Welcome to the course!

How we’ve progressed from ship and buoy based observations to satellites, building on this legacy of in situ data, and incorporating into models.

Previously known as the Global Monitoring for Environment and Security programme (GMES), the Copernicus Programme is one of the biggest Earth observation programmes in the world.

Climate change is the hot topic of the moment. The oceans play a key role in the Earth’s climate system and are set to be affected by changes to it.

Global currents transport heat and moisture around the world. How do the specifics of mixing between basins affect the global thermohaline circulation and both local and global climate?

In this video our Lead Educator Dr Mark Higgins will give us a quick introduction on sea level rise.

Sea levels across the globe are on the rise due to global climate change, and even a small, permanent increase in the global sea level could have major consequences for the Earth’s populations.

How we can measure the ocean depths using altimetry

In this video our Lead Educator Dr Mark Higgins will give us a quick introduction on sea surface temperature (SST).

In this ‘ocean extras’ video, Dr Bill Patzert from NASA JPL provides an overview and added insights into the El Niño phenomenon, and the role played by satellites in monitoring and predicting its impact.

The El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is a coupled atmosphere-ocean phenomenon with wide reaching impacts. It can be observed through satellite sensed sea surface temperature and height.

Arctic summer sea ice extent is shrinking much faster than predicted by climate models. Satellite data from a variety of sensors are the main way to monitor the changes to the extent, concentration and thickness of the sea ice.

Week 1 Interactive exercise

Now that you have covered the initial topics in Week 1, we hope that you are starting to become familiar with key terms, technologies and names of satellite missions. You can download and use the table below to explore all of the Earth observation satellite missions that are mentioned throughout this course. You can refer back to this table at any time, and additional links to these missions can be found in each topic.

A look at how satellite data and other observations are assimilated into numerical models used in weather forecasting.

The second part in a look at how satellite data and other observations are assimilated into numerical models used in weather forecasting.

What role does the ocean play in tropical storm generation?

What role does the ocean play in tropical storm generation? Part 2

A storm surge is an unexpectedly high water level brought on by high winds pushing water towards the coast and low atmospheric pressure causing sea level to rise.

Using altimeter observation with forecasting models now increases the accuracy of wave forecasting.

How we predict the impact of sea level rise

Interactive exercise to consolidate what you have learned so far.

In this extra video, Dr Paolo Cipollini from the National Oceanography Centre, provides a brief insight into how using detailed computer models, in conjunction with satellite data, helps to reveal new and unexpected details about ocean dynamics.

Knowing how the ocean moves is crucial to understanding and managing risks from ocean hazards.

Looking at Argo floats and other in-situ sensors

Ocean salinity and its impacts on the water cycle, ocean currents and the global climate.

In this video our Lead Educator Dr Mark Higgins will give us a quick introduction on sea, wind and ice

Icebergs can be detected by radar altimetry, the radar wave coming back earlier when bouncing on an iceberg. A second sight is then often made using SAR imagery, where surface roughness shows the icebergs in the image.

Satellite data are used to provide decision support for oil spill response during accidents that release large volumes of oil into the sea.

In this video our lead educator Dr Mark Higgins will give us a quick introduction on ocean colour.

Harmful Algal Blooms and coastal pollution can impact aquaculture, tourism and human health. The colour of the ocean is directly linked to the components of ocean waters that determine water quality.

Ocean water quality part 2

The interactive exercise for week 3

In this ‘Ocean extras’ video, Dr Val Byfield and Dr Eleanor Frajka-Williams provide an overview and added insights into overturning circulation and the rapid array.

The story of oceans and climate would not be complete until we explore the impact of weather and climate on marine life.

An introduction to ocean colour measurements with Dr Hayley Evers-King and Dr Helen Czerski

Ocean colour can be used to estimate pools of different types of carbon in the ocean. This gives a global perspective on the carbon cycle - a key part of the climate change story.

Ocean colour provides information on primary production relevant to fisheries and marine ecology, which can be used develop Earth system models that help predict future climate change

Ocean colour provides information on primary production relevant to fisheries and marine ecology, which can be used to develop Earth system models that help predict future climate change

Scientists at the Sir Alister Foundation for Ocean Sciences (SAHFOS ) use plankton data recorded by the CPR survey to monitor changes in the marine environment.

A diverse range of ecosystems, can be monitored using EO imagery. This can tell us a lot about large communities of organisms living in the ocean

Tracking animals and combining the information they gather with satellite data can provide more information about both their behaviour and the validity of the satellite data products

Extra video on models and future missions for phytoplankton and biodiversity

Interactive exercise to consolidate what you have learned so far.

Information provided by satellite sensors can support investigation of socio-economic issues surrounding the use of marine resources.

The information, which satellite sensors can provide, hugely supports the investigations of socio-economic issues surrounding the use of marine resources.

Public observation projects and crowdsourcing are a great way of collecting in-situ measurements to help reveal parameters important for understanding the underwater world.

Satellite data provides valuable information for developing technical specifications and environmental impact assessments for new infrastructure projects

Taking a look at the future of Earth Observation - new satellites and synergy between sensors.

In this first of two extra videos for this final week of the course, Dr Josh Willis from NASA JPL provides his thoughts and insights on the role of satellite data in assessing the ‘footprint’ of human activity on changes in the oceans

In this second of two extra videos for this final week of the course, we hear from some of the people responsible for operating and managing satellites and data from the EUMETSAT satellite control rooms.

The interactive exercise for week 5

Hayley Evers-King explains how to access ocean colour data from the Sentinel-3 satellite and work with it in the Sentinel-3 toolbox.

Anne O’Carroll remote sensing scientist at EUMETSAT explains how to access Copernicus Sentinel-3 sea surface temperature data and work with it in the Sentinel-3 toolbox

Bruno Lucas, Altimeter Data Processing Expert at EUMETSAT explains how to access Copernicus Sentinel-3 Altimetry data and how to visualize and work with it in BRAT.

Daniel Lee, Software & Data Format Engineer at EUMETSAT guides you through a variety of free and open software, for you to visualize NetCDF format files.

Course round-up