Long-Term ozone measurements from Space assuredMarch 05, 2000The EUMETSAT Polar System, and the ESA METOP-1 Programme together form a co-operative venture between the two organisations, and lead to the launch of the first METOP satellite in mid-2003. The system provides operational meteorological data from polar orbiting satellites, to complement and complete an international system of polar satellites operated together with the US. The contract on the procurement of three flight models of the GOME-2 instrument was signed today by Dr. Claudio Mastracci, ESA Director of Applications Programmes, Dr. Tillmann Mohr, EUMETSAT Director, and Dr. Giancarlo Grasso, Deputy Head, Defence Sector of Finmeccanica for Alenia Difesa/Officine Galileo BU Spazio. The variations of atmospheric ozone are of vital importance for many reasons, and its distribution in the atmosphere needs to be mapped continuously. The enhanced GOME-2 instrument on METOP will continue the series of ESA measurements started by GOME-1 on ERS-2 and to be provided by the SCIAMACHY instrument on ESA's environmental satellite Envisat due to be launched in 2001. In addition to innovative data for Numerical Weather Prediction, one of the most important contributions of GOME-2 will be the continuation and improvement of the climate record of ozone. Monthly and seasonal maps of ozone distribution throughout the atmosphere will provide a record of its variation with time and will help detect long-term trends of major importance for the health of the planet and its population. European Space Agency (ESA) |
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| Related Ozone Current Events and Ozone News Articles Oceans' uptake of manmade carbon may be slowing The oceans play a key role in regulating climate, absorbing more than a quarter of the carbon dioxide that humans put into the air. Tiny bubbles clean oil from water Small amounts of oil leave a fluorescent sheen on polluted water. Oil sheen is hard to remove, even when the water is aerated with ozone or filtered through sand. A bubbling ball of gas The Sun is a bubbling mass. Packages of gas rise and sink, lending the sun its grainy surface structure, its granulation. Dark spots appear and disappear, clouds of matter dart up - and behind the whole thing are the magnetic fields, the engines of it all. Nitrogen loss threatens desert plant life, study shows As the climate gets warmer, arid soils lose nitrogen as gas, reports a new Cornell study. That could lead to deserts with even less plant life than they sustain today, say the researchers. Researchers discover links between city walkability and air pollution exposure A new study compares neighborhoods' walkability (degree of ease for walking) with local levels of air pollution and finds that some neighborhoods might be good for walking, but have poor air quality. Interactions with aerosols boost warming potential of some gases For decades, climate scientists have worked to identify and measure key substances -- notably greenhouse gases and aerosol particles -- that affect Earth's climate. Report examines hidden costs of energy production and use A new report from the National Research Council examines and, when possible, estimates "hidden" costs of energy production and use -- such as the damage air pollution imposes on human health -- that are not reflected in market prices of coal, oil, other energy sources, or the electricity and gasoline produced from them. Air pollutants from abroad a growing concern, says new report Plumes of harmful air pollutants can be transported across oceans and continents -- from Asia to the United States and from the United States to Europe -- and have a negative impact on air quality far from their original sources, says a new report by the National Research Council. U.S. needs nearly $200 million more on climate-related health research A recent commentary suggests that the U.S. should spend roughly $197 million more than it currently does to research the impact of climate change on public health. Ozone layer depletion levelling off By merging more than a decade of atmospheric data from European satellites, scientists have compiled a homogeneous long-term ozone record that allows them to monitor total ozone trends on a global scale - and the findings look promising. More Ozone Current Events and Ozone News Articles |
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