Brian Dunbar Headquarters, Washington, D.C. November 29, 1993 (Phone: 202/358-1547) Allen Kenitzer Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. (Phone: 301/286-8955) RELEASE: 93-213 NASA HELPS PROVIDE FAMINE EARLY WARNING FOR AFRICA NASA satellite data, used to study the expansion and contraction of the deserts and semi-arid lands of Africa, are the principle data source providing early warning of potential famine and desert locust swarms. NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), Greenbelt, Md., and the U.S. Agency for International Development (AID) are cooperating on a project to provide data to AID's Famine Early Warning System (FEWS). Scientists at GSFC and the U.S. AID's FEWS have been working together since 1987. The effort is directed at understanding the natural variations of climate as they relate to desert boundaries and adjacent semi-arid areas and to determine any changes in climate between 1980 and 2000. "The Agency for International Development of our State Department came to us after seeing some of our publications on remote sensing of the Sahel of Africa and indicated it was interested in studying the famine stricken regions in Africa," said Dr. Compton J. Tucker, a research scientist in the Laboratory for Terrestrial Physics at Goddard. "Since we use satellites to look at vegetation in these regions, we can obtain data on countries that historically have been affected by famine and do so very close to real time," said Compton. Vegetation Measurements Using daily data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) -7, -9 and -11 meteorological satellites, scientists measure the density of green vegetation in a specific region every 10 days. Tucker and his co-workers, Brent Holben, GSFC, Dr. Christopher Justice, University of Maryland and Wayne Newcomb, Science Systems Applications Inc., have gained a better understanding of vegetation and rainfall patterns throughout Africa by comparing satellite data to ground data dating back to 1981. - more - - 2 - Comparing satellite data between or among years for any geographical area is an easy task, Tucker said. Data are processed and available for distribution within 2 to 4 days after each 10-day period. "Since 1981, we have compiled a time series of plant-growth histories for the entire continent of Africa, and we use it to assess current and future vegetation growth," Tucker said. "This information is used by AID's FEWS to determine where droughts are occurring, their severity and how widespread they are." The AID's FEWS augments the satellite data with meteorological information and socioeconomic information, where available, to determine the location and severity of drought in Africa, Tucker said. When drought conditions are detected, an AID's FEWS team can begin coordinating relief efforts, if required. AID is interested in studying the famine potential of African countries to maximize the efficiency of supplying food aid to needy countries, thereby saving lives and reducing waste. Since there often are so many requests for assistance, the satellite information also saves U.S. taxpayers money by helping to prioritize allocation of relief efforts, Tucker said. Locust Control In addition to climatic studies and early warnings of famine, the same satellite data are being used to identify areas where desert locust swarms are developing in Africa. "This is a straight-forward task because we simply look for areas within the desert zone of Africa and adjacent areas of Arabia where anomalous green vegetation development is detected," said Tucker. "The rainfall that enabled growth of green vegetation also provided the soil moisture to hatch desert locust eggs, which often can remain dormant in the soil for 10 to 30 years. The newly hatched desert locusts then feed on the green vegetation present." The desert locust can go through a complete life cycle every 3 to 5 weeks, depending upon temperature. During the first five growth stages, or "instars," the desert locust is not capable of flight, but in the last two growth stages desert locust swarms have been documented traveling hundreds and even thousands of miles, moving with the prevailing winds. Since each locust eats its body weight in green vegetation every day, desert locust swarms can devour all green vegetation in their path. Developing desert locust swarms often go unreported for several weeks or even months because there are few people within the desert zone. Once reported, desert locust populations may have exploded to many millions of insects. - more - - 3 - The key to effective desert locust swarm control is the use of satellite data to identify areas of probable populations early in the development cycle, Tucker explained. The satellite data are used to direct more detailed ground or aircraft surveys within the 7 million square-mile (approximately 18 million square-kilometer) recession-area of the desert locust. Another benefit of this technology is the reduced use of powerful insecticides since they can be restricted to localized areas before the swarms become mobile and disperse. A severe locust outbreak was reported in South Yemen in August 1992 and along the Red Sea coast in Ethiopia and in Sudan in February 1993. Since then, numerous outbreaks have been reported in other parts of Africa, notably Somalia. The use of satellite data in Somalia is invaluable because of the difficulty in obtaining current information from many parts of that country due to unstable political conditions there. Desert locust swarms which develop in Somalia, for example, usually will fly from there to other parts of Africa or Arabia. This research project is continuing to obtain valuable scientific results while providing information collected from satellites which saves hundreds of thousands of lives and reduces human suffering throughout Africa. - end - Note to Editors: A false-color illustration showing the "vegetation index" for Africa in the fall and spring is available to media representatives from the Headquarters Broadcast and Imaging Branch, 202/358-1900. Photo numbers are: Color: 90-HC-694 B&W: 90-H-772