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National

NASA satellite data reveals scale of devastation in Türkiye and Syria after earthquake

In the aftermath of the earthquake that has devastated swathes of Türkiye and Syria, emergency responders and scientists are turning to data captured by satellites to help understand the vast scale of the disaster.

The information has become an invaluable tool to help not only assess damage but also to provide important information about the potential for landslides, changing weather conditions and monitoring power outages.

In Kahramanmaraş, close to the epicentre of the earthquake in southern Türkiye, satellites have captured a birds-eye view of the impact.

The image below, captured on February 9, shows entire sections of the city reduced to rubble, cars choking the streets and signs of an emergency operation in full swing.

Using data from a satellite fitted with what's known as a synthetic aperture radar (SAR), scientists at NASA have begun producing preliminary damage assessments of the affected areas.

SAR bounces microwave pulses off the Earth's surface. The signal returned to the satellite is decoded to map the physical properties below.

Scientists compare data captured before and after the earthquake, to calculate just how much the terrain and infrastructure below are likely to have changed.

The assessment for Kahramanmaraş shows damage extending well beyond what's shown in the satellite imagery above.

Further south in Nurdağı, the data shows widespread damage in the town of 40,000 people.

Eric Fielding, a geophysicist at NASA, said the data covered a 70-kilometre strip over the central area affected by the earthquake.

"But it includes the epicentres of both the magnitude-7.8 main earthquake and the magnitude-7.5 aftershock," he told NASA's Earth Observatory publication.

In İslahiye, just 20 kilometres from the border with Syria, there are again more large areas of damage in the built-up areas.

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