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Earth observation is the process of collecting information about the Earth’s physical, chemical, and biological systems. It is actually an everyday affair for many of us – especially curious individuals.

When a nature lover jots down notes on his or her observations of flora and fauna, it is indeed a simple form of Earth observation. Due to the advancement of technology, Earth observation can take complex forms, such as radar images from Earth observation satellites, allowing the observation from orbit. Examples of such satellites are NASA’s TIMED and European Space Agency’s ENVISAT.

The aforementioned forms of Earth observation provide raw data. On the other hand, sophisticated forms of Earth observation, such as predictive maps and models, are based on processed information and are highly required for making decisions regarding issues such as emergency evacuation, urgent response to natural disasters, and budget allocation for disaster management.

Relationship between Earth Observations and Sustainability of the Earth

Bird watching, a simple form of Earth observation, can provide insight into migration of birds, fragility of the ecosystem, population density of birds, and climate changes. Recreational Earth observations, such as bird watching, can lead to appreciation of nature by common citizens, even those who lack a formal education or even initial interest in environmental science. Travel writer Jeanine Barone (2010) predicted, “As the Maltese children develop an appreciation for nature, perhaps this tradition of shooting and trapping birds illegally will become a thing of the past.”

Apart from the sustainability of the Earth, bird watching provides opportunities for entrepreneurship in the tourism sector. Guided tours can become major businesses, while simultaneously educating the tourists on the need for conservation. Bird watching also provides a means of networking, which can transform into long-lasting relationships necessary for building the nation collectively. For instance, the Disabled Birders Association ensures that individuals with disability can share in the joys of a common hobby.

An adventurous form of Earth observation is exploration. Field Expedition: Mongolia, Valley of the Khans Project is an appropriate example. This archaeological project aims to preserve the culture and archaeological heritage of Mongolia, while preventing illegal mining in the region. Illegal mining causes extinction of animals, desertification, and changes in rainfall. Exploration also leads to discovery. For instance, Carl Linnaeus, a Swedish biologist considered to be one of the fathers of modern ecology, described 100 plants – which were previously unknown – during his expedition to Lapland.

A complex form of Earth observation is space exploration. QuickBird is a high-resolution Earth observation satellite that can easily map buildings and other infrastructure. Therefore, it can reveal much-needed information for city planning. European Space Agency’s ENVISAT (environmental satellite)’s objective is to improve environmental studies by providing information on ozone depletion, pollution, humidity, agriculture, and natural hazards. India’s Oceansat-2 is dedicated to researching aerosol content in the atmosphere and suspended sediments in the water along the coastal regions. As a result, it has the potential to identify air and water pollution.

Owing to the importance of Earth observations, many nations have invested heavily in this sector and yet more are scaling up their investment. The Group on Earth Observations (GEO) unites 75 nations and 51 organizations, including the United Nations Environment Program, to accelerate the prevalence and use of Earth observations in protecting the Earth. In addition, there are many projects that encourage the participation of the general public in Earth observations. World Water Monitoring Day is dedicated to such an initiative. It provokes the public to actually think about the water quality, and act responsibly thereafter, by allowing individuals to perform basic monitoring of local bodies of water.

Earth Observations in Bangladesh

“Due to the lack of proper ocean observing system, 2012 might be the centenary of the sinking Titanic of the low lands of Bangladesh. The use of observations and numerical models can be crucial to understanding the subtle sea-level changes occurring in that region.” (Nomana Intekhab Hadi, 2011). For bird watching, although Botanical Garden in Bangladesh is famous, “the garden authority has done little to preserve or improve its bird habitats.” (Enam Ul Haque, 2010).

Earth observations are yet to be popular in Bangladesh, especially among the youth. There is a lack of awareness that Earth observation includes simple activities, such as bird watching, and that it is so critical to the sustainability of the Earth. Also at work is a lack of funds, technology, and expertise to carry out Earth observations. For instance, bird watchers must be trained to avoid stressing birds through their photography, destroying nests, and trespassing into private property.

