Methane is one of the most potent greenhouse gases driving climate change, responsible for nearly 30% of global warming since pre-industrial times. Rapid identification and mitigation of methane emissions is therefore a critical component of global climate strategies. However, detecting methane emission sources at global scale remains challenging due to the large volume of satellite …
By aligning two separately funded initiatives on a single field campaign, the European Commission and ESA have demonstrated how coordinated investments can increase the scientific and operational value of marine observations across Europe’s coasts. Between April 2023 and June 2024, the iconic 36-metre schooner Tara, operated by the Tara Ocean Foundation as a floating laboratory, …
As Arctic sea ice continues to decline at an alarming rate, improving how we observe and understand the polar regions has never been more critical. ESA is currently supporting an ambitious Arctic field campaign to prepare three next-generation Copernicus missions: Copernicus Imaging Microwave Radiometer (CIMR), Copernicus Polar Ice and Snow Topography Altimeter (CRISTAL) and Copernicus …
Ozone in the lower atmosphere can reach harmful levels, especially during summer pollution events. Prolonged exposure irritates the respiratory system and worsens lung diseases. Beyond health, it reduces agricultural productivity and harms ecosystems. Importantly, it is also the third most significant human-driven greenhouse gas, trapping heat and intensifying climate change. Tracking its global distribution over …
A recently published paper, outcome of the Sense4Fire project, highlights a significant gap in how we understand the climate impact of Amazon wildfires. Using combined observations from the Copernicus Sentinel-2, Sentinel-3 and Sentinel-5P missions, scientists have discovered that emissions from the 2024 fire season may have been up to three times higher than previously estimated. …
Predicting climate conditions months in advance remains one of the most difficult problems in Earth science. A recent study, published in npj Climate and Atmospheric Science proposes a new approach, combining artificial intelligence with probabilistic modelling to improve seasonal forecasts. Traditional methods rely on general circulation models (GCMs), which simulate atmospheric and ocean dynamics. While …
Satellites are transforming the monitoring of freshwater flows into the Arctic Ocean, a critical but poorly observed component of the climate system. Vast amounts of freshwater from rivers, melting ice and runoff influence ocean salinity, sea-ice formation and global circulation, yet ground-based measurements in the region are declining and remain incomplete. By using Earth observation …
Ice sheet evolution is the key unknown in future sea level projection. Numerical models are the best way to assess ice sheet response to future changes in ocean and atmosphere. Observations of recent ice sheet change play a critical role in improving the accuracy of these models. The current revolution in our ability to observe …
Shape the future of Earth Observation for Africa The African Research Fellowship (ARF) programme—part of the EO AFRICA flagship initiative of the European Space Agency (ESA), in partnership with the African Space Agency (AfSA), an organ of the African Union, and in coordination with the African Union Commission (AUC)—empowers the next generation of African Earth …
Understanding how Earth’s upper atmosphere is changing is essential for reliable climate assessment. Yet for decades, scientists have lacked a consistent, long-term record of ozone and temperature in the mesosphere, the atmospheric region between roughly 50 and 100 km altitude. This layer plays a key role in atmospheric chemistry, solar interaction, and vertical coupling with …
