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 29 August 2008 19:23 BST

Moon-based observatories proposed

Friday, 25 May 2007 18:09
The moon records information about the Earth's climate system

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The moon provides the ideal location for a network of observatories dedicated to studying climate change on Earth, a scientist has claimed.

Shaopeng Huang, a geophysicist at the University of Michigan, believes there should be an international effort to develop and deploy monitoring stations on the moon.

He made his comments after discovering that surface temperatures on the near side of the moon accurately record important information about Earth's climate system.

Part of his findings showed that energy signals from the Earth's climate system are detectable on the moon and can be useful in monitoring and predicting climate change.

He believes that the moon is a good place to use as it is an "enduring platform without complications from atmosphere, hydrosphere or biosphere, and could provide records of Earth's radiation budget that would complement ground-based and man-made satellite records".

"Global warming on Earth is among the most profound scientific, social, economical and political challenges of our time," he said.

"At the same time, countries around the world are racing to launch missions to the moon. The time could not be better to join forces to create a network of temperature and radiation observatories on the moon for the purpose of studying climate change on Earth."
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