Flood Detection a Surprising Capability of Microsatellites Mission (IMAGE)

NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center

Flood Detection a Surprising Capability of Microsatellites Mission

Caption

The CYGNSS satellites measure wind speed by determining how choppy the water is from a microwave signal bounced off the ocean surface. Similar to how light can reflect a clear or distorted image of the moon on a lake depending on whether or not the water has ripples, the microwave signal changes depending on how smooth (low wind) or choppy (high wind) the ocean is.

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University of Michigan

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