The “EO for Genetic Indicators” project explores the potential of satellite Earth Observation (EO) to support the monitoring of genetic diversity in terrestrial ecosystems, in line with the objectives of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). Genetic diversity is a fundamental component of biodiversity, underpinning ecosystem resilience, adaptive capacity, and the sustainable provision of ecosystem …
Context and Motivation: Volcanic eruptions and landslides represent significant hazards on population safety and health. For instance, exposure to major eruptions is of critical societal and economic concern due to release of large quantities of harmful gases (carbon/sulfur dioxides, hydrogen sulfide, halogens) and ashes. Such emissions impact human health, agriculture, infrastructure, as well as the …
The project analyzes and tests information services based on geospatial data to support a context-specific approach to countering illicit trafficking and environmental crimes. It will implement analyses related to crimes affecting the environment and the illegal exploitation of resources by leveraging EO and complementary OSINT information. The project will also support investigations into international illicit …
The project aims to deliver a suite of services integrating EO data with in-situ and historical AIS data to assess the Black Sea environment. The services address various aspects, including Land Use and Land Cover coastal changes, eutrophication, marine front identification, mesoscale circulation, oil tanker path tracking, oil spill detection and monitoring, and high-resolution water …
Methane (CH4) is a significant anthropogenic greenhouse gas, second only to carbon dioxide (CO2) in contributing to global warming. It constitutes approximately 25% of the warming effect since pre-industrial times. Traditional methods for monitoring methane emissions rely on bottom-up approaches, calculating emissions by multiplying activity levels with emission factors. Satellites offer a more efficient alternative, …
Prompted by the novel satellite data of glyoxal (CHOCHO) and formaldehyde (HCHO) retrieved by the high resolution spectra of the TROPOMI sounder, GLANCE aims to assess the global budget of their precursors using the MAGRITTEv1.1 global atmospheric chemistry-transport model (CTM) and an inverse adjoint-based framework. Both compounds are formed in the oxidation of non-methane volatile …
The UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration focus on the restoration of ecosystems on a large scale to achieve the United Nations sustainable development agenda in 2030. The PEOPLE Ecosystem Restoration project will develop innovative products and indicators determining and monitoring processes, both degradation and/or recovery. In several pilot sides in various ecosystems like boreal peatland …
Methane is among the most important greenhouse gases in the Earth’s atmosphere, causing rapid global warming. A recent study indicates that tropical methane emissions explain a large fraction of the global atmospheric methane growth (Feng et al., 2022). The relatively short lifetime of methane of about a decade makes methane emissions an attractive target of …
The project sets out to use EO and geologic information to detect and monitor artisanal & small-scale mining (ASM) activities in tropical areas. ASM is an important economic factor in developing countries but poses serious environmental, health, and criminal threats to local communities. The associated deforestation is also a considerable factor in regional and global climate …
The detection of trace gas plumes allows us to improve attribution of pollutant emissions and photochemical processing in the global troposphere. Data collected by the ESA TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI) has resulted in a growing number of case studies that have used ad hoc methods to detect plumes for science applications. Developing a more comprehensive …
