look at the video here:
The video has received a thunderous response on the internet. A netizen while reacting to the clip said, “NASA wow! This is just so mind-blowing!! Truly, guys, we need to protect Amazon at all costs!” Another wrote, “That forest mustn’t destroy. We love nature, we love science, and we can save this forests.” Meanwhile, one more added, “the lungs of the planet, yet it is in danger.” The video captured by the Landsat program has gained over 3 lakh likes on the photo-sharing application.
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