1
00:00:10,802 --> 00:00:11,803
Well, NASA

2
00:00:11,803 --> 00:00:15,348
studies our home planet
more than any other planet,

3
00:00:15,640 --> 00:00:18,643
and we use that unique vantage
point of space

4
00:00:18,727 --> 00:00:22,814
to understand what's happening
with our oceans and on land

5
00:00:22,939 --> 00:00:27,569
and on ice and in the atmosphere
and how those systems work together.

6
00:00:28,028 --> 00:00:32,407
And PREFIRE will be the newest addition
to the constellation

7
00:00:32,407 --> 00:00:35,744
of over two dozen satellites that study
the Earth in this way.

8
00:00:43,251 --> 00:00:46,254
PREFIRE s a pair of CubeSats

9
00:00:46,421 --> 00:00:49,174
that are flying over the poles.

10
00:00:49,174 --> 00:00:52,427
And they'll measure the outgoing energy

11
00:00:52,552 --> 00:00:55,805
from the poles
in a way that we've never done it before.

12
00:00:56,389 --> 00:01:01,186
This is very important
because a lot of the energy in the Earth

13
00:01:01,186 --> 00:01:06,649
system does escape through the poles,
and it's that balance between the energy

14
00:01:06,649 --> 00:01:10,361
coming in from the sun and the energy
that's leaving the Earth system

15
00:01:10,570 --> 00:01:13,364
that really determines
where our climate is headed.

16
00:01:22,207 --> 00:01:23,875
Well, PREFIRE is a pair of

17
00:01:23,875 --> 00:01:27,712
two cubesats
and they're flying independently.

18
00:01:27,712 --> 00:01:32,050
And that means we'll be able
to understand that

19
00:01:32,050 --> 00:01:37,514
outgoing energy from the polar regions
on a variety of timescales.

20
00:01:38,139 --> 00:01:41,267
That's going to help us get better
at predicting

21
00:01:41,810 --> 00:01:44,604
glacial melt, sea ice melt,

22
00:01:44,604 --> 00:01:47,565
and a variety of other,

23
00:01:47,565 --> 00:01:51,820
features of the Earth system
that can help us prepare

24
00:01:51,903 --> 00:01:55,156
for the changes that are coming,
including helping communities

25
00:01:55,156 --> 00:01:58,159
prepare.

26
00:02:03,248 --> 00:02:06,960
PREFIRE’s measurements
that will help us understand

27
00:02:06,960 --> 00:02:11,131
the energy that is,
the energy exchange in the polar regions

28
00:02:11,297 --> 00:02:15,510
will help us better model future ice melt
both the sea ice

29
00:02:15,760 --> 00:02:19,973
and the glacial ice that is water
that today is trapped on land.

30
00:02:20,557 --> 00:02:24,227
When that when those glaciers melt,
when that ice melts,

31
00:02:24,227 --> 00:02:26,229
it gets added to the oceans.

32
00:02:26,229 --> 00:02:29,232
It's a significant contributor
to sea level rise.

33
00:02:29,440 --> 00:02:33,987
And sea level rise is one of the greatest
challenges for our coastal communities.

34
00:02:34,362 --> 00:02:37,657
It can have impacts on the occurrence
of sunny day

35
00:02:37,657 --> 00:02:40,660
flooding
and on the severity of storm surges.

36
00:02:40,660 --> 00:02:44,080
So that's just one example of how
a better understanding

37
00:02:44,080 --> 00:02:47,917
of what's happening in the Arctic affects
lives in communities around the world.