A satellite can’t touch a rice paddy. It can still tell you exactly how much methane that paddy is releasing.
🏛️ Must Know
What Satellite Remote Sensing Can Actually Measure
- Chlorophyll Content Satellite data genuinely can estimate chlorophyll content in vegetation at a specific location.
- Greenhouse Gas Emissions Satellite data genuinely can estimate greenhouse gas emissions from rice paddies at a specific location.
- Land Surface Temperature Satellite data genuinely can measure land surface temperatures at a specific location.
- Correct Answer All three are genuine uses. The correct answer is 1, 2 and 3.
Good to Know
📘 Good to Know
How Satellites Actually Measure These Things
- NDVI Tracks Plant Health Sensors compare near-infrared and red light reflected by plants to calculate the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index, a proxy for chlorophyll and plant health.
- Radar Detects Methane Synthetic Aperture Radar and atmospheric sensors can detect methane released from flooded rice paddies, a major greenhouse gas source.
- Thermal Sensors Read Heat Thermal infrared sensors on satellites like INSAT-3D and Landsat measure land surface temperature. They read it directly from the heat objects radiate.
📝 Previous Year Questions
UPSC CSP 2019 — What Satellite Remote Sensing Can Measure
- UPSC 2019 Satellite remote sensing genuinely can measure chlorophyll content, rice-paddy greenhouse gas emissions, and land surface temperature. See UPSC CSP 2019 GS Paper I, Q32. View this question.
Test Yourself
Great to Know
🌟 Great to Know
Why Rice Paddies Matter for Climate Monitoring
- A Major Methane Source Flooded rice paddies are one of the largest human-linked sources of methane, a potent greenhouse gas.
- India’s Own Remote Sensing Fleet ISRO’s own Indian Remote Sensing satellites contribute to this kind of environmental monitoring alongside international missions.
- Connects to Other PYQ Facts This same remote-sensing capability also underlies UPSC questions on India’s own IRS satellite programme.
Beyond the answer
Browse all science-and-technology topics →
📚 Keep reading
UPSC CSP 2019 — General Studies Paper I (Full Question Paper)EnvEco0166 — Methane Hydrate Deposits and the Climate Risk They PoseIndEco0092 — Rice Cultivation in IndiaEnvEco0187 – Rice: The Crop Behind Both Methane and Nitrous OxideSciTech0125 — Bhaskara-I and Bhaskara-II❓ Practice this topic
What does India's National Viral Hepatitis Control Programme aim to achieve by 2030?According to WHO, how does viral hepatitis's global death toll compare to HIV/AIDS?What can now cure most Hepatitis C infections, even without a vaccine?Since when has a Hepatitis B vaccine existed?🎲 Take a Science And Technology Quiz
Leave a Reply