However, the efforts of Bangladesh are praiseworthy. Bangladesh Astronomical Society is very active and regularly organizes seminars and workshops. It has a robust partnership with Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). The Department of Environment of Bangladesh has initiated about 12 projects, all of which include elements of Earth observation for a sustainable Earth. Bangladesh became a member of Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS) in December 2007. In 2008, Bangladesh decided to “improve the water resources management through sharing data and information system” with assistance from GEOSS. (BSS, 2008). Bird fairs, aimed at creating awareness among people about birds and nature conservation, are also common in Bangladesh.

Academic institutions, governments, private businesses, non-profit organizations, scientists and many others rely on data from Earth observations. There might not be many Earth observations taking place in Bangladesh, but the citizens of Bangladesh are definitely in awe of nature and are keen to work for the sustainability of the Earth. The key is to raise awareness about the relationship between Earth observations and sustainability.

This was originally published on 6th of February, 2012 by Earthzine (http://www.earthzine.org/), an online source for news, articles, information, and educational materials about Earth science, Earth observations, and users of Earth information for the international Earth-observing community. Earthzine is a contribution of the IEEE Committee on Earth Observation (ICEO) in support of the Group on Earth Observations (GEO) and its mission. Earthzine has granted exclusive republishing rights to The Weekend Independent.

Source The Independent

Original article extracted from Earthzine

(17 September 2012) MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates, a provider of essential information solutions, announced today that it has signed a multi-million dollar sole source delivery order under its Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity contract with the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency.

The delivery order is for the provision of Radarsat-2 information to be used by the National Ice Center in creating ice charts supporting environmental monitoring and improving the safety of maritime navigation.

About MDA

MDA provides advanced information solutions that capture and process vast amounts of data, produce essential information, and improve the decision making and operational performance of business and government organizations worldwide.

Focused on markets and customers with strong repeat business potential, MDA delivers a broad spectrum of information solutions, ranging from complex operational systems, to tailored information services, to electronic information products.

(source: MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates)

When one hears of space technology, one probably immediately thinks of Neil Armstrong or The Star Wars. But recent developments in the field have shown just how beneficial space technology through remote sensing can be for agriculture. …(from businessdayonline)

Perhaps the most common and widely known way in which space technology can be used for agriculture is through weather forecasting and climate change analytics. This information, which also ascertains the impact of erosion, floods and droughts, is useful to enable farmers increase productivity by adjusting their farming practices accordingly. The implications for food security – one major goal in African agriculture – are enormous.

Remote sensing – using aerial technologies to detect, classify and analyse soils, landforms and other objects on earth – can be used to acquire estimates of crop production as well as identify saline soils. Remote sensing can also be used to map out wastelands, monitor them and provide useful information on how these lands can be reclaimed. Satellites can be a useful source of information when it comes to the diversification and intensification of crops and correct planning of planting and husbandry projects. In the area of fisheries, fisheries zones can be mapped out based on the chemical composition and temperature of water bodies. Interpretation of these data will have useful commercial implications for fishermen.

In its most developed form, space technology can be used for precision agriculture – a high-tech way of generating data on optimal levels of soil input by using space and other biotechnologies. For example, informatics can provide insight on the levels of pesticides, fertilisers, weeds, etc in relation to the crop and soil requirements and characteristics. These can lead to near-accurate prescriptions on the best way to improve yield and effectively manage and maximise the soil.

In line with its National Space Policy, Nigeria has launched three earth observation remote sensing satellites NigeriaSat-1, NigeriaSat-2 and NigeriaSat-X, which all can be used for agriculture. This was done with an aim to use space technology to alleviate poverty and “[promote] food security through [the] efficient exploitation and management of the nation’s natural resources.” Furthermore, in the Vision 20:2020 agenda, a special focus has been given to the “intensive use of satellite imagery to predict weather and/or climatic changes that affect agricultural production.”

