Polar bear helps out with MOSAiC experiment
Read recent news from the Campaign Earth ESA blog.
Category: Scientists
First data set of H2O/HDO columns from the Tropospheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI)
A new dataset of vertical column densities of H2O and HDO retrieved from short-wave infrared reflectance measurements by the TROPOMI instrument onboard the Sentinel-5p satellite was recently released. The data quality shows improvements in noise level compared to previous missions like SCIAMACHY. The retrieval methodology, the validation approach and demonstrative applications of the dataset are …
Performance evaluation for the QAA algorithm to retrieve particulate backscattering
The Quasi-Analytical Algorithm was developed to derive inherent optical properties by analytically inverting the spectral remote-sensing reflectance. It is the algorithm used in the ESA Ocean-colour CCI project to retrieve particulate optical backscattering (bbp). Due to the high uncertainties still associated to QAA global retrievals of bbp, reliable accuracy estimates of the QAA are essential …
New studies to improve the estimation of sea ice thickness and seasonal growth rate
Accurate measurements of the sea ice area and thickness with the aid of ranging data provided by missions such as CryoSat-2 are crucial for the understanding of the transformations occurring in the Arctic, in light of observed changes in seasonality, increase of winter air temperatures and delays in freeze-up. An important factor in the calculation …
TOP: atmospheric multi-source data cube
Currently we speak of the ‘golden age’ of Earth Observation (EO). Not only can we access a variety of data from heritage and current EO missions serving scientific and operational needs, new systems for monitoring our blue planet are constantly being planned, built, and sent into the Earth orbit. Regarding atmospheric science, a major step …
CryoSat maps ice shelf on the move
Scientists have developed a novel approach of using CryoSat to generate a unique time series of ice front positions for the Filchner-Ronne ice shelf – the second largest ice shelf in Antarctica. Applying a new method, called ‘elevation edge’, to CryoSat’s data has revealed that the entire Filchner-Ronne ice shelf advanced by more than 800 …
Greenland ice loss much faster than expected
The Ice Sheet Mass Balance Inter-comparison Exercise (IMBIE), an international team of 89 polar scientists led by Andrew Shepherd from the University of Leeds and Erik Ivins at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, compared and combined data from 11 satellites – including ESA’s ERS-1, ERS-2, Envisat and CryoSat missions, as well as the EU’s Copernicus Sentinel-1 …
Deep below Antarctica with GOCE
A paper, published recently in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, describes how scientists used gravity data from the GOCE satellite mission along with seismological models to reveal unprecedented insight into the crust and upper mantle, otherwise known as the lithosphere, below this frozen continent. Read the full story and find out about …
New biomass map to take stock of the world’s carbon
The first of a series of global maps aimed at quantifying change in carbon stored as biomass across the world’s forests and shrublands has been released by ESA’s Climate Change Initiative at COP25 – the United Nation Climate Change Conference currently taking place in Madrid. Read the full story.
Living Planet Fellowship workshop 2019
The annual Living Planet Fellowship workshop took place on 25 November at ESRIN. On this occasion, the Living Planet Fellows completing the first of their 2-year research projects had the possibility to get together, present their results, exchange ideas and interact with ESA scientists, fellows and YGTs. The full day workshop featured presentations that showcased …