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Fact Sheet on the Kyoto Protocol
The U.S. View FACT SHEET ON THE KYOTO PROTOCOL t a conference held December 1–11, 1997, in Kyoto, Japan, the Parties to A the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change agreed to an historic Protocol to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by harnessing the forces of the global marketplace to protect the environment. Key aspects of the Kyoto Protocol include weather, either of which could spike emissions targets, timetables for industrial- emissions in a particular year. ized nations, and market-based measures for meeting those targets. The Protocol • The first budget period will be makes a down payment on the meaning- 2008–2012. The parties rejected bud- ful participation of developing countries, get periods beginning as early as but more needs to be done in this area. 2003, as neither realistic nor achiev- Securing meaningful developing country able. Having a full decade before the participation remains a core U.S. goal. start of the binding period will allow more time for companies to make the transition to greater energy efficiency Emissions Targets and/or lower carbon technologies. A central feature of the Kyoto Protocol is a set of binding emissions targets for • The emissions targets include all six developed nations. The specific limits major greenhouse gases: carbon diox- vary from country to country, though ide, methane, nitrous oxide, and three those for the key industrial powers of the synthetic substitutes for ozone-deplet- European Union, Japan, and the United ing CFCs that are highly potent and States are similar—8 percent below 1990 long-lasting in the atmosphere. emissions levels for the European Union, 7 percent for the United States, and 6 • Activities that absorb carbon, such as percent for Japan. -
Emissions Gap Report 2018 © 2018 United Nations Environment Programme November 2018
Emissions Gap Report 2018 © 2018 United Nations Environment Programme November 2018 ISBN: 978-92-807-3726-4 Job number: DEW/2210/NA This publication may be reproduced in whole or in part and in any form for educational or non-profit services without special permission from the copyright holder, provided acknowledgement of the source is made. UN Environment would appreciate receiving a copy of any publication that uses this publication as a source. No use of this publication may be made for resale or any other commercial purpose whatsoever without prior permission in writing from UN Environment. Applications for such permission, with a statement of the purpose and extent of the reproduction, should be addressed to the Director, Communication Division, UN Environment, P. O. Box 30552, Nairobi 00100, Kenya. The designations employed and the presentation of the material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of United Nations Environment Programme concerning the legal status of any country, territory or city or its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. For general guidance on matters relating to the use of maps in publications please go to http://www.un.org/Depts/Cartographic/english/htmain.htm Disclaimers Mention of a commercial company or product in this document does not imply endorsement by UN Environment or the authors. The use of information from this document for publicity or advertising is not permitted. Trademark names and symbols are used in an editorial fashion with no intention on infringement of trademark or copyright laws. -
B-180466 Polar Orbiting Weather Satellite Programs
U-180466 l’ht! Honorable Frank E. Moss Chai rmnn, Committee on Aeronautical .r- Cf ‘ind Space Sciences ;>, r-,rr*Id- l~llll~llllllllllllllllllluu~llllllllllllllll United States Senate LM095911 f?- Dear Ilr. Chairman: Your January 1.6, 19 74, letter asked us to obtain cost and other data ~ on both the Department of the Air Force and the joint Natioual Aeronauticsn and Space Administration (NASA)/National Oceanic and Atmospheric Adminis- *76 tration (NOAA) polar orbiting weather satellite programs. L .-__,__ cs&~yl”.^-b -.,I-*Ii*--... --:- -*-“a .-,. We interviewed officials in NASA, NOM, the Department of the Air Force and the Office of Management and Budget (OHU). At these meetings they told us of the existence of two classified studies which provided some comparative analyses of the technical cfrar; cteristics and costs of the NASA and Air Force operational weather satellite systems and the follow-on sys tems in development . We then met with your staff on February 13, 1974, and orally presented the information, At that meeting your staff as ed us for 11 written re- port, We have not independently verified the d :ta; however, we have dis- cussed the matters in this report with the agent y officials. We plan to discuss briefly the history of I he NASA/NOM and Air Force satellite sys terns, compare tl~e characteristics Ilf both systems, provide cost comparisons of the operational- and develop~oental satellite --.-.systems, and furnish information on plans to obtain some mcasurc of commonality of bcltll sys terns. --_.III STORY _-- OF NASA/NOM --_-PKOCRhM The purpose of the joint NASA/NOAA weather satellite system is to provide systematic, +;Lobal cloud cover observations and other meteorologi- cal observations to incrt*&x: man’s ability to -forecast wc;lthcrI m--...YII-._conditions. -
History of NOAA's Polar Observational Environmental Satellites the First
