Weather Observations, Data Important in Climate Research

January 2010 National Scene Magazine Space Article

Why are Weather Observations Important in Climate Change Research?

Nearly 200 Space Agencies Gathered at UN Conference to Discuss Why Data is Important


Written by: Karen Benardello


In an effort to emphasize the role that Earth surveillance satellites play in providing climate observations, representatives from 190 international space agencies attended a two-week UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen early last month.

About 150 people attended an event hosted by the European Space Agency (ESA) on Thursday, December 10, during which numerous scientists discussed why weather observations are important in climate change research. Dr Stephen Briggs, ESA’s Head of Earth Observation Science, Applications and Future Technologies Department, also discussed how ESA is working to meet the needs of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in conjunction with its new Climate Change Initiative.

“ESA has developed the Climate Change Initiative to generate, preserve and give access to long-term data sets of the essential climate variables and make them freely available to climate research and modeling communities worldwide,” Briggs said.

Building on data that multiple international space agencies provide, the initiative will also assure the availability of global climate information for the future. Such information will include sea-ice extent and thickness and greenhouse-gas concentrations.

At the ESA event, Gilberto Camara, the Director of the Brazilian Institute for Space Research (INPE), also insisted that space agencies need to support such climate observations as greenhouse-gas. “Operational monitoring of climate using Earth observation is essential. This cannot be done alone. Therefore, there is a need for space agencies to coordinate and work together…the ‘data democracy’ needs to reach the masses,” she said.

European Environmental Agency Director Jacqueline McGlade was also on-hand at the event. She spoke about the need to watch the alteration speed of glaciers. “Political decision-makers count money; we will make them count water, clean air and forests…Climate change impact is a reality. Space tells us a great deal and being on the ground tells us even more. The combination of the two is essential.”

Using satellites in space to observe the Earth’s weather and climate habits is one area that space agencies should support. Scientists need to be able to study how the environment of today will alter the climate of the future, so that they can try to curtail any possible negative effects. Instead of focusing on whether or not there’s water on planets galaxies away from earth, such organizations as the ESA and NASA need to focus on how climate trends, such as greenhouse gases and glacial melting, is affecting life here on Earth.