ESA Observing the Earth

Po Valley

Earth from Space

A quarter of glacier ice in West Antarctica is now unstable

By combining 25 years of ESA satellite data, scientists have discovered that warming ocean waters have caused the ice to thin so rapidly that 24% of the glacier ice in West Antarctica is now affected.

Take a deep breath

The air we breathe

Air pollution is a global environmental health problem, especially for those living in urban areas. Not only does it negatively impact our ecosystems, it considerably affects our health. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), around 8 million premature deaths per year are linked to air pollution, more than double of previous estimates.

Where science meets art

World Space Alliance kicks off

While scientists and data users continue to discuss the latest findings about our changing world and the space technologies that are needed to learn more, this week’s Living Planet Symposium has also been the forum to forge and strengthen alliances. And, today sees the start of a two-year pilot for the ESA–SAP World Space Alliance.

Monitoring Earth’s shifting land

The monitoring of land subsidence is of vital importance for low-lying countries, but also areas which are prone to peculiar ground instability.

3D Earth in the making

A thorough understanding of the ‘solid Earth’ system is essential for deciphering the links between processes occurring deep inside Earth and those occurring nearer the surface that lead to seismic activity such as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, the rise of mountains and the location of underground natural resources. Thanks to gravity and magnetic data from satellites along with seismology, scientists are on the way to modelling inner Earth in 3D.

Water cycle wrapped

As our climate changes, the availability of freshwater is a growing issue for many people around the world. Understanding the water cycle and how the climate and human usage is causing shifts in natural cycling processes is vital to safeguarding supplies. While numerous satellites measure individual components of the water cycle, it has never been described as a whole over a particular region – until now.

The global thaw

Tug-of-war drives magnetic north sprint

As far as we know, Earth’s magnetic north has always wandered, but it has recently gained new momentum and is making a dash towards Siberia at a pace not seen before. While this has some practical implications, scientists believe that this sprint is being caused by tussling magnetic blobs deep below our feet.

Mapping salty waters

The length and precision with which climate scientists can track the salinity, or saltiness, of the oceans is set to improve dramatically according to researchers working as part of ESA’s Climate Change Initiative.

New potential for tracking severe storms

Even just within the last couple of months, Cyclones Fani, Idai and Kenneth have brought devastation to millions. With the frequency and severity of extreme weather like this expected to increase against the backdrop of climate change, it is more important than ever to forecast and track events accurately. And, an ESA satellite is helping with the task in hand.

Shaped by ice

Jakobshavn Isbrae Glacier bucks the trend

Our planet works in mysterious ways. We are all used to hearing about the world’s ice being the first casualty of climate change and, indeed, it is declining fast. However, recent findings show that one glacier is not conforming to the norm – it’s actually been flowing more slowly and getting thicker.

Joining forces on Earth science to benefit society

With human activity leaving its indelible mark on the landscape and affecting the climate, our natural world is changing faster than at any other time in history. Science is fundamental to understanding environmental change so that these huge challenges can be tackled. To ensure a more efficient approach on Earth-system science and to bring direct benefits to society, ESA and the European Commission are working to join forces.

Spotlight on the pulse of our planet

Satellites deliver crucial information to help solve what is our biggest global problem: climate change. As well as taking the pulse of our planet, satellite data are used in a myriad of daily applications, and are also used increasingly in business. It’s no surprise then that over 4 000 people have flocked to Milan to hear the latest scientific findings on Earth’s natural processes and global change, and to learn about the wealth of new opportunities that Earth observation has to offer.

Surpassing expectations

Living Planet replay

Living Planet replay

Living Planet

Earth from Space

Milan

Living Planet live

Space for climate

Art and climate

Swarm helps explain Earth’s magnetic jerks

Our protective magnetic field is always restless, but every now and then something weird happens – it jerks. Although scientists have known about these rapid shifts for some 40 years, the reason why they occur has remained a frustrating mystery, until now.

Space mission testing

Queensland floods

Earth from Space

Earth from Space

Graffiti exhibition to showcase role of climate from space

Street art and climate science will combine at ESA’s Living Planet Symposium to highlight the major role that satellites play in helping to understand our Earth.

Easter Island

Earth from Space

Call for media

Getting ready to chart sea level

Records show that, on average, global sea level rose by 3.2 mm a year between 1993 and 2018, but hidden within this average is the fact that the rate of rise has been accelerating over the last few years. Taking measurements of the height of the sea surface is essential to monitoring this worrying trend – and the Copernicus Sentinel-6 mission is on the way to being ready to do just this.

English Channel

Earth from Space

Glaciers lose nine trillion tonnes of ice in half a century

When we think of climate change, one of the first things to come to mind is melting polar ice. However, ice loss isn’t just restricted to the polar regions. According to research published today, glaciers around the world have lost well over 9000 gigatonnes (nine trillion tonnes) of ice since 1961, raising sea level by 27 mm.

