“The satellite’s two radar instruments give it the ability to observe tiny changes in Earth’s surface from earthquakes and volcanoes, as well as shifts in forests, wetlands, crops, glaciers and sea ice.

Both radar systems — one built by NASA, the other by ISRO — operate at long wavelengths that can cut through clouds and collect measurements at night.

The radar from one of the instruments can penetrate tree canopies and give researchers better estimates of the density of trees, which can be used to track the capture and release of carbon from forests — key information for climate models.

NISAR can also detect deformations in Earth’s surface with a precision on the order of millimeters for some measurements.”

From Axios.