Express map delivery from space (2010-11-23)
Meeting the environmental needs of an ever-expanding Europe requires consistent and regularly updated information on its land cover and use
As part of ESA’s GlobCorine project, a pan-European land cover and use map for 2009 is now available online.
Satellites tracking Mt Merapi volcanic ash clouds (2010-11-22)
Since its latest series of deadly eruptions, Java’s Mt Merapi has been spewing volcanic ash clouds into the air. Satellite data are crucial for assessing the eruption’s danger to air traffic and public safety.
Mt Merapi began erupting on 26 October and has killed more than 200 people. Numerous international flights in and out of the Indonesia area have been cancelled due to ash clouds.
Flying through such clouds is a threat to safety because the damaging particles can lead to engine failure. For instance, on 28 October a Thomas Cook Scandinavia Airbus flew through the Merapi cloud en route from Indonesia to Saudi Arabia, with a stop in Batam. Once in Batam, it was discovered that the engines were damaged and had to be replaced. Volcanic Ash Advisory Centres (VAACs) are responsible for gathering ash cloud information and assessing the risks to aviation. Australia’s Darwin VAAC is using satellite data of the plume to issue its forecasts.
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GlobSnow Newsletters (2010-11-15)
The European Space Agency (ESA) Data User Element (DUE) funded GlobSnow project aims at creating a global database of snow parameters for climate research purposes. The main objective is to create a long term dataset on two essential snow parameters.
The latest release of the GlobSnow Newsletter is published on the GlobSnow internal website.
Click here to access it