Breathe easier

Aeolus well on the way to improving forecasts

Assessing the accuracy of data being returned by completely new technology in space is a challenging task. But this is exactly what engineers and scientists have been dedicating their time to over the last months so that measurements of the world’s winds being gathered by Aeolus can be fed confidently into weather forecast models.

Preserving heritage data at ESA

Why is archiving and curating heritage satellite data so fundamentally important? How can heritage data from old satellites be used to compare with current findings?

Earth from Space

Egyptian crop circles

Preserving data

Copernicus Masters 2019 submissions open

The Copernicus Masters 2019 competition is now open for submissions. This international competition awards prizes to innovative solutions, developments and ideas for business and society  that use Copernicus data.

The Bosphorus

Earth from Space

Receding waters

Satellites key to addressing water scarcity

Today is World Water Day, but with millions of people in Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe struggling to cope in the aftermath of Cyclone Idai, the notion of water shortages may not be at the forefront of our minds right now. Even so, floods, like we see here, lead to real problems accessing clean water. Whether the problem is inundation or water scarcity, satellites can help monitor this precious resource.

Lake Chad

Earth from Space

Water for life

Bangkok’s green lung

Land-cover dynamics unveiled

Billions of image pixels recorded by the Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission have been used to generate a high-resolution map of land-cover dynamics across Earth’s landmasses. This map also depicts the month of the peak of vegetation and gives new insight into land productivity.

Land-cover dynamics unveiled

Billions of image pixels recorded by the Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission have been used to generate a high-resolution map of land-cover dynamics across Earth’s landmasses. This map also depicts the month of the peak of vegetation and gives new insight into land productivity.

Grande oil spill

Copernicus Sentinel-1 maps floods in wake of Idai

As millions of people in Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe struggle to cope with the aftermath of what could be the southern hemisphere’s worst storm, Copernicus Sentinel-1 is one of the satellite missions being used to map flooded areas to help relief efforts.

Taking gravity from strength to strength

Ten years ago, ESA launched one of its most innovative satellites. GOCE spent four years measuring a fundamental force of nature: gravity. This extraordinary mission not only yielded new insights into our gravity field, but led to some amazing discoveries about our planet, from deep below the surface to high up in the atmosphere and beyond. And, this remarkable mission continues to realise new science today.

Climate change

Nairobi

Earth from Space

Bering in dire straits

Sentinels monitor converging ice cracks

The Copernicus Sentinel-1 radar mission shows how cracks cutting across Antarctica’s Brunt ice shelf are on course to truncate the shelf and release an iceberg about the size of Greater London – it’s just a matter of time.

Nitrogen dioxide pollution mapped

New maps that use information from the Copernicus Sentinel-5P satellite reveal nitrogen dioxide emission being released into the atmosphere in cities and towns across the globe.

Working towards AI and Earth observation

Satellites observing and measuring our planet deliver a huge amount of data that not only helps understand how our world is changing, but also benefits society by feeding into a myriad of everyday applications. Taking this to the next level, ESA is exploring how even more could be gained from these valuable data by using artificial intelligence (AI).

New observations for the new economy

We all listen to weather forecasts and know they rely on satellite data. What may not be so obvious is that many other aspects of our lives depend on robust satellite data, from growing crops to tackling the major issue of climate change. The socio-economic benefits of Earth observation are huge, and increasing. In Europe, ESA, Eumetsat and the EU work closely together, in long-term partnerships, to make sure these benefits are delivered.

New observations for the new economy

We all listen to weather forecasts and know they rely on satellite data. What may not be so obvious is that many other aspects of our lives depend on robust satellite data, from growing crops to tackling the major issue of climate change. The socio-economic benefits of Earth observation are huge, and increasing. In Europe, ESA, Eumetsat and the EU work closely together, in long-term partnerships, to make sure these benefits are delivered.

New Zealand

Earth from Space

New Zealand

Earth from Space

Methane and ozone data products from Copernicus Sentinel-5P

The Copernicus Sentinel-5P mission has been used to produce global maps of two atmospheric gases responsible for making our world warmer: methane, which is a particularly potent greenhouse gas, and ozone, which is a greenhouse gas and a pollutant in the lower part of the atmosphere. The maps give insight into where these gases are coming from.

Methane and ozone data products from Copernicus Sentinel-5P

The Copernicus Sentinel-5P mission has been used to produce global maps of two atmospheric gases responsible for making our world warmer: methane, which is a particularly potent greenhouse gas, and ozone, which is a greenhouse gas and a pollutant in the lower part of the atmosphere. The maps give insight into where these gases are coming from.

The Alps

Earth from Space

Cloudy waters

Cloudy waters

Copernicus Sentinel-1 reveals shared plumbing led to Agung awakening

When Mount Agung in Indonesia erupted in 2017, the search was on to find out why it had stirred. Thanks to information on ground deformation from the Copernicus Sentinel-1 mission, scientists now have more insight into the volcano’s hidden secrets that caused it to reawaken.