But this has not been all rhetoric. So far, the Nigerian Space Agency (NASRDA) has developed several initiatives to use satellite technology for agricultural development, in collaboration with a host of national and international institutions. This has led to various developments on the agricultural front. These include: (i) The development of the Fadama Land Information Systems (FLIMS) to boost rice production in Nigeria: This project was conducted in collaboration with the Satellite Application Centre and the Centre for Industrial and Scientific Research located in South Africa; (ii) The development of models for cassava yield predictions which was achieved through the joint effort of the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Ibadan; (iii) An assessment of environmental and other relevant factors for optimum and improved cocoa production conducted in partnership with Adekunle Ajasin University, Ondo State; (iv) The mapping out of nomads’ routes and grazing reserves across the country in a bid to resolve infringements and other social conflicts between the farmers and the nomads. The University of Ibadan has been a key partner in this project; (v) The implementation of the NigeriaSat-1 and other satellite data to assist farming systems – a joint effort involving National Cereal Research Institute as well as the IITA. These data have also been used to develop early warning systems for food security in the country with the help of the University of Nigeria Nsukka.

But, do all these projects translate into practical results for agriculture? According to Timiebi Aganaba, a Nigerian analyst with Euroconsult, a space consulting firm based in Montreal Canada, while there are many examples of successful projects in Nigeria where satellite technology has been used for food security, “the challenge is to move from pilot projects to operational services that can impact society in a practical way.”

In an interview with Aganaba, she shared the following thoughts: “India is a good example of a developing country that successfully uses space technology beyond the pilot phase for the development of agriculture. For example, following the success of the Crop Acreage and Production Estimates (CAPE) project, which used remote sensing data from satellite sensors to forecast acreage and yield of kharif rice and wheat grown in India, the methodologies developed were standardised for integration into the main system leading to pre-harvest acreage and production estimates being derived every season for up to eleven main crops and disseminated to the ministry of agriculture for use in policy decision making. I believe the steps Nigeria is taking in this regard are important steps which can be translated into practical benefits for the agricultural sector.”

Given the Indian emerging success story, it is evident that this challenge is not insurmountable for Nigeria. But as with any other bureaucratic institution in Nigeria, care must be taken to ensure that certain structures do not undermine institutional capacity to make timely decisions with great impact at the grassroots level. It is important for all key stakeholders to be brought together under an umbrella at this stage in order to effectively map out turf and strengths of each. Moving to the next level will also require a lot of funding and success will depend, in part, on how much funds are available and how effectively they are allocated for research and development. Furthermore, this endeavour should be closely aligned with the present presidential initiative – the Agricultural Transformation Agenda (ATA) – in order to effectively reach farming communities according to their needs, adequately exploit existing resources and technologies, and maximise the impact of these two programmes.

All in all, these inroads into space technology are a welcome development for Nigeria. It is hoped that through thorough planning and effective implementation, these developments will change millions of lives and livelihoods, conferring on Nigeria the status of a food secure and self-sustaining nation and, ultimately, a food basket of the continent.

Source

(20 September 2012) The international space organisation that makes timely satellite data available to rescue authorities is now offering ‘Universal Access’ to the data for emergency response purposes, strengthening its contribution to disaster management worldwide.

Founded by ESA and the French and Canadian space agencies, the Charter is an international collaboration between the owners and operators of Earth observation missions. It provides rapid access to satellite data to help disaster management authorities in the event of a natural or man-made disaster.

Through the Charter, satellite data were used to create maps and aid rescue efforts following disasters such as the January 2010 earthquake in Haiti, the February 2011 earthquake in New Zealand and the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

Building on over a decade of success in making satellite data available to users for disaster response, the International Charter is now opening its doors even wider.

To do this, the Charter has adopted the principle of universal access: any national disaster management authority will be able to submit requests to the Charter for emergency response. Proper procedures will have to be followed, but the affected country will not have to be a Charter member.

Universal access benefits national disaster management authorities in countries – beyond those of the 14 Charter members – that were previously unable to make direct requests to the Charter during emergency situations.

