The Delta Exchange (Delta-X) was a five-year campaign focused on environmental changes in the Mississippi River Delta. Delta-X had two deployments during the boreal spring and summer of 2021. Airborne imagery and sediment samples from the surrounding wetlands were collected to determine which parts of the Mississippi River Delta will survive rising sea levels. Several “Pre-Delta-X” deployments were carried out in 2015 and 2016, with validation activities occurring in 2022. Delta-X is part of NASA's Earth Venture Suborbital-3 (EVS-3) projects.
2021-03-26 — 2023-09-30
Atchafalaya and Terrebonne basins of the Mississippi River Delta
The Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle Synthetic Aperture Radar (UAVSAR) is an airborne polarimetric L-band radar developed and operated by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). It provides differential interferometric measurements that can be used to understand deformation caused by phenomena such as earthquakes, volcanoes, and glaciers. UAVSAR operates at a frequency of 1.26 GHz and has a range bandwidth of 80 MHz. It features a horizontal resolution of 6 meters and a swath width of 20 kilometers at an altitude of 12 kilometers.
The Air Surface Water and Ocean Topography (AirSWOT) is an airborne instrument suite developed to support calibration efforts for the SWOT satellite mission. AirSWOT consists of three components: Ka-band SWOT Phenomenology Airborne Radar (KaSPAR), Digital Camera System, and Precision Inertial Motion Units (IMU). The KaSPAR — which is the main element of AirSWOT — collects across-track interferometry data to produce digital elevation models over land and water surfaces. It operates at 35.75 GHz and has a spatial resolution of 3.6 m.
Earth Science > Land Surface > Topography > Terrain Elevation
Earth Science > Land Surface > Topography > Terrain Elevation > Digital Elevation/terrain Model (dem)
Earth Science > Terrestrial Hydrosphere > Surface Water
The Airborne Visible InfraRed Imaging Spectrometer—Next Generation (AVIRIS-NG) is an airborne imaging spectrometer developed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). It collects visible and infrared imagery, mainly used for terrestrial ecology research. It operates between 380 and 2510 nm at a spectral resolution of 5 nm. It has a horizontal resolution of 8 m and a swath width of 4 km at an altitude of 8 km. It has a measurement frequency of 100 Hz. It was designed to replace the AVIRIS Classic (AVIRIS-C).
The Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) is an in situ acoustic sensor used to measure ocean currents. ADCP utilizes the Doppler effect to detect sound waves, providing measurements of the speed and direction of currents throughout the water column. It can be easily mounted on various water platforms such as ships, buoys, and autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs). Additionally, it can be deployed on the seafloor to deliver profile measurements of ocean currents.
The LISST Submersible Particle Size Analyzer is a water-based in situ particle analyzer manufactured by Sequoia Scientific. It is a laser-diffraction-based particle size analyzer that measures suspended particle size and concentration in aquatic environments, such as the ocean, rivers, lakes, and streams. It provides particle size distribution from 1 μm to 500 μm in 36 size ranges. It has a maximum operating depth of 600 m at a resolution of 0.01 m and a typical sampling rate of 1 Hz. The laser within the instrument operates at 670 nm and has an optical path of 25 mm.
Spectrometers are instruments used to separate and analyze the spectral components of a substance. They usually measure the electromagnetic radiation that has been reflected, absorbed, or transmitted by the physical sample. Spectrometers can operate across the ultraviolet to infrared spectrum. The most common types include optical, nuclear magnetic resonance, and mass spectrometers. They can be used on aircraft, research vessels, vehicles, and other ground-based platforms.
Turbidity sensors are in situ water quality sensors that measure the cloudiness, or turbidity, of a liquid caused by suspended particles. Turbidity sensors are nephelometers that emit light and detect the amount of light scattered by particles within the water sample. These sensors are used for assessing sediment levels and pollution in rivers and lakes, and monitoring the water quality of drinking water and industrial processes.
Earth Science > Oceans > Ocean Optics
Earth Science > Terrestrial Hydrosphere > Water Quality/water Chemistry
Earth Science > Terrestrial Hydrosphere > Water Quality/water Chemistry > Water Characteristics > Turbidity
Earth Science > Oceans > Ocean Optics > Turbidity
Singlebeam Echo Sounder System (SBES) is an in situ acoustic sensor used to measure the water depth to the seafloor. SBES determines the water depth by measuring the travel time of a sonar signal in two directions. SBES operate at a single frequency in the 24-33 kHz range for deeper water surveys and the 200-400 kHz range for shallow water surveys. They can operate in water depths under 100 meters up to 6,000 meters.
Earth Science > Oceans > Bathymetry/seafloor Topography > Water Depth
Turbidity sensors are in situ water quality sensors that measure the cloudiness, or turbidity, of a liquid caused by suspended particles. Turbidity sensors are nephelometers that emit light and detect the amount of light scattered by particles within the water sample. These sensors are used for assessing sediment levels and pollution in rivers and lakes, and monitoring the water quality of drinking water and industrial processes.
Earth Science > Oceans > Ocean Optics
Earth Science > Terrestrial Hydrosphere > Water Quality/water Chemistry
Earth Science > Terrestrial Hydrosphere > Water Quality/water Chemistry > Water Characteristics > Turbidity
