Data from space will improve irrigation practices

New data provided by the International Space Station’s ECOSTRESS instrument will drastically improve the efficacy of irrigation systems.

What ECOSTRESS does
The instrument was attached to the International Space Station last year and measures surface temperatures from orbit. This allows scientists to monitor the temperature of plants and determine their level of heat stress.

Even before a drought, water-stressed plants cool off less in an effort to conserve water. If they’re warmer, it means they need more water. The ECOSTRESS system can identify water-stressed plants down to a scale of 230 square feet.

Valuable information for farmers
Knowing which plants need to be watered is extremely useful for farmers who use irrigation systems, and NASA is already making this information available to them.

With the increasing scarcity of water, this new data could help farmers make the most of limited resources. More generally, the ECOSTRESS project could help identify drought-resistant species.