03 February 2007

A different spin on global warming


This weekend the media has ramped up their stories on global warming in the wake of the recent report by the world's top climate scientists reporting the certainty that global warming is caused by man. While the implications are many, here's one our remote sensing fans haven't braced for: Satellites are going to be speeding up. See, the changing outer reaches of the atmosphere will get just a little bit thinner. And without as many air particles in the way, those satellites will orbit a little faster. I assume that for some of them this will be a major issue and that for others it just means that their imagery or radio or TV connections will require some changes in programming.

Of the Top 10 Surprising Results of Global Warming, people will probably feel some (like increased hay fever and forest fires) more than others. But if this messes up GPS or Satellite TV broadcasts, well, you can bet that its impacts will be felt.

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