National disaster management authorities interested in participating in the Charter will be required to complete a registration form. The entire application process is explained in the Universal Access Information Brochure available together with its registration form.

This process will validate the ability of national authorities to access and use Charter assets for disaster response, in accordance with Charter operational procedures.

(source: ESA)

(18 September 2012) A grant of INR 50 crore has been sanctioned for developing India’s geo-imaging satellite or GISAT. The 1,000-kg satellite will be put in space by a PSLV rocket. GISAT will provide images of the areas of interest on near real time basis. It will also keep a watch over the country’s sensitive borders.

GISAT will be fixed in a geo-stationary orbit, always looking over the same region and synchronised to the earth’s 24-hour rotation. GISAT will provide images every five minutes unlike other remote-sensing satellites, which view a particular area for barely ten minutes and do not visit the same place for the next one, three or five days

A 2012-13 Budget grants document for the Department of Space describes GISAT as a “multi-spectral, multi-resolution advanced remote sensing satellite.” Its nearly real-time imagery can speed up authorities’ response to calamities and troubles to almost immediately, Tapan Misra, Deputy Director at SAC’s Microwave Remote Sensors Area, told The Hindu.

Its electronically steerable camera can ‘see’ as small as a 60-metre area from its height of 36,000 km. It will be a marvel up there compared to what ISRO’s low-flying Earth observation satellites can do with their fine resolutions of 2 m, 1m and even less than one metre, said Misra.

“A single early-warning satellite, giving you constant, complete coverage of the country, is unique,” according to Dr. V.Jayaraman, former Director at ISRO’s Hyderabad-based National Remote Sensing Centre.

It would complement the advanced meteorology and remote-sensing satellite, Insat-3D, due to be launched in December this year, said Dr. Jayaraman, who was earlier Director, Earth Observation, ISRO.

GISAT, Misra said, will be built on ISRO’s technologies that went into Cartosat and Radar Imaging Satellite (RISAT-1) — “both of which were big technology leaps for the country.”

Source: The Hindu and geospatial World

(14 September 2012) By P. de Selding, Spacenews. Operators of three small commercial Earth observation satellite systems on Sept. 14 said they expect a negative impact on their business from the coming flood of free data from U.S. Landsat and future European Sentinel satellites, but that they are confident they can adapt to preserve their businesses.

Owners of the five-satellite RapidEye AG system of Germany, the five- or six-satellite DMC International Imaging of Britain and Spain’s one-satellite Deimos all will feel the effects of U.S. and European government policies that provide Landsat and Sentinel low- and medium-resolution satellite imagery free of charge as a way to stimulate value-added markets.

All three companies are focusing on differentiating their products to provide customers with value beyond the raw imagery coming off the free-access systems.

“The Sentinel and Landsat data coming onto the market will affect our sales, no doubt about it,” said Ryan Johnson, chief executive of Brandenburg-based RapidEye.

Addressing the World Satellite Business Week conference here, organized by Euroconsult, Johnson said RapidEye is adapting its commercial offer to focus on the system’s strength, which is collecting wide-area imagery in short order using the constellation’s full capacity.

He said RapidEye recently decided to end its practice of providing land-use assessments for agricultural customers, concluding that this is a chore best left to customers. RapidEye will focus on providing the raw data.

Ryan arrived at RapidEye in 2011 as part of a group of new owners that purchased the company following its financial reorganization under German bankruptcy law. He said revenue has nearly tripled in the past two years, to around 35 million euros ($45 million) anticipated this year.

Ryan said the business has not yet generated the amount of predictable recurring revenue that would enable it to finance a second-generation constellation without outside backing. An annual revenue haul of around 50 million euros, he said, would be sufficient to fund the business including eventual replacement satellites.

“A second-generation constellation is a high-risk investment,” Ryan said, adding that the company does not have much in-house expertise in purchasing and launching satellites. As an alternative, he said, RapidEye might determine that it should forgo the idea of operating its own satellites in favor of making bulk purchases of data from other satellite constellations.

