World water day: help from space to protect our water resources (VIDEO)

From the search for sources to the most efficient use: this is how satellites help us protect our water.

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What does space have to do with water on Earth? It seems strange, but the answers to many of the questions we ask ourselves, such as those concerning the search for water sources, can come from space: some satellites are in fact able to help monitor water and make the management of this precious resource more sustainable.

The purpose? Achieve the global goal set by the United Nations of make water available for all by 2030: on the occasion of the World Water Day which takes place today, the European Space Agency (ESA) explains with a beautiful video (see below) how space can help our planet.

With over two billion people living without clean water and around four billion people suffering from severe water shortages for at least one month a year, getting water is a major challenge for everyone. And, coupled with a steadily growing global population and climate change, it's likely to get even more difficult. Fresh water is the most important natural resource on the planet, but we are running out of it and very quickly too.

When plentiful, water allows economies to grow but, in times of drought, it can cause even lethal crises. In short, these days it is it is essential to effectively manage water supplies to make good use of every single drop and satellites orbiting the planet can play an important role.

Thanks to satellites it is possible to understand and measure the processes that drive the water cycle and the impacts of climate change and human activities. In addition, they allow us to measure and monitor, for example, the changing shape of lakes, basins and rivers so that mitigation strategies can be put in place.

The video from the European Space Agency (ESA) shows all the ways in which space can help protect water and explains how Earth-observing satellites monitor our precious water resources and how they can help us locate and control freshwater sources and even help predict demand.
And not only that, satellites are also able to provide key information on the components of the water cycle. The "Sentinel" satellites of the European Space Agency (ESA), which are part of the Copernicus project launched by ESA and the European Commission, for example "are crucial for monitoring plant health for irrigation needs and for improving 'agriculture, ”says FAO's Jippe Hoogeveen.

But in space? Not everyone knows that even here the efficiency of water use is promoted! For astronauts on the International Space Station, for example, recycling is an important part of daily life in space: “in orbit we recycle 75% of the water” notes the chief of ESA astronauts, Frank De Winne.

And if they do it ...