The European Space Agency (ESA) organises a series of summer schools on Monitoring of the Earth System, which promote the exploitation of Earth observation (EO) data across disciplines, with a specific focus on their assimilation into Earth System models.

The two-week course, held in ESA-ESRIN (near Rome, Italy) during August (typically every two years), aims to provide students with an integrated end-to-end perspective going from measurement techniques to end-user applications. Courses include lectures covering issues related to Remote Sensing, Earth System Modelling and Data Assimilation as well as hands-on computing exercises on the processing of EO data. Keynote lectures on global change issues are also given to discuss the current state of the science of global change and its relationship to society in order to help students appreciate how their specific field fits into a broader scientific and political context. For more information, please see the programme.

The event is open to Early Career Scientists (i.e. Ph.D. students, young post-doctoral scientists) who are specialised in a variety of Earth Science disciplines and wish to expand and improve their knowledge and skills.

The second EO Summer School took place between 16 - 26 August 2004.

Programme

Alan O'Neill (DARC)

• Overview of DA techniques
• DA theory and algorithms (OI, 3D/4Dvar, Kalman Filter)
• DA applications (Earth System)
• DA variational methods

Elisabeth Gerard (Meteo France)

• Assimilation of satellite data in operational meteorology
• Satellite data information content, channel selection and density
• Major advances foreseen in humidity profiling from space

Anthony Hollingsworth (ECMWF)

• Global Earth System Monitoring using Space & in-situ data
• Filtering & Projection of information from optimality principles of variational analysis

Henk Eskes (KNMI)

• The role of data assimilation in atmospheric composition monitoring and forecasting
• Stratospheric ozone: satellite observations, data assimilation and forecasts

Pierre Brasseur (LEGI)

• Sequential Data Assimilation methods: theoretical aspects
• Sequential Data Assimilation methods: implementation into primitive-equation models
• On the Use of Satellite data for Operational Ocean Monitoring and Forecasting: the MERCATOR system

Johnny Johannessen (NERSC)

• Overview of ocean and ice modelling
• Satellite oceanography (SAR and optical)
• Towards operational European capability for Marine Environment and Security

Detlef Stammer (University of Hamburg)

• Remote sensing of Ocean Dynamics
• The Ocean Inverse Problem
• Practical Considerations of Ocean State Estimation

Nadia Pinardi (University of Ravenna)

• The Mediterranean operational forecasting system: state of progress
• Short term ocean forecasting and seasonal forecasting: forecast quality and accuracy

Seymour Laxon (UCL)

• The cryosphere observed from space: Overview
• Changes in ice mass balance past, present and future: A consensus view from models and observations

Mark Drinkwater (ESA/ESTEC)

• ESA future missions
• Scientific challenges associated with ice-drift products

Christiane Schmullius (University of Jena)

• Overview of land surface parameters from Earth Observation
• Land cover classification
• Multi-Sensor concepts for Greenhouse Gas accounting in Northern Eurasia (SIBERIA II project)

Nadine Gobron (JRC)

• Radiative transfer for vegetation
• Inverse methods for development of sophisticated vegetation index
• Making sense of retrieval for integration into models

Wolfgang Knorr (MPI)

• Overview of land surface processes and modeling
• Data assimilation techniques in land surface modeling
• DA application for CO2 retrieval for climate research

Shaun Quegan (University of Sheffield)

• The terrestrial carbon cycle - processes and data
• Earth Observation techniques and the carbon cycle
• Assimilating EO data into carbon cycle models

Henri Laur (ESA-ESRIN)

• Introduction to Envisat Mission

Computing Practicals

Remote Sensing Tutorial (UNESCO-Bilko)

Naoise O'Reilly and Doug McNeal (SOC)

• Envisat toolboxes & BILKO lessons

Data Assimilation Tutorial

Amos Lawless and Stefano Migliorini (DARC)

• Effect of statistical analysis parameters I
• Sequential assimilation with the Lorenz system
• 4D-Var and incremental 4D-Var for the Lorenz system
• Atmospheric retrieval methods
• Projects/ Follow up previous practicals