ECOSTRESS on the International Space Station

The ECOSTRESS radiometer is carried on the International Space Station, on the Japanese Experiment Module - External Facility site 10. The aim is to address scientific questions related to how the biosphere is responding to water availability. Plants regulate their temperature by releasing water through tiny pores on their leaves called stomata.  If they have sufficient water they can maintain their temperature, but if there is insufficient water, their temperatures rise and this temperature rise can be measured with ECOSTRESS.

The images acquired by ECOSTRESS are the most detailed temperature images of the surface ever acquired from space and can be used to measure the temperature of an individual field. This instrument is also important because it is helping in the development of a new Copernicus Sentinel satellite: the Land Surface Temperature Monitoring mission.

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