Monitoring Atmospheric Composition MOOC
Topic outline
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Welcome to ‘Monitoring Atmospheric Composition from Space’. In this course, we will introduce you to the powerful role of in situ data and satellite ‘Earth observation’ (EO) technology in monitoring our atmosphere, and to the informative and critically important imagery and data it produces.
The topics we will cover in this course are:
- Our fragile atmosphere and the challenges we face
- Pollution, air quality and health
- Large scale changes - ozone and GHGs
- Long range pollution transport
- Maintaining our life support system - policy and the future
If you talk about the course on social media you can tag your comments #FLatmosphericcomposition
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- English transcript (pdf)
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Data processing and supercomputers
Open access to data is one of the key principles of Copernicus. The vast amount of information gathered by satellite and ground-based systems is provided freely and openly to all Copernicus users so that the data can be made use of in a wide range of applications that benefit citizens. In order to make the collected observations readily available to end users, the data must first be processed by supercomputers and stored in an easily accessibly way.
The large quantity of data made available through Copernicus is highly beneficial to a variety of services, the public and also the private sector. Many businesses and technological innovations are increasingly responding to environmental issues and the urgent need for sustainability leading to enterprises capitalising on available atmospheric data products for research, development and innovation,
An example of such a business is SolarAnywhere. SolarAnywhere provides a solar prediction tool which utilises a combination of satellite imagery and solar installation data to model energy production and help find the best locations for solar energy generation. It is used by the world’s leading solar energy developers and independent engineering firms.
Featured Educators
- Dr Vincent Henri Peuch
- Dr Mark Parrington
- Antonio Mariano
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Optional Mini Task
Visit this World Energy Council page to use the Energy Trilemma Index tool
The World Energy Council’s Energy Trilemma Index tool, produced in partnership with Oliver Wyman, ranks countries on their ability to provide sustainable energy through 3 dimensions: Energy security, Energy equity (accessibility and affordability), Environmental sustainability. The ranking measures overall performance in achieving a sustainable mix of policies and the balance score highlights how well a country manages the trade-offs of the Trilemma with “A” being the best. Use this interactive Index to assess the sustainability of national energy policies.
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- English transcript (pdf)
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Monitoring clean energy innovations
Helen Ltd based in Finland, produce the most efficient energy in the world. They aim to achieve 100% carbon neutrality in their energy production through their power plants in Helsinki, and currently have around 400,000 customers throughout Finland.
Featured educators- Pirjo Jantunen
- Dr Iolanda Ialongo
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Other examples
In this video Paul Monks and Martin Adams will talk about some more examples of how atmospheric data supports enterprises and innovative solutions, and Iolanda Ialongo talks about how satellite measurements help with rules and regulation.
Featured Educators
- Prof. Paul Monks
- Dr Martin Adams
- Dr Iolanda Ialongo
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Downloads
- English transcript (pdf)
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What is the atmosphere made up of?
The majority of Earth’s atmosphere is comprised of Nitrogen (78%) and Oxygen (21%), followed by Argon (0.9%). The atmosphere extending upwards 600 km, is divided into four regions of positive and negative temperature gradient. These regions are the Troposphere, the Stratosphere, Mesosphere, and Thermosphere. The ozone layer is located in the Stratosphere, which extends to 50 km high. The Thermosphere extends to 600 km and this is where many satellites can be found. After these four regions is the Exosphere, here the atmosphere is incredibly thin, and the layer gradually gives way to deep space. Satellites can also be in this layer.
The Stratosphere has a positive temperature gradient and oxygen (O2) concentrations increase rapidly towards lower altitudes. In this layer chemical reactions involving solar ultraviolet radiation (sunlight) and oxygen molecules take place, forming ozone (O3). In the troposphere there is a negative temperature gradient. Here the constituents (gas and aerosols) are constantly being mixed and changing. The natural sources of atmospheric constituents include direct release from the biosphere, exchange at the surface, lightning, natural fires, and stratospheric-tropospheric exchange. However anthropogenic activity, such as biomass burning and fossil fuels is modifying tropospheric chemistry.
Featured Educators
- Prof. Paul Monks
- Prof. John Remedios
- Dr Vincent-Henri Peuch
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Downloads
- English Transcript (PDF)
See also
- NASA - Earth’s atmosphere layers, NASA article on the various layers of the atmosphere
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Over a 10,000 year period, from the Neolithic revolution to the industrial revolution, the population rose from a few million to over 1 billion people, spurred by the use of energy from a mixture of biofuels, water and solar power, and a small amount of coal. Since the industrial revolution, which began in the UK in the 18th Century, until now, the population has reached far over 7 billion people, powered by the combustion of fossil fuels, coal, oil and gas. By 2050 the population is expected to reach 10 billion people.
This era, known as the Anthropocene has resulted in local and global scale pollution; the destruction of stratospheric ozone; land use change - by 2005, humans had converted nearly two-fifths of Earth’s land area for agriculture, and one-tenth to urban areas; the modification of biogeochemical cycling; the destruction of species ecosystems and ecosystem services; and climate change.
Over the last 150 years human activity has been the cause of increasing greenhouse gases (GHG)in the atmosphere. The largest release being Carbon Dioxide (CO2) from burning fossil fuels and industrial processes, followed by Methane (CH4). The increase in GHG has caused global temperatures to rise, which can be seen in the famous ‘hockey stick’ graph, where average global temperatures went from a steady slight decline into a sharp, steady increase in 1900.
Satellite observations combined with modelling helps to improve our knowledge on CO2 and CH4 sources and sinks which is required for better climate prediction.
Featured Educators
- Prof. John Burrows
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See also
- Observing the impact of the Anthropocene from space Article abstract on observing the impact of the Anthropocene from space
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