How the UNFCCC can benefit from space

Dr. Espen Volden, Dr. Olivier Arino, Dr. Stephen Briggs, Ms. Mariangela Cataldo, European Space Agency (ESA), Earth Observation Science and Applications Department, ESA-ESRIN, Italy - www.esa.int/eo

ESA activities
Earth Observation from Space provides data (satellite data) that are necessary for the scientific foundation of the UNFCCC and the Kyoto Protocol. Climate change is a global issue, which must be addressed with global models and global data are needed as input to these models. Earth Observation from Space has a unique capacity to provide such global data sets in a continuous way. However, Earth Observation from Space also provides data on national and local scales, which can help in the implementation of the convention and protocol, and support the Parties in their reporting duties.

The European Space Agency (ESA) develops and operates Earth Observation satellites, including Envisat, which is monitoring the environment of our Earth with ten different instruments, and the new Cryosat satellite dedicated to precisely measuring changes in ice thickness in the Polar Regions. ESA thus contributes to the global efforts for providing needed data for checking the health of our Earth, in collaboration with other Space Agencies and Earth Observation satellite operators.

However, ESA does not only contribute to the provision of needed data, but also takes an active part in ensuring that these data are effectively being used by institutional users. In particular, a number of activities were initiated in order to demonstrate how satellite data can support the objectives of the UNFCCC.

	Land use and forestry map with corresponding area statistics

Support to the reporting on LULUCF activities
Since 2001 ESA has been working with the UNFCCC secretariat and a steadily increasing number of Parties to the convention and the Kyoto Protocol in order to support the Parties in their reporting on land use, land-use change and forestry activities (LULUCF). In the Kyoto Inventory and Forest Monitoring projects Ministries of Environment and Agriculture of Italy, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Norway, Finland, Germany, France, Greece, Spain, Poland and South-Africa provided their requirements for a dedicated information service.

Requested information include determining land-use activities, assessing forest areas, detecting afforestation, reforestation and deforestation activities, and estimating above-ground vegetation biomass, including changes over time. Each country had its specific requirements due to country characteristics, legal frameworks, current practices and data availability. However, all countries require geo-referenced information, and most often all forest areas or other land-use areas larger than 0.5 ha are required to be mapped. Requirements for map accuracy (in terms of correct class) are quite inhomogeneous, varying from 85% to 99%. All countries require assessing the situation in the baseline year (1990).

Taking into account these requirements a service consisting of a number of information products was defined, based on a combination of satellite data and other data provided by the countries. The service provides transparent, consistent, comparable and complete information in terms of maps and statistics, which can be produced yearly, at national level. It has been demonstrated, in collaboration with the Ministries, in all the above mentioned countries for three different years, including the 1990 baseline year, covering almost 1,200,000 km².

Global Observations from satellite
The importance of systematic global observation for understanding climate change has been recognised by the UNFCCC since the beginning, as stated in Article 5 of the convention. Some of the variables essential for understanding and monitoring the climate system can be efficiently observed from Space since this technology enables their systematic, global and homogeneous measurement (cf. the GCOS implementation plan in support of the UNFCCC). ESA initiated several global-scale projects in order to transform satellite data into meaningful parameters that provide insight into climate change issues.

Land
The most relevant variables that can be measured from satellite are daily global albedo (fraction of sun light reflected back from the Earth), vegetation indices, fires and burnt areas, snow cover of both hemispheres, digital elevation maps of the ice sheet surfaces, glaciers evolution and land cover. Some of these variables are required inputs to models designed to better understand the carbon cycle, others give an immediate view of climate change impact.

Vegetation indices, fire location, timing and area affected, as well as additional information on the vegetation growth cycle (timing, duration, spatial and temporal variability) are being estimated globally within the GlobCarbon project. They are used as input to Carbon Assimilation Models.

Fire location is being globally analysed since 10 years on a monthly basis: data are freely accessible on the World Fire Atlas (http://dup.esrin.esa.it/ionia/wfa). This atlas has been used by more than 70 scientific teams, most of them in the field of atmospheric modelling.

A global land cover map at 300 meter resolution is being developed within the GlobCover project using Envisat data from this year (2005).

Statistics from the World Fire Atlas showing monthly number of fires for the different continents.

Ocean
The large volume of data acquired from twenty years of satellite observations of sea surface temperature has given scientists a uniquely detailed view of the changing physical characteristics of the surface of the oceans, sampled at a rate impossible to achieve with only ship-based observations. The Medspiration project combines data measured independently by several different satellite systems into a set of data products that represent the best measure of sea surface temperature, presented in a form that can be assimilated into ocean forecasting models.

Ocean algae absorb thousands of tonnes of carbon, forming one of its most important and long-lasting removal routes. By precisely measuring ocean colour, scientists can accurately estimate the concentrations of phytoplankton on a global scale. Coupling ocean colour measurements with atmospheric aerosol and trace gas measurements will also yield new insights into the chemical links between ocean and atmosphere. A long time-series of global ocean-colour information is to be provided by the GlobColour project.

The Polar Regions are especially sensitive to changes in climate, and models consistently predict future warming to be much more significant in these regions than elsewhere. Many relevant variables can be observed from satellite, in particular exploiting radar instruments' capacity of seeing through clouds. Both the GlobIce and the PolarView projects are providing information services based on satellite data for the Polar Regions.

Methane (CH4) measurements from Envisat: High CH4 concentrations are shown in the right image from September-October 2003 over India, south-east Asia, and western part of central Africa, which are absent or significantly lower in the left image from March-April. This can be explained by methane emissions mainly from rice fields, wetlands, ruminants, and waste handling.

Atmosphere
Greenhouse gases and aerosols are the primary agents in forcing climate change; continuous observations that are spatially and temporally homogeneous are therefore required.

The PROMOTE consortium has been providing since 2003 measurements of ozone and greenhouse gases including CO2 (currently a research field) and CH4 exploiting satellite data.

Derivation of a daily global aerosol product over land and water from several satellites is the objective of GlobAerosol activities. ESA, recognising the importance of the UNFCCC and the Kyoto Protocol, will continue to support their implementation and wishes the Parties a successful COP 11 and COP/MOP 1.

More information about the above mentioned projects can be found on www.esa.int/due and www.esa.int/gmes.

For more information: Espen.Volden@esa.int