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  • News - Infographics

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    Showcasing success stories from ESA's Heritage Missions

    Find out how ESA's Heritage Space Programme data continue to help, even decades after they finished operations, in our latest infographic.

  • News - Data Release news

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    FDR4ALT - ESA unveils new cutting-edge ERS/Envisat Altimeter and Microwave Radiometer Datasets

    The European Space Agency (ESA) has developed a comprehensive suite of innovative Earth system data records as part of the Fundamental Data Records for Altimetry project - FDR4ALT.

  • Data - EO Sign In Authentication (Open)

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    Sea Ice Thematic Data Product [ALT_TDP_SI]

    This is the Sea Ice Thematic Data Product (TDP) V1 resulting from the ESA FDR4ALT project and containing the sea ice related geophysical parameters, along with associated uncertainties: snow depth, radar and sea-ice freeboard, sea ice thickness and concentration. The collection covers data for the ERS-1, ERS-2 and Envisat missions, and bases on Level 1 data coming from previous reprocessing (ERS REAPER and the Envisat V3.0) but taking into account the improvements made at Level 0/Level 1 in the frame of FDR4ALT (ALT FDR). The Sea Ice TDP provides data from the northern or southern hemisphere in two files corresponding to the Arctic and Antarctic regions respectively for the winter periods only, i.e., October to June for the Arctic, and May to November for the Antarctic. For many aspects, the Sea Ice TDP is very innovative: First time series of sea-ice thickness estimates for ERS Homogeneous calibration, allowing the first Arctic radar freeboard time series from ERS-1 (1991) to CryoSat-2 (2021) Uncertainties estimated along-track with a bottom-up approach based on dominant sources ERS pulse blurring error corrected using literature procedure [Peacock, 2004] The FDR4ALT products are available in NetCDF format. Free standard tools for reading NetCDF data can be used. Information for expert altimetry users is also available in a dedicated NetCDF group within the products. Please consult the FDR4ALT Product User Guide before using the data. The FDR4ALT datasets represent the new reference data for the ERS/Envisat altimetry missions, superseding any previous mission data. Users are strongly encouraged to make use of these datasets for optimal results.

  • Data - EO Sign In Authentication (Open)

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    Land Ice Thematic Data Product [ALT_TDP_LI]

    This is the Land Ice Thematic Data Product (TDP) V1 resulting from the ESA FDR4ALT project and containing estimates of ice sheet surface elevation and associated uncertainties. The collection covers data for three different missions: ERS-1, ERS-2 and Envisat, and based on Level 1 data coming from previous reprocessing (ERS REAPER and the Envisat V3.0) but taking into account the improvements made at Level 0/Level 1 in the frame of FDR4ALT (ALT FDR). The Land Ice TDP focuses specifically on the ice sheets of Greenland and Antarctica, providing these data in different files. For many aspects, the Land Ice Level 2 and Level 2+ processing is very innovative: Improved relocation approach correcting for topographic effects within the beam footprint to identify the Point of Closest Approach Homogeneous timeseries of surface elevation measurements at regular along-track reference nodes. The FDR4ALT products are available in NetCDF format. Free standard tools for reading NetCDF data can be used. Information for expert altimetry users is also available in a dedicated NetCDF group within the products. Please consult the FDR4ALT Product User Guide before using the data. The FDR4ALT datasets represent the new reference data for the ERS/Envisat altimetry missions, superseding any previous mission data. Users are strongly encouraged to make use of these datasets for optimal results.

  • News - Data Release news

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    New reanalysis dataset impacts SMOS Level 3 and 4 sea ice thickness

    On 24 January 2024 the JRA55 reanalysis dataset was terminated and updated with the Japanese Reanalysis for Three Quarters of a Century.

  • News - Success Stories

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    Trailblazing ERS-2 mission enables climate change applications

    As ESA’s ERS-2 satellite approaches Earth’s atmosphere for reentry, it’s time to reflect on the mission’s great achievements in powering climate-related applications.

  • News - Events and Proceedings

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    Highlighting the value of SMOS data in space weather applications

    Data from ESA’s SMOS mission are driving many space weather applications, ranging from air navigation, characterisation of solar flares, space weather modelling and ionospheric electron content mapping.

  • News - General News

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    SMOS Tools updates

    Updates for two SMOS tools have been released, offering new features and improvements.

  • News - Spotlight on EO community

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    An overview of the SMOS mission

    In this video, Klaus Scipal - Biomass and SMOS Mission Manager - talks about ESA's Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity mission.

  • News - Events and Proceedings

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    GLOC 2023: Democratising data access key to climate action

    The need for easy access to remote sensing data and making them more digestible to the local user community, were take home messages from the first Global Space Conference on Climate Change (GLOC), held in Oslo, Norway, last week.

  • News - Success Stories

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    SMOS data reveal ecosystems' resistance to drought

    Climate change is rapidly altering the world’s ecosystems, causing extreme weather conditions, such as droughts, to become increasingly frequent. Understanding the factors that contribute to ecosystem resilience to extreme events is vital to develop more effective strategies for climate adaptation and mitigation.

  • News - Infographics

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    Key facts about SMOS Level-1 and Level-2 science data

    Learn about data products from the SMOS mission in our latest infographic.

  • News - Success Stories

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    ESA missions deliver new long-term perspective on sea ice decline

    A 29-year timeseries of polar sea ice thickness and volume that draws on altimetry data from a succession of ESA missions has been presented at the European Geoscience Union general assembly.

  • News - Events and Proceedings

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    Scientists to showcase value of Earth observation data at EGU

    Remote sensing scientists are getting ready to present innovative and exciting applications of satellite data at the European Geosciences Union general assembly which will take place from 24 to 28 April in Vienna, Austria.

  • News - General News

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    Overachieving SMOS mission primed for continued success

    ESA’s Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity mission (SMOS) was the second Earth Explorer launched in 2009. Over 13 years on, having already vastly exceeded its predicted lifetime and initial objectives, the mission has been further extended until at least the end of 2025.

  • News - General News

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    ESA's excellent Earth Explorer missions extended to 2025

    Since 2009, ESA’s Earth Explorer missions have pioneered breakthrough technologies and transformed our understanding of Earth’s system, from its core to the outer stretches of the atmosphere.

  • News - Thematic area articles

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    Monitoring water on Earth's surface

    ESA's Earth observation satellites are playing a leading role in furthering our understanding of how Earth's terrestrial hydrosphere is being influenced by humankind.

  • News - General News

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    Pioneering science missions: Summarising ESA’s Earth Explorers

    Designed for research purposes, ESA's Earth Explorer missions are dedicated to monitoring parts of Earth’s system. Learn more about the Earth Explorers in this video.

  • News - Data Release news

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    New version of the SMOS-CryoSat level 4 sea ice thickness product is now available

    The new version 205 of the merged SMOS-CryoSat level 4 sea ice thickness product is now available on the SMOS dissemination service

  • News - Events and Proceedings

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    ESA invites scientists to submit abstracts for EGU 2023

    ESA is calling for researchers to submit abstracts for sessions at the next General Assembly of the European Geosciences Union (EGU 2023).