By aligning two separately funded initiatives on a single field campaign, the European Commission and ESA have demonstrated how coordinated investments can increase the scientific and operational value of marine observations across Europe’s coasts. Between April 2023 and June 2024, the iconic 36-metre schooner Tara, operated by the Tara Ocean Foundation as a floating laboratory, …
An EC-ESA coordinated effort is bringing together satellites, models and scientific expertise to resolve one of the largest remaining uncertainties in climate prediction: how aerosols interact with clouds. Europe’s ability to forecast near-term climate trends over the next 10-30 years – a key timeframe central to policy and investment decisions – depends on resolving this …
The European Commission has launched the Horizon Europe 2026–2027 Work Programme, opening for a new set of calls that reinforce Europe’s ambition to lead the global green transition through science, innovation and strategic partnerships. A key feature of the new work programme is the strengthened coordination between EC and ESA across Clusters 5 (Climate, Energy …
Using data from ESA’s SMOS satellite, scientists collaborating in the Southern Ocean Freshwater (SO Fresh) project have discovered a surprising reversal in the Southern Ocean: instead of becoming fresher as Antarctic sea ice melts, surface waters are growing saltier, particularly south of 50° S, with salinity rising even as ice cover rapidly retreats. This unexpected trend …
A major step forward in Mediterranean Sea research was taken last week, on April 7th, with the inauguration of the advanced Mediterranean open science Data Analysis Lab (MeDAL) at ESA’s ESRIN Science Hub. The launch of the new initiative was formalised through the signature of a Memorandum of Intent by Simonetta Cheli, Director of ESA …
The report from the 2nd European Polar Science Week is now published, marking an important milestone in the cooperation between the European Commission (EC) and the European Space Agency (ESA) on polar research. The European Polar Science Week 2024 took place from 3 to 6 September 2024 in Copenhagen, at the Black Diamond, Royal Danish …
The recent EO for agriculture under pressure event, which took place at ESA-ESRIN last week, brought together a notable number of participants, with 300 attendees in person from 43 different countries and more than 500 joining online connecting a diverse audience from various locations. The workshop explored the role of Earth Observation in addressing the …
ESA’s EarthCARE satellite is set to launch soon, aiming to advance our understanding of clouds and aerosols and their impact on Earth’s energy balance. In response to urgent climate challenges, the European Commission and ESA have prioritized the science of clouds and aerosols within the Earth System Science Initiative, a coordinated response aligning research efforts …
Understanding the processes driving ice-ocean interactions and their timescale is pivotal in getting a full picture of the Antarctic sensitivity to future climate variability. A recently published study measured 2018-2019 increased speed and discharge of ice and calving front retreat for the Cadman Glacier, and highlighted correlation to a positive temperature anomaly in the upper …
In the next decades, population growth is expected to amplify current pressures on critical resources such as fresh water or food, intensify the stress on land and marine ecosystems and increase environmental pollution and its impacts on health and biodiversity. Global warming and the increasing impacts of climate change, especially on most vulnerable populations, will …