Copernicus Sentinel-1 reveals shared plumbing led to Agung awakening

When Mount Agung in Indonesia erupted in 2017, the search was on to find out why it had stirred. Thanks to information on ground deformation from the Copernicus Sentinel-1 mission, scientists now have more insight into the volcano’s hidden secrets that caused it to reawaken.

Western Sicily

Earth from Space

First results

Earth from Space

Maldive jewels

Earth from Space

Fall in love

Shrinking heart

This heart-shaped body of water may look cute for Valentine’s Day but just as love sometimes fades, this emerald sea is withering away. 

Shrinking heart

This heart-shaped body of water may look cute for Valentine’s Day but just as love sometimes fades, this emerald sea is withering away. 

EarthCARE mission to improve weather forecasts

Earth observation satellite data are crucial for generating accurate weather predictions. They provide a global picture of the current state of the atmosphere, which is used as the starting point for creating a forecast. But our knowledge of that current state is limited, partly because satellites have so far not been able to collect much information about clouds, which play a key role in the weather. The ESA/JAXA future mission EarthCARE will provide this information to improve our predictions about the future weather and climate.

EarthCARE mission to improve weather forecasts

Earth observation satellite data are crucial for generating accurate weather predictions. They provide a global picture of the current state of the atmosphere, which is used as the starting point for creating a forecast. But our knowledge of that current state is limited, partly because satellites have so far not been able to collect much information about clouds, which play a key role in the weather. The ESA/JAXA future mission EarthCARE will provide this information to improve our predictions about the future weather and climate.

Loving big

Since it’s Valentine’s Day soon, we’re all feeling romantic and so we bring you this image of a heart-shaped lake in Argentina – and like all love, it’s special.

Loving big

Since it’s Valentine’s Day soon, we’re all feeling romantic and so we bring you this image of a heart-shaped lake in Argentina – and like all love, it’s special.

Taking Aeolus to the next level

Since ESA’s Aeolus satellite was launched in August, engineers and scientists have been carefully checking the information that this pioneering mission is delivering on the world’s winds – and now it’s time for the next phase.

Island love

With Valentine’s Day around the corner, we will soon be expressing our love to those nearest and dearest – and maybe that can include our beautiful home planet, after all it needs all the love and care it can get.

Swarm helps pinpoint new magnetic north for smartphones

Since it was first measured in 1831, we have known that the magnetic north is constantly on the move. However, its tendency to slowly roam has stepped up a pace recently – so much so that the World Magnetic Model has had to be updated urgently with the pole’s new location, vital for navigation on smartphones, for example. ESA’s magnetic field Swarm mission has been key for this update.

Northeast Kenya

Earth from Space

Flying under Aeolus

Science key to taking the pulse of our planet

For some, the concept of ‘science’ may seem difficult or even boring, particularly if it was taught poorly at school. However, with all of us facing the consequences a rapidly changing world, science is fundamental to implementing adaptation and mitigation strategies. Thanks to satellites delivering critical science, we are better placed than ever before to cope with the challenges ahead.

Science key to taking the pulse of our planet

For some, the concept of ‘science’ may seem difficult or even boring, particularly if it was taught poorly at school. However, with all of us facing the consequences of a rapidly changing world, science is fundamental to implementing adaptation and mitigation strategies. Thanks to satellites delivering critical science, we are better placed than ever before to cope with the challenges ahead.

More of Africa scarred by fires than thought

Wildfires can cause devastation and are also to blame for more than a quarter of greenhouse gases being released into the atmosphere. Satellites play a key role in mapping landscape scarred by fire – but the Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission has revealed that there are more fires than previously thought.

Register for LPS19

Iraq flood

Earth from Space

Save the date: Earth Explorer 9 User Consultation Meeting

The date has been set for the Earth observation science community to come together and discuss the merits of the two satellite concepts competing to be ESA’s next Earth Explorer.

Zaragoza

Earth from Space

New financial resources for Copernicus space component

An amendment to the current Copernicus Agreement has been signed by the EU and ESA, adding €96 million to ESA’s space component budget for the world’s largest environmental monitoring programme: Copernicus.

Airbus fellows to join ESA’s ɸ-lab

ESA’s new Earth observation innovation hub, ɸ-lab, is set to welcome three research fellows from the aerospace industry giant Airbus, to work at the edge of disruptive technologies that monitor Earth’s environment from space.

Gangotri

Earth from Space

Thales Alenia Space leads the build of photosynthesis mission

A new contract seals the deal for Thales Alenia Space to lead the consortium that is building ESA’s photosynthesis mission: FLEX.

Cape fires

Uruguay River wetlands

Earth from Space

Cold Turkey

Copernicus Sentinel-1 maps Norway in motion

Images acquired every six days by the European Union’s Copernicus Sentinel-1 satellites are being used to map ground movement across two billion measurement sites in Norway, revealing shifts as small as one millimetre a year.

Sentinel calendar