ISS Instruments Advance Understanding of Thunderstorms, Climate Change Effects on Oceans, and Gamma-Ray Bursts

Research utilizing instruments aboard the International Space Station (ISS) has yielded significant advancements in understanding various atmospheric and astronomical phenomena. The Atmosphere-Space Interactions Monitor (ASIM), an ESA instrument, provided detailed data on corona discharges in thunderstorms, offering insights into lightning initiation and the impact of thunderstorms on Earth's atmosphere and climate models. These high-altitude discharges also pose risks to aircraft and spacecraft.

The ECOSTRESS instrument demonstrated its ability to accurately measure sea surface temperatures with high spatial resolution and global coverage. This data is valuable for assessing the regional and local effects of climate change on oceans, resolving oceanographic features not detectable by other satellites. Rising sea surface temperatures are a consequence of atmospheric warming.

Furthermore, ASIM contributed to the detailed observation and analysis of the exceptionally bright gamma-ray burst (GRB) 210619B, detected in conjunction with other satellite and ground-based instruments. These observations offer potential for determining properties of GRBs and their evolution. GRBs, believed to originate from collapsing massive stars, are the most powerful electromagnetic events known.