"AQUA, AIRS, AND THE EARTH'S WATER CYCLE"
The global water cycle of evaporation, precipitation and the transport of water vapor by winds are indispensable to all aspects of our life on Earth. Water vapor is the most active greenhouse gas in our atmosphere. Current estimates show that the atmosphere rains out its water content every ten days and in this process it controls our weather, climate and refreshes our water resources. Any substantial changes in the global water cycle entails serious consequences for humans through increases in intensity and frequency of hurricanes, floods and droughts in many regions of the world. The Aqua satellite will provide information with unprecedented accuracy on the water cycle. From this data, we want to learn if our planet’s water cycle is intensifying and if so, where. We also want to be able to predict months in advance where and how much rain will fall and correlate how the observed changes in weather statistics relate to global climate variations. Finally, we hope to utilize this better understanding of our own planet’s water cycle to interpret the role water plays elsewhere on other planets.