DEPARTMENT FOR BUSINESS, ENERGY & INDUSTRIAL STRATEGY

Thermal infrared technologies for supporting environmental assessment and decision making in the Ganges Basin

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Description

This project will use state-of-the-art Sentinel-3A land measurements complemented by observations from in situ and airborne vehicles to map the heterogeneity of land surface properties across the Ganges Basin. Novel STFC datasets characterising heat stress, crop water stress and vegetation fire will be generated and used to identify changes in agricultural practises in the region. We will demonstrate how these prototype datasets will support in-country Non-Government Organisations (NGOs) focussed on livelihoods and wellbeing of farming community and their families. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) implemented by the United Nations specify that poor and vulnerable communities must have; a) improved resilience to climate and economic shocks, b) implementation of resilient agricultural practises and c) eradicated water scarcity, by 2030. Furthermore the conservation, restoration and sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems must be ensured by 2020. These goals epitomise that interventions are necessary to support life on land and reduce poverty and are of particular relevance to rural communities living in the Indo-Gangetic Plain (IGP). Specific issues that these communities need protecting against are; a) an increased rate of urbanisation, b) groundwater decline, c) soil erosion through incorrect agriculture practises, d) illegal crop residue burning and e) rising temperatures due to the changing climate. In response to anthropogenic perturbations to the Ganges Basin surface, Indian academics have joined emerging international efforts to determine how geological, chemical and atmospheric interactions impact the ecosystem using an interdisciplinary monitoring approach through critical zone observatories (CZO). Challenges in monitoring the Ganges basin include a lack of high temporal and spatial resolution data at sub-regional, district -level scales as well as large uncertainties in land surface measurements over the heterogeneous landscape. The use of sensors on-board space- and airborne- platforms to monitor critical zones can provide independent sources of information about the ecosystem and overcome challenges in monitoring processes from the ground. This project builds on work done in a previous STFC 21st Century Global Challenges Exploration collaboration between the University of Leicester and the Indian Institute for Technology Kanpur (IITK). In this project we will employ land measurements from the STFC calibrated space technology, in the form of the Sea and Land Surface Temperature Radiometer (SLSTR) on Sentinel-3A which will be used to map the heterogeneity of the Ganges CZO and surrounding regions. Complementary high resolution sensors on airborne platforms will provide the first in-depth mapping of the CZO from which an understanding of the land-use processes contributing to ground water depletion and crop stress will be identified. Implementation of a high resolution radiometer in the Ganges basin will provide the first opportunity to validate and assess SLSTR measurements in the IGP. Together with other space-borne data, SLSTR will be used to generate prototype information on heat-, crop and fire-stress of which the efficiency will be tested through implementation into land and hydrological models and via community feedback through NGOs. New datasets and knowledge created as part of this project will provide the evidence base for intervention strategies that will feed into targeted policy briefs and recommendations required to protect critical zones across the IGP.

Objectives

The Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) supports cutting-edge research to address challenges faced by developing countries. The fund addresses the UN sustainable development goals. It aims to maximise the impact of research and innovation to improve lives and opportunity in the developing world.

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Location

The country, countries or regions that benefit from this Programme.

India

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