RapidEye’s current satellites are expected to operate until 2018, meaning that the investment in a second generation of satellites could wait until 2014.

Ryan said that in the near term RapidEye hopes to take advantage of the expected merger of the two principal satellite Earth observation companies, DigitalGlobe of Longmont, Colo., and GeoEye Inc. of Herndon, Va., by hiring some of the employees likely to be dismissed when the merger occurs.

DMC Imaging International, a subsidiary of Guildford, England-based Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd., operates a five- or six-satellite constellation that distributes data free to governments and aid agencies in emergencies, and sells data on the commercial market otherwise.

DMC Imaging International’s core product is 20-meter-resolution wide-swath images for a market that overlaps RapidEye’s. The company’s managing director, David Hodgson, said 2011 revenue was about 35 million British pounds ($56 million.

Hodgson said that amount of revenue is sufficient to fund the business and to invest, when needed, in replacement capacity. He said he expected revenue for 2012 to increase by 20 percent over 2011.

A second-generation DMC constellation of three satellites providing 1-meter imagery in panchromatic mode is scheduled for launch in 2014 following the agreement of a Chinese company to guarantee the purchase of $170 million of imagery.

Spain’s Deimos Group, which operates a single satellite with a 20-meter resolution in color and a swath width of 620 kilometers, generated about 5 million euros in revenue in 2011, a figure that covers the company’s costs, said Deimos Group Managing Director Miguel Bello Mora.

Mora said Europe’s Sentinel 2 medium-resolution optical satellite, set for launch in 2014, “will take some of our business, that’s for sure,” and that the addition of the Deimos-2 high-resolution satellite in late 2013 should help diversify the company’s portfolio.

Deimos-2 will carry a 75-centimeter-resolution imager provided by Satrec Initiative of South Korea. Spain’s government-owned Inta will perform satellite integration of the 300-kilogram Deimos-2. Deimos has booked a launch aboard the Dnepr converted ballistic missile operated by Kosmotras of Moscow.

Deimos’ corporate parent, Elecnor of Madrid, has agreed to underwrite much of the 60 million euros in anticipated Deimos-2 costs, a figure that includes the satellite’s construction, launch and insurance. Spain’s Ministry of Industry, Tourism and Trade is picking up 20 percent of Deimos’ costs.

Deimos-2 will have a 12-kilometer-diameter swath and be able to swivel 30 degrees off nadir to each side, and 45 degrees in the event of a special order.

Source

The highest resolution image ever published of a city at night is helping German researchers measure how much light comes from different types of land use

Researchers from Berlin have published an 878 megapixel aerial mosaic image of Berlin at night. With one pixel per square meter, the resulting map is the highest resolution image ever published of a city at night. The ecologists from the Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries and physicists from Freie Universität Berlin used the image to measure how much light comes from different types of land use areas, such as streets or parks. Their findings were recently published in the journal Remote Sensing of Environment. The mosaic image is freely downloadable at the PANGAEA data publisher.

The scientists are studying light pollution, the modification of natural light levels in the nocturnal environment due to artificial light from cities.. Their goals are to understand both what the sources of upwards directed light are, and to identify patterns in the distribution of the lights. To do this, they stitched together a total of 2647 aerial photographs taken from the research aircraft of Freie Universität Berlin’s Institute for Space Sciences. The photos were taken in a series of 14 tracks at 3 km above the city in September of 2010.

A total of 42 percent of Berlin’s area, including all of the city’s central neighborhoods, was analyzed by comparing the light emitted from each point to land use information about the city. The scientists found that more than one third of the upward directed light came from streets, which are lit by streetlights, auto headlights, and advertisements. The city’s sources of light were found to be unevenly distributed, with half of the total light coming from only one quarter of its area. Part of the reason for this is that Berlin still contains large unlit areas such as the Havel River, Grunewald, and Tempelhofer Park. The researchers noted that these areas are important dark resources for nocturnal animals. In total, the researchers found that such natural areas accounted for almost one third of the study area, but emitted only 6 percent of the total light.

