Estimating sea ice thickness is essential to monitor the effects of long-term climatic change and understand their consequences for Arctic ecosystems. The continued sea ice loss – widely observed through EO data since 1979 – is bringing to an increased Arctic maritime activity for which timely forecasts of ice conditions are required too, to ensure …
Develop and validate novel methods for Sea State retrieval from Sentinel-1 Interferometric Wide Swath (IWS) products. Produce experimental S-1 IWS Sea State products and demonstrate their value for coastal science, operational wave models, and selected test areas including the marginal ice zone in the Arctic. Demonstrate multi-mission EO synergies in the Mediterranean utilising ocean geophysical …
Ice velocity is an essential parameter to study ice sheet and glacier dynamics. It is needed to estimate the mass flux and discharge of ice from the accumulation zone to the ocean and hence influences estimates of ice sheet mass balance and sea level rise. Furthermore, ice velocity measurements constitute valuable input for constraining and …
How does taking into account vertical variability of Soil Moisture impact on predicting vegetation productivity? Does this impact depend on climatic areas and vegetation types? These are the main questions addressed by a recently published paper, outcome of Living Planet Fellow Sophia Walther research. The study demonstrates how, at the global scale, semi-arid areas and …
Kicking-off next 1 July, a 15m€ project funded by the European Union is about to promote the integration of international environmental observing systems for the Arctic and improve the tailoring of these systems to the needs of various user groups – including local inhabitants, academia, industry and decision makers – for the 2021-2025 period. Read …
Researchers at the Finnish Meteorological Institute developed a new methodology to derive source-specific NOₓ-to-CO₂ emission ratios using satellite observations. The method was applied to Matimba power station in South-Africa. The results can be used to estimate carbon dioxide emissions. Missions to observe CO2 plumes Since the Paris agreement was adopted in 2015, the role of …
Sea ice in key Arctic coastal regions is thinning at a rate of 70–100% faster than previously thought. These values, reported in a paper recently published in The Cryosphere, are derived when the sea ice thickness in the period 2002–2018 is calculated using new snow data with more realistic variability and trends. Results are outcomes …
An internal research fellow opportunity is currently open for applicants who have recently completed, or are close to completing a PhD in physics, engineering or Earth system science with research experience and peer-reviewed publications in topics relevant to the following fields: Polar and cryosphere science Ocean science Hydrology and water cycle Terrestrial carbon cycle Climate …
Between 2010 and 2019, the Gulf of Alaska lost 76 Gt of ice per year while High Mountain Asia lost 28 Gt of ice per year. These losses are equivalent to adding 0.21 mm and 0.05 mm to sea level rise per year, respectively. The results, based on interferometric swath processing of CryoSat-2 altimeter data, …
We are all familiar with the bolts of lightning that accompany heavy storms. While these flashes originate in storm clouds and strike downwards, a much more elusive type forms higher up in the atmosphere and shoots up towards space. So, what are the chances of somebody taking photographs of these rarely seen, brief ‘transient luminous …
