Climate Exchange

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cosystems

modern technology, often never flown before, to close observation

gaps and deliver accurate and reliable data for measuring the pulse

of the planet.

With the help of new satellite systems such as the Sentinel

missions developed under the Global Monitoring for Environment

and Security (GMES) programme of the European Union and ESA,

and the exploitation of the infrastructure already in space, it is

possible to advance both scientific and political ambitions. Earth

observation is a perfect example to link research and technology

development with the care urgently needed to work towards a

sustainable and self-conscious future for all of us.

As important as satellites in space are, they nevertheless represent

only one part of the quest to better understand climate patterns.

Less spectacular but equally important is the use of many years of

archived data sets, their reprocessing with the newest scientific algo-

rithms, their comparison and their interpretation. Satellite data are

thus not used only once, but reprocessed time and again, integrated

into the newest scientific models and evaluated as part of crucial

long-time observations.

With its missions, ESA is at the forefront of Earth observation

and climate research worldwide. Yet the importance of global

observation for understanding climate change has also triggered

concerted action on the international scene. The Global Climate

Observing System (GCOS), in the context of the United Nations

Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), defined a

set of Essential Climate Variables (ECVs) which will be systemati-

cally monitored in order to quantify the state of our climate in an

objective and effective way. In response, the ESA Climate Change

Initiative aims to “systematically generate, preserve and give access

to long-term data sets of the ECVs.”

The ESA Climate Change Initiative provides and uses climate data

records of ongoing and planned missions in Europe. The systematic

generation of relevant ECVs includes recalibration, periodic reproc-

essing, algorithm development, product generation and validation,

and quality assessment of climate records in the context

of climate models.

But the Climate Change Initiative goes beyond that,

introducing a feedback loop mechanism whereby new

user feedback and the latest scientific knowledge can

be easily integrated within each reprocessing phase.

A Scientific Advisory Group, involving world-leading

scientists representing key stakeholder organizations,

provides scientific guidance on the programme. This

allows optimal use of decades of space-borne, climate-

related data for the benefit of all of us.

The Climate Change Initiative has already enabled

ESA and European scientists to contribute signifi-

cantly to coordinated international action on climate

observations from space (GCOS, UNFCCC, the

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change). Work

has been initiated on 13 ECVs: cloud properties, green-

house gases, ozone, aerosol properties, sea surface

temperature, sea level, sea ice, ocean colour, glaciers

and ice caps, ice sheets, land cover, fire, and soil mois-

ture. Of particular merit is the interaction developed

between the various ECV teams to determine specific

user needs, including the involvement of user commu-

nities well beyond European climate research groups.

The ESA Climate Science Advisory Board recently

concluded that the Climate Change Initiative should

be seen as a critical beginning in laying the foundation

for long-term activity, spreading over several decades to

fulfil long-term and high quality observational records

required for use in climate research, modelling and

prediction.

Likewise, it is imperative to enable next-generation

missions. The ESA Earth Observation programmes are

well set to continue the heritage they have provided

in the past. Through the Earth Observation Envelope

Programme, ESA will develop and launch new cutting-

edge technology Earth Explorer missions and foster

scientific exploitation, application development and

the generation of new user communities. With GMES,

and in particular the launch of the first Sentinel

mission at the end of 2013, systematic, operational

Earth observation data provision will be ensured – for

decision-makers, service providers and scientists alike.

With the development of the newest generation meteor-

ology missions, MeteoSat Third Generation and MetOp

Second Generation, in cooperation with ESA’s partner

EUMETSAT, weather and climate monitoring from

space will be secured for decades to come.

The past years have shown more than ever the close

link between human dependence on our environment

– natural resources, climate, and space for living and

developing. Science has long since left the infamous ivory

tower. It has become a prerequisite for political action.

This moves satellites to the centre stage of interest.

Through its Earth observation missions, ESA is devel-

oping and operating climate-quality observing systems,

providing free access to the worldwide science commu-

nity and working with its partners to ensure long-term

observations of fundamental climate data records.

An example of daily monitoring services from space –

sea surface temperature around Southern Africa

Source: Medspiration, ESA