The research was funded by two interdisciplinary projects, MILIEU (Freie Universität Berlin) and “Verlust der Nacht,” a joint project of Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries and Freie Universität Berlin. “Verlust der Nacht” is funded by the German Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and the Senate Department for Economics, Technology, and Research.

Source

There’s now a quick and easy way to check that your data is right, rather than waiting for a problem to tell you it’s not. What’s more, this service is completely free of charge.

Dotted Eyes, one of the UK’s leading GIS service providers, is pleased to announce the launch of yet another valuable service on its cloud platform – MISO. Data Validator, delivered in partnership with 1Spatial, is a new validation service that means not only can you get your data prepared, styled and optimised on MISO but you can now get it validated too.

Data Validator makes data quality accessible to you without any cost of ownership or on-going fees! It also enables you to have real confidence in the data you use and share, saving you the headache of discovering data problems once a project is well underway, by which point a data fix can be significantly trickier and take much longer to resolve than if it had been identified at the outset.

Ben Allan, Managing Director of Dotted Eyes, commented: “We’re delighted to be partnering with 1Spatial to deliver this highly valuable service to our customers, especially as it brings Dotted Eyes another step closer to making MISO a one stop shop for all your data needs. It also fits perfectly with MISO’s goal to make a GIS professional’s life easier by giving them real confidence in the data they use.

“We look forward to developing further exciting solutions with 1Spatial.”

Duncan Guthrie, Strategic Alliance Director at 1Spatial, commented: “Dotted Eyes have been a trusted and highly valuable supplier of solutions to the Government market place for a number of years. Their understanding of the market’s needs is exceptional and we are extremely pleased to be working in partnership with them. Leveraging 1Spatial’s powerful, cloud based rules engine for data validation within the MISO environment is a perfect fit and delivers the first of a number of business focused applications.”

To find out more about Data Validator or MISO, please contact Dotted Eyes on info@dottedeyes.com or +44 (0) 121 232 8000.

Source

(10 September 2012) PERILS AG, the independent Zurich-based company providing industry-wide European catastrophe insurance data, has today announced a new initiative, in collaboration with the insurance industry and the European Space Agency (ESA), which will make available satellite-based flood footprints during and after major flood events.

The project will enable industry participants to download flood footprints. These footprints can then be used for rapid flood impact assessments and will facilitate the understanding of insured flood risk and ultimately help to broaden the range of flood insurance solutions.

The project is a joint effort involving satellite operators, earth observation service providers and the insurance industry. It is supported by Allianz, EQECAT, ESA, Guy Carpenter, Munich Re, PERILS, SERTIT, Swiss Re, Vista and Willis.

Commenting on the project, Luzi Hitz, CEO of PERILS, said: “We are glad to be able to act as a distribution platform for satellite earth observation information for major global flood events. This fits perfectly with PERILS’ overall strategy to provide ready-to-use data to the insurance industry to help improve the understanding of Nat Cat risk.”

Eduard Held, Head of Products at PERILS, added: “This project is going to satisfy a longstanding industry need for detailed flood information during and after large events. While it has been possible to access satellite images in the past, this is the first time that insurers will be able to access images which have been standardized to better suit their specific requirements.”

Dependent on the scale and duration of flood events, high-resolution flood boundaries will be made available on a daily basis while events are developing, facilitating an immediate assessment of the possible impact of the events. In addition, after the flood event, a map showing the maximum extent of the flooding during the entire lifetime of the event will be produced.

During an initial 12-month trial period all interested parties will be able to download the flood footprint information free of charge.

About PERILS

PERILS is an independent Zurich-based organisation providing industry-wide natural catastrophe exposure and claims data. The PERILS Industry Exposure & Loss Database is available to all interested parties via annual subscription. The database contains industry property sums insured and loss information for eleven European countries on a CRESTA zone level and per property line of business. PERILS industry loss estimates, provided via the PERILS Industry Loss Index Service, can be used as triggers in insurance risk transactions such as industry loss warranty contracts (ILW) or insurance-linked securities (ILS).

