NASA satellite data reveals the scale of devastation in Turkey and Syria after the earthquake

[ad_1]

In the aftermath of an earthquake that has devastated large swaths of Turkey and Syria, emergency responders and scientists are turning to satellite data to help understand the broad scope of the disaster.

The information has become an invaluable tool to help not only assess damage but also provide critical information about the potential for landslides, changing weather conditions, and monitoring power outages.

In Kahramanmaraş, near the epicenter in southern Turkey, satellites captured a sweeping view of the impact.

The image below, taken on February 9, shows entire parts of the city reduced to rubble, cars choking in the streets and signs of an emergency operation in full swing.

Using data from a satellite equipped with what’s known as Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), scientists at NASA have begun making initial damage assessments in the affected areas.

SAR microwave pulses are reflected off the Earth’s surface. The signal returned to the satellite is decoded to map the physical properties below.

Scientists compare data captured before and after the earthquake, to calculate how likely the terrain and infrastructure below will change.

The assessment of Kahramanmaraş shows that the damage extends far beyond what is shown in the satellite imagery above.

Further south in Nordağje, data shows widespread damage in the city of 40,000 residents.

Eric Fielding, a NASA geophysicist, said the data covered a 70-kilometer strip over the central area affected by the quake.

“But it includes the centers of the main earthquake, which had a magnitude of 7.8, and the aftershocks, which had a magnitude of 7.5 on the Richter scale,” he said in statements to the NASA Earth Observatory.

In Islahiyeh, just 20 kilometers from the border with Syria, there are more large damaged areas in built-up areas.

[ad_2]