Laia is a mathematician that works at the Finnish Meteorological Institute since 2021. She studied mathematics at the University of Barcelona and completed her PhD (2016) in number theory in a joint collaboration between the University of Barcelona and the University of Luxembourg. In 2018, she moved to Finland, where she worked as a postdoctoral …
The oceans, a major sink of carbon dioxide (CO2), rely on a set of food web processes that generate gravitational sinking particles to transfer CO2 from the atmosphere to the deep ocean. These processes are collectively known as the biological carbon pump (BCP) and have become a focal point of research as anthropogenic CO2 emissions …
The upcoming ESA FORUM (Far-infrared Outgoing Radiation Understanding and Monitoring) mission will be the first to measure the Earth’s spectrally resolved outgoing longwave radiation in the far-infrared (FIR) at high spectral resolution. This spectral region is responsible for over half of the Earth’s emissions to space, with the principal absorbers being CO2 and H2O. The …
Carbon dioxide (CO₂) has experienced an alarming increase since the Industrial Revolution due to anthropogenic factors like fossil fuel combustion and deforestation. Before the Industrial Revolution, atmospheric CO₂ levels were relatively stable, around 280 parts per million (ppm). By the 21st century, human activities have increased CO₂ concentrations beyond 400 ppm, reaching levels not seen …
Landscape fires, whether natural or human-induced, have a key impact on the Earth system via the release of pollutants, greenhouse gases and aerosols, affecting human health and climate. Over the next decades their role may increase related to drier and warmer conditions, exacerbating biome shifts and lowering biodiversity. In addition, this may provide one of …
Living Planet Fellowship research project carried out by Tim Trent. Water vapour is an essential greenhouse gas in the Earth climate system, acting as a natural feedback mechanism for carbon dioxide forcing. Critical to the development of cloud and precipitation, water vapour also has a significant influence and impact on surface fluxes and radiative balance. Water vapour …
“I felt that scientific exchange was fostered both directly through collaboration with external partners on the project and through invitation to and participation in ESA meetings, which I found both very valuable and enjoyable. I also appreciated any chance to exchange with other fellows on their experiences and professional choices.” After the end of …
Living Planet Fellowship research project carried out by Sophia Walther. Variations of water availability drive plant growth and vegetation carbon uptake from the atmosphere. At present, this induces substantial fluctuations in the global carbon balance and in year-to-year accumulation of atmospheric carbon. Under climate change, water stress is likely to be amplified by more frequent …
Zina Mitraka is a Research Associate at the Remote Sensing Lab (rslab.gr) of FORTH. She is a mathematician by training (Applied Mathematics Department of the University of Crete, Greece) with further studies in Environmental Engineering (MSc in Environmental Engineering from the Technical University of Crete, Greece) and a PhD on satellite Earth Observation for urban …
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 …