(source: PERILS)

September 15th. On the 25th anniversary of the signing of the Montreal Protocol, the global ozone layer has stabilized, but large depletion in the polar regions continues to occur.

The United Nations has declared the 16th of September as the International Day for the Protection of the Ozone Layer to commemorate 16 September 1987, the date when the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer (a protocol to the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer) was signed. The Montreal Protocol controls the production and use of ozone-depleting substances. It is an outstanding example of a successful cooperation between scientists, governments, non-government organizations, and industry, as well as between developed and developing countries. It also provides an excellent paradigm to the international community for cooperation on complex environmental issues of global importance.

The theme of the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer on 16 September 2012 is: “Protecting our atmosphere for generations to come.”1

The Montreal Protocol has been highly successful in reducing the emissions and atmospheric abundances of ozone-depleting substances. Recent ground-based and space-based measurements show that the stratospheric amounts of chlorine and bromine, the species most harmful to the ozone layer, continue to decline, and that global ozone abundances have stabilized at about 3.5% below 1980 levels in the 60°S-60°N latitude range.

While the ozone layer is recovering from the effects of ozone depleting substances such as chlorofluorocarbons, increased greenhouse gases levels are projected to change the stratosphere. These changes require continued vigilance in monitoring the ozone layer.

Return of the global ozone layer to pre-1980 levels is expected to occur around the middle of the 21st century, as a result of the decrease of ozone-depleting substances regulated by the Montreal Protocol. In Antarctica the return is predicted to occur about two decades later.

At the present time, however, a large Antarctic ozone hole is still a recurrent seasonal feature in the Southern Hemisphere, and record-setting ozone depletion was observed in the Arctic in 2011.

There is a strong interplay between increases in the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and stratospheric ozone recovery. In the midlatitudes of both Hemispheres, greenhouse gases are projected to accelerate the return of midlatitude total ozone columns to 1980 values, and to increase ozone towards the end of the 21st century to values higher than in 1980, particularly in the Northern Hemisphere. In the tropics, greenhouse gases are projected to cause a decrease of ozone. Because of these greenhouse gases, the ozone layer will not return to its pre-industrial natural state. Recent research demonstrates that stratospheric ozone changes have had important influences on climate in the stratosphere and also at the ground.

The number of ground stations that observe ozone has continued to decrease in the last decade. In addition, satellite systems that measure ozone-depleting substances are aging, and are likely to fail in the next few years. The loss of ozone-observing capabilities threatens the ability of scientists to report on the state of the ozone layer, and restricts their ability to project future levels of ozone.

The International Ozone Commission (IO3C) of IAMAS-IUGG urges all national and international agencies that support scientific research and monitoring of ozone and related parameters to continue supporting these activities. Without ozone measurements, threats to the ozone layer will not be identified, and scientists will be unable to forewarn future problems. Without observations, the theme of “Protecting our atmosphere for generations to come” cannot be fulfilled.

This text was last reviewed by the IO3C members on September 15th
For more information: Dr. Sophie Godin-Beekmann, Secretary of the International Ozone Commission, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Laboratoire Atmosphère, Milieux, Observations Spatiales, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique 75252, Paris, Cedex 05, France, Tel.: +33 1 44 27 47 67, Fax: +33 1 44 27 49 67, mobile: +33 6 77 18 38 64, e-mail: sophie.godin-beekmann@latmos.ipsl.fr
IO3C
WMO Northern Hemisphere Ozone Mapping Center
WMO Antarctic Ozone Bulletin
European Ozone Coordinating Unit
World Ozone and Ultraviolet Data Center
Ozone Hole Watch
Assessments on the state of the ozone layer Who is who in the Montreal Protocol: http://www.unep.fr/ozonaction/montrealprotocolwhoswho/PageFlip.asp

(1) Please visit the web site of the Ozone Secretariat for the Vienna Convention , where you will find suggestions for worldwide activities on the 2012 International Ozone Day

Source