History of NOAA’s Polar Observational Environmental Satellites The first weather satellite in a series of spacecraft originally known as the Television Infrared Observation Satellites (TIROS) was launched on April 1, 1960. By the mid 1970’s NOAA and NASA agreed to produce the series operationally based on the TIROS-N generation of satellites. TIROS-N, a research and development spacecraft serving as a prototype for the operational follow-on series, NOAA-A through NOAA-N Prime was on launched October 13, 1978. Beginning with NOAA-E, launched in 1983, the basic satellite was “stretched” to permit accommodation of additional research instruments. This became known as the Advanced TIROS-N configuration. Some of the additional instruments flown include: Search and Rescue; Earth Radiation Budget Experiment, and the Solar Backscatter Ultraviolet spectrometer. Three of those instruments, Search and Rescue Repeater, Search and Rescue Processor and Solar Backscatter Ultraviolet Radiometer, became part of the operational program. The primary sounding instrumentation has remained essentially unchanged until the addition of Advanced Microwave Sounding Units-A and -B on NOAA-K (15). The Microwave Humidity Sounder replaces the AMSU-B on NOAA-N Prime performing essentially the same science. The satellite design life throughout the series has been two years. The lifetime is a cost/risk tradeoff since more years normally result in a more expensive satellite. To mitigate that risk, the NOAA-N Prime satellite uses the most reliable NASA-approved flight parts, Class S, and considerable redundancy in critical subsystem components. The instruments are not redundant, but they have a three-year design life in order to enhance their expected operational reliability. -
Space Almanac 2007
2007 Space Almanac The US military space operation in facts and figures. Compiled by Tamar A. Mehuron, Associate Editor, and the staff of Air Force Magazine 74 AIR FORCE Magazine / August 2007 Space 0.05g 60,000 miles Geosynchronous Earth Orbit 22,300 miles Hard vacuum 1,000 miles Medium Earth Orbit begins 300 miles 0.95g 100 miles Low Earth Orbit begins 60 miles Astronaut wings awarded 50 miles Limit for ramjet engines 28 miles Limit for turbojet engines 20 miles Stratosphere begins 10 miles Illustration not to scale Artist’s conception by Erik Simonsen AIR FORCE Magazine / August 2007 75 US Military Missions in Space Space Support Space Force Enhancement Space Control Space Force Application Launch of satellites and other Provide satellite communica- Ensure freedom of action in space Provide capabilities for the ap- high-value payloads into space tions, navigation, weather infor- for the US and its allies and, plication of combat operations and operation of those satellites mation, missile warning, com- when directed, deny an adversary in, through, and from space to through a worldwide network of mand and control, and intel- freedom of action in space. influence the course and outcome ground stations. ligence to the warfighter. of conflict. US Space Funding Millions of constant Fiscal 2007 dollars 60,000 50,000 40,000 30,000 20,000 10,000 0 Fiscal Year 59 62 65 68 71 74 77 80 83 86 89 92 95 98 01 04 Fiscal Year NASA DOD Other Total Fiscal Year NASA DOD Other Total 1959 1,841 3,457 240 5,538 1983 13,051 18,601 675 32,327 1960 3,205 3,892 -
Ocean Acidification
Ocean acidification: Obligations under international and regional treaty law Candidate number: 8023 Submission deadline: 1 December 2018 Number of words: 17.996 Table of contents 1 INTRODUCTION - THE PROBLEM OF OCEAN ACIDIFICATION .................. 1 1.1 Methodology, structure and legal sources used ................................................................ 2 1.2 The science behind ocean acidification and the problems repercussions ......................... 3 1.2.1 Scientific background of ocean acidification ...................................................... 3 1.2.2 Artificial contribution to ocean acidification ...................................................... 4 1.2.3 Consequences of ocean acidification for the ocean as an ecosystem .................. 4 1.2.4 Consequences of ocean acidification on particularly sensitive areas .................. 5 1.2.5 The problem of inconsistent results .................................................................... 6 1.2.6 The effects of ocean acidification on human life ................................................ 6 1.2.7 Implications ......................................................................................................... 7 2 ANALYSIS OF THE OBLIGATIONS UNDER INTERNATIONAL TREATY LAW IN REGARD TO OCEAN ACIDIFICATION .................................................. 9 2.1 Ocean acidification under the International Climate Change Regime ............................. 9 2.1.1 The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) ... 9 2.1.2 Kyoto -
Climate Change: a Research Brief
CLIMATE CHANGE: A RESEARCH BRIEF June 2021 Introduction The Centre of Expertise of Global Governance project named “Global Challenges in 365 Days” has come to life. This project aims at creating a database about Global Challenges, to be informed about them, know factual background, and find interesting topics for research. The following briefing provides a historical overview and scientific findings at base level on the global challenge of Climate Change. It also defines the legal grounds of this issue, and finally explores the still unanswered issues that could be of interest for further research. 1. Historical overview The scientific concern regarding the impact of human activities on global climate kept growing in intensity and information overload over the past 100 years. Climate change has always been part of the human evolution, considering ice ages and changes on the planet. Yet due to numerous factors induced by anthropogenic impacts climate changes are happening unnaturally rapid. From the historical perspective, the development of humankind and our activities are tied to our better understanding, and therefore the increasing concern about the evolution of the climate system.1 Reflecting upon climate change and its correlation with the human behaviour brought a gradual, but overwhelming amount of international apprehension from governments, organisations, and general public. The great concern was, and still is, manifested among various historical events and developments. Firstly, the effects of increasing amounts of CO2 atmospheric concentration were taken under serious consideration starting from 19582, and therefore providing, by the mid- 1970', compact and thorough scientific data analysis on the said issue3. The following timeline shows the details on how climate change became more and more important in history. -
Urban Heat Island Mitigation and Life Cycle Co2 Reduction by Installation of Urban Heat Island Countermeasures
1.6 URBAN HEAT ISLAND MITIGATION AND LIFE CYCLE CO2 REDUCTION BY INSTALLATION OF URBAN HEAT ISLAND COUNTERMEASURES Tomohiko Ihara1*, Yukihiro Kikegawa2, Kazutaka Oka3, Kazuki Yamaguchi4, Yasuyuki Endo4, Yutaka Genchi1 1 National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan 2 Meisei University, Hino, Tokyo, Japan 3 Mizuho Information & Research Institute, Inc., Tokyo, Japan 4 Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO), Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan 1. INTRODUCTION Achievement Plan in April 2005. In order to meet the * goal, even when UHI countermeasures are installed, it 1.1 Background is required that there should be no significant increase in CO2 emissions. From the viewpoint of global In Japan, the air temperature in big cities has warming, it is very important to evaluate not only been increasing rapidly since the 1980s. This changes in CO2 emissions for air-conditioning demand phenomenon is referred to as the “urban heat island of the building by UHI countermeasures but also (UHI) phenomenon.” UHI is an environmental problem increases in CO2 emissions for the construction and that results in increases in energy consumption due to the operation of UHI countermeasures. the increased cooling demand, and in unfavorable conditions for human health. Various local activities 1.2 Objectives against UHI have been promoted after the enactment of the Outline of Countermeasures to Urban Heat This study evaluated both the changes in the Island in March 2004. urban air temperature and life cycle CO2 (LCCO2) Many countermeasures against UHI have been emissions resulting from the installation of various UHI developed so far in order to decrease the air countermeasures. -
10. Satellite Weather and Climate Monitoring
II. INTENSITY: ACTIVITIES AND OUTPUTS IN THE SPACE ECONOMY 10. Satellite weather and climate monitoring Meteorology was the first scientific discipline to use space Figure 1.2). The United States, the European Space Agency capabilities in the 1960s, and today satellites provide obser- and France have established the most joint operations for vations of the state of the atmosphere and ocean surface environmental satellite missions (e.g. NASA is co-operating for the preparation of weather analyses, forecasts, adviso- with Japan’s Aerospace Exploration Agency on the Tropical ries and warnings, for climate monitoring and environ- Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM); ESA and NASA cooper- mental activities. Three quarters of the data used in ate on the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO), numerical weather prediction models depend on satellite while the French CNES is co-operating with India on the measurements (e.g. in France, satellites provide 93% of data Megha-Tropiques mission to study the water cycle). Para- used in Météo-France’s Arpège model). Three main types of doxically, although there have never been so many weather satellites provide data: two families of weather satellites and environmental satellites in orbit, funding issues in and selected environmental satellites. several OECD countries threaten the sustainability of the Weather satellites are operated by agencies in China, provision of essential long-term data series on climate. France, India, Japan, Korea, the Russian Federation, the United States and Eumetsat for Europe, with international co-ordination by the World Meteorological Organisation Methodological notes (WMO). Some 18 geostationary weather satellites are posi- Based on data from the World Meteorological Orga- tioned above the earth’s equator, forming a ring located at nisation’s database Observing Systems Capability Analy- around 36 000 km (Table 10.1). -
French Climate Plan
