Projects

1. Raising awareness for the Copernicus programme,
2. Informing and educating Copernicus users,
3. Engaging Copernicus users in public and private sector, and
4. Enabling access to Copernicus data and information.

These well tailored themes form the core components of KEPLER. However, as the Polar Regions are changing, so too are the challenges and opportunities. Because of these shifts we have included two additional themes that encompass the evolving needs. These are needed to provide opportunities for better understanding the environment, research opportunities, establishing new industry sectors and startups, and importantly empowering citizens:

1. Identification of research gaps regarding integration/assimilation, and
2. Improved sea-ice mapping and forecasting.

Through these 6 themes KEPLER aims to release the full potential of Polar Regions Earth Observation, including from ESA and EUMETSAT, by identifying and eliminating the barriers that impede the use of the tremendous resource that is Copernicus. This combines 2 key elements of the call: a) bringing together key European stakeholders and competent entities, and b) growing the Copernicus brand and user-base through providing enhanced scientific and technical support. Our objective with KEPLER is to provide a mechanism that enables the broad range of Polar Regions stakeholders to be equipped with the most accurate and relevant  environmental information so that they can seize the many benefits that Copernicus products generate for society and economy.

DYNACLIM project aims to exploit L-band remote sensing salinity products in synergy with surface temperature and sea surface height to better estimate oceanic currents in the Arctic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. To this end, surface quasi-geostrophic methodologies are used to characterize the 3D ocean dynamics.

The tropical Atlantic variability is thought to be controlled by two air-sea independent couple modes, denoted as Meridional (MM) and Equatorial Mode (EM). The MM and EM pattern peak in boreal spring and summer respectively, and exhibit pronounced environmental and socioeconomic impacts on the tropical countries. FESTIVAL MSCA-IF-H2020 project (grant agreement 797236) has investigated the connection between the traditional MM and EM, the air-sea mechanisms and oceanic wave activity involved and its multidecadal modulation. The main conclusions achieved during the development of FESTIVAL project are:

1. Evolving modes, from winter to summer, emerge in the tropical Atlantic basin during the 20th century.

2. These evolving patterns resemble different (same-phase and opposite-phase) connections between the traditional MM and EM.

3. Evolving modes interact between each other at inter-decadal time scales along the historical record, associated with natural variability low-frequency variability patterns.

4. The North Tropical Atlantic SSTs act as a precursor of equatorial Atlantic variability during the whole 20th century, providing significant predictive skill up to 6 months in advance.

5. Oceanic Rossby waves, boundary-reflected into equatorial Kelvin waves, are the essential mechanism underlying the evolving modes and thus the MM-EM connection.

6. The effectiveness of the oceanic waves in generating equatorial SST variability during summer months is modulated by the local wind forcing.

7. The emergence of evolving modes causes a pronounced impact over the precipitation regime over Africa and South-America that substantially changes from winter to summer seasons.

FESTIVAL results provide, for the first time, an integrated view of the boreal spring and summer interannual variability. The predictor role of North Tropical Atlantic SSTs to develop equatorial Atlantic variability is quite valuable to improve the current seasonal forecast systems. Furthermore, the seasonal varying rainfall patterns induced by the evolving modes over African and South-American countries significantly influence the agricultural practices, which allows the local governments and insurance companies to adapt specific strategies to guarantee a sustained development.

For more information, please contact: mmartin(at)icm.csic.es; mmartindelrey(at)fis.ucm.es.

Acknowledgments: This research has been funding by the MSCA-IF-H2020-EU FESTIVAL project, (grant agreement number 797236).

Funded by EU H2020 MONOCLE brings together 12 partners from across Europe to create sustainable in situ observation solutions for Earth Observation (EO) of optical water quality in inland and transitional waters. Developing essential research and technology to lower the cost of acquisition, maintenance, and regular deployment of in situ sensors. The MONOCLE sensor system will establish firm links between operational Earth Observation (EO) and essential environmental monitoring in inland and transitional water bodies. These aquatic ecosystems, which are particularly vulnerable to direct human impacts, represent areas of the weakest performance in current EO capability, despite the major technological advances in recent decades. At the same time, these areas are of great economic importance and are crucial to sustainable food, energy, and clean water supply.