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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
Brought to the interest of the scientific community by the citizen Aurora Chasers group of amateur photographers and enthusiasts, the intriguing nighttime optical phenomenon which got its name “Steve” after an animated movie scene, got an honorary “Sky Wonders” coin, issued by the Canadian Coin & Currency. ESA Living Planet Fellow William Archer with the University …
Steve is a nighttime optical phenomenon shown to be associated with intense subauroral ion drifts (SAID). The phenomenon is described as a purple band of light equatorward of aurora and it is sometimes accompanied by periodic green emissions termed “picket fence”. There are several hypotheses on the physical mechanisms that could be causing Steve and …
The quality of estimations for carbon export and sequestration depends on how well the spatio-temporal dynamics of non-algal particles in open ocean are understood. Non-algal particles include organisms such as bacteria or viruses, cell debris and other organic particles, as well as mineral particles, bubbles and plastics. The accumulation of these particles is only partially …
Living Planet Fellow Bas Altena from University of Oslo, gave a keynote talk during the Innsbruck Summer School of Alpine Research 2019 that took place between 16.06-2019-22.06.2019 in Obergurgl (Austria). This keynote revisited the techniques for observing the ice of our planet with daily cubesat imagery, and focused on how this new observational capacity allows …
Recent research by ESA Living Planet Fellow Marco Bellacicco in the frame of project PHYSIOGLOB gives new insights on how the choice of the regression method influences the derived bio-optical relationships in optical and satellite oceanographic studies. The authors compare the results obtained with diverse regression methods on the same bio-optical data set and quantify …
Interferometric (InSAR) short-time-series of Sentinel-1 SAR data acquired over central Europe were exploited in a new approach for the generation of large-scale thematic maps. Temporal features, extracted from the evolution of the interferometric coherence, together with backscatter, were used as input for a machine learning-based classifier. Three land cover classes were extracted: artificial surfaces, forests, …