ECOLOGY, ENERGY, MINISTER'S JOURNAL SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT November 2009 & THE SEA French Climate Plan Implementation of Policies and Adapting to Climate the Environment Measures: Change: Round Table: All Sectors are Four Major Conclusions Ambitious Objectives to Affected, p. 8 and a National Strategy, Stop Climate Change, p. 4 p. 23 Climate Plan 03 Editorial n Copenhagen, leaders of 192 countries will meet in an attempt to seek a climate agreement to follow of the Kyoto Protocol. The objective is to limit temperature increase to 2°C maximum, a threshold beyond which the world would enter a period of strong climactic uncertainty. ITo achieve this, we must have precise objectives for reducing greenhouse gas emissions over the short, medium and long terms. France is thus campaigning, on the basis of research conducted by scientists at the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, for a reduction in developed countries' emissions of between 25% and 40% by 2020 and a 50% reduction in world emissions by 2050. France, which is already one of the only countries in the world to comply with the Kyoto Protocol, has chosen, in the framework of the Environment Round Table (Grenelle), to set an example by planning a 75% reduction in its carbon dioxide emissions by 2050. For more than two years and by mobilising of all sectors, France is intensively investing in a new green growth model based on restraint in carbon and energy consumption: almost unanimous adoption of the “Grenelle 1 Act”, 800 million euros in assistance for building 50 public transports projects in 38 metropolitan areas in France, creation of an ecological loan at zero percent with already more than 50,000 energy-efficiency improvements made by private individuals, a request for proposals for building at least one solar power plant per region by 2011, cutting by half within two years the time for connection to the electricity grid for solar energy, passage of an ecological bonus for automobiles, launch of a clean vehicle plan, etc. -
Effects of Kyoto Protocol on CO2 Emissions: a Five-Country Rolling Regression Analysis
sustainability Article Effects of Kyoto Protocol on CO2 Emissions: A Five-Country Rolling Regression Analysis Chien-Ho Wang 1, Ming-Hui Ko 2 and Wan-Jiun Chen 2,* 1 Department of Economics, National Taipei University, New Taipei City 237, Taiwan; [email protected] 2 Department of Economics, Chinese Culture University, Taipei 111, Taiwan; [email protected] * Correspondence: [email protected]; Tel.: +886-2861-0511 (ext. 29326) Received: 23 December 2018; Accepted: 29 January 2019; Published: 31 January 2019 Abstract: The current study illustrated the time variance of turning points in the relationship between carbon emissions and income to resolve heated debate on the different responsibility to climate change with 1950–2010 data of five development diversity countries—three developed countries (Germany, Italy, and Japan) and one developing country (India) and one newly industrialized economy (Taiwan). The article also examines the impact of the crisis on emission. The time-varying patterns in the turning points on environmental Kuznets curves (EKCs) were observed by a rolling regression technique with 1950–2010 data regarding the per capita CO2 emissions caused by fossil fuel combustion and the incomes of the countries. Several empirical findings were revealed from this analysis. Per capita CO2 emissions commonly decreased with varying magnitudes in the five countries over time. The EKC hypothesis regarding the CO2 emissions is affirmed again in this study. The announcement effects associated with the Kyoto Protocol was evidenced. As indicated by the occurring GDP of the turning point, there is a strong reduction trend in the income level of the turning points right before the years of Kyoto Protocol; and this decreasing trend nearly ended as the Kyoto protocol approached its end, except in Germany, where the occurring income of the turning points continued to have a decreasing trend. -
Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) Common Ground System (CGS)
Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) Common Ground System (CGS) A flexible, cost-effective global common ground system designed to support current and future weather and environmental sensing satellite missions. Key Features and Benefits The JPSS Program Overview The JPSS program will also The polar orbiters which are able Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) integrate future civilian and to monitor the entire planet and g Operational -- supported is designed to monitor global military (Defense Weather Satellite provide data for long-range successful NPP launch environmental conditions in System – DWSS) polar-orbiting weather and climate forecasts, will g Flexible architecture designed addition to collecting and environmental satellite space and carry a complement of advanced to quickly adapt to evolving disseminating data related to the ground segments with a single imaging and sounding sensors mission needs weather, atmosphere, oceans, land ground system. that will acquire data at a much and near-space environment. The higher fidelity and frequency than g Unique integration of new and JPSS Top Level Architecture new system represents a major heritage systems available today. legacy technologies JPSS is an “end-to-end” system upgrade to the existing Polar- that includes sensors; spacecraft; The JPSS CGS Distributed g Available to support diverse orbiting Operational command, control and Receptor Network (DRN) civil, military and scientific Environmental Satellites (POES), communications; data routing; architecture will provide frequent environmental needs which have successfully served the and ground based processing. JPSS downlinks to maximize contact operational weather forecasting g Fully integrated global ground and DWSS spacecraft will carry duration at low cost. JPSS CGS community for nearly 50 years.