Earth Observation and Climate

global challenge and global collaboration

mark doherty

european space agency

overview

• ESA Earth Observation Programmes

• ESA Climate Change Initiative

• PM in a science and policy context

METEOSAT Second Generation MSG-1, -2, -3

METEOSATM-1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

METOP-1, 2, 3

Earth

Explorers

ERS-1, -2 ENVISAT

GOCE

GMES in cooperation with EC

SMOS

(Gravity and Ocean Circulation Explorer)

1977

Sentinel 1Sentinel 2

Meteocooperation EUMETSAT

ApplicationsServicesSentinel 4/5

ScienceCryoSat-2

ADM/Aeolus

SWARMEarthCare

Sentinel 3

MTG

Achievement

EE 7

Sentinel 5P

Metop-SG

1990 2000 2010 2030

EE 8

Copenhagen Climate Conference Copenhagen Climate Conference their challenge…

• mitigation

• adaptation

their challenge…

• mitigation

• adaptation

Two climate action paths

CEOS IP for GEOSS in 2007GEOSS 10-year plan in 2005

CEOS response 2006GCOS-107 in 2006GCOS-92 in 2004GCOS-82 in 2003

our challenge global long-term observations

global collaborative framework

Essential Climate Variablesrequirements

sea surface temperature

greenhouse gases

glaciers and ice-capsglobal land cover

fires

biomass

clouds

Soil moisture

ozone

sea levelice sheets

ocean colour

e.g. sea level ECVe.g. sea level ECV

GCOS Requirement Current Status

Accuracy

Stability

1 cm

0.5 mm/decade

2 cm

10 mm/decade (1 mm/yr)

major technical challenge

ESA missions data => FCDRs => ECVs

Sea LevelSSTOcean Colour

Sea state

Ocean salinitySea ice concentrationLakes

Glaciers & ice capsLand cover

faPARLAIBiomassBurned area & active fire

Soil moisture (research)Snow area

AlbedoCloud propertiesO3 total and profiles

Aerosol OD & other propsGHGs distributionUpper air winds

Data from each sensor contributes to FCDR of several ECVs key requirement: consistency

esa climate change initiativegoal

Realize the full potential of the long-term global EO archives that ESA, together with its Member states, has established over the last thirty years.....

….. as a significant and timely contribution to the ECV databases required by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

Resources => 6 years / 75 M

• Develop and validate algorithms to meet GCOS ECV requirements for (consistent, stable, error-characterized) global satellite data products from multi-sensor data archives

• Optimize impact of ESA EO missions data on climate data records

• Produce, within R&D context, most complete and consistent possible multi-sensor global satellite data products for climate research and modelling

• Generate complete specifications for an operational production system

• Strengthen inter-disciplinary cooperation between international earth observation, climate research and modelling communities, in pursuit of scientific excellence

common statement of work common statement of work Cardinal RequirementsCardinal Requirements

Science Leader

EO ScienceTeam

Specialised climate

research team

System Engineer(s)

researchInstitutes

x y z

CCI project teams (x14)CCI project teams (x14)

ProjectManager

Climate Modelling

Users Group

InternationalScienceref body

international project teams

ECV Science Leader

cloud_cc German Weather Service (D)

ozone_cci Belgian Aeronomy Research Institute (B)

aerosol_cci DLR & Finnish Meteorological Institure D/F

ghg_cci Universty of Bremen (D)

sst_cci University of Edinburgh (UK)

landcover_cci Universty Catholique Louvain (B)

sealevel_cc CLS France (F)

oceancolour_cci Plymouth Marine Laboratory (UK)

glaciers_cci University of Zurich (CH)

fire _cci University of Alcala (E)

climate modellers UKMO Hadley Centre (UK)

common schedule & deliverables common schedule & deliverables x 14 projectsx 14 projects

`2010 `2011 `2012 `2013

requirements

algo dev, inter-comp, selection

system & product proto-typing

product validation & User assessment

Operational system specification

open

open

open

open

open

cross-disciplinary collaboration

confronting observations and models

Mr. Modeller

Mr. EO

Miss. Clim Science

ice-sheets mass balanceice-sheets mass balanceice-sheets mass balanceice-sheets mass balance

radar altimetry laser altimetrySAR gravity

Main External Partners:

CCI: International Coordination

2012 => Ice mass-balance inter-comparison experiment

2007: IPCC AR-5

ice-sheets mass balanceice-sheets mass balance

a shared goala shared goal

internationalclimate

research Community

(WCRP/GCOS)

consistent global satellite data products

for climate research

international EO community

(CEOS)

Essential Climate Variable 1

ECV 2

ECV 3

Expert EO communities

ECV Climate Data Records

EO Data Archives

a cyclic process

user requirements

product specification

algorithms evaluation

algorithm selection

product validation

uncertainty characterization

data and models confrontation

climate assessment

• integratedand consistentapproach

• to generatingspace-basedclimate records

close but no cigar…

close but no cigar…

Earth Explorers ENVISAT/ERS National Missions Meteo Missions(EUMETSAT)

GMES Sentinels

Data Access

the big picture…

Earth Explorers ENVISAT/ERS National Missions Meteo Missions(EUMETSAT)

GMES Sentinels

Data Access

the big picture

collaborationcollaborationcollaborationcollaboration

Goals are scored here

Goals are scored here

Goals are scored here

Goals are scored here

not herenot here

• uncertainty characterization

• openness, traceability, repeatability

• data standards

• scientific cooperation

CCI: key issues

• Policy needs

• Scientific excellence

• User engagement

• Independence, validation

• Sustainability (after ‘’the project” )

• Projects => Services

• Harnessing multiple funding

• Research and Operations

• Independence, validation

• Collaboration, competition

Earth Observation PM lexicon ?

• Long-term public infrastructure (centuries…)

• Archives & reprocessing

• Evolving user needs

• Realizing benefits

• Maximizing utilization

• Data Democracy

• Whose project anyway ?

• The people system

• Structuring effects

• Letting go…

Earth Observation PM lexicon ?

thank you…