Europe's satellite leads climate change study
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The European Space Agency's Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity satellite was launched on 2 November on a quest to help scientists gain a better understanding of the Earth's water cycle.
Salinity data from the Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity satellite (SMOS) and the US Aquarius underwater laboratory will help to determine the role of the ocean in the global water cycle, and help forecast weather and floods, better manage water resources, and understand long-term climate change.
"Climate change is a fact, but its impact on precipitation, evaporation, surface runoff and flood risks is still uncertain," said Yann Kerr, a researcher at the Centre for the Study of the Biosphere from Space and SMOS mission scientific director. "The availability of water plays a more important role on these impacts than temperature itself."
"Water is the main driver for exchanges between the atmosphere and the soil," said Kerr. "Monitoring these changes help us have better weather forecasts and better monitor climate changes."
The satellite was developed by the European Space Agency (ESA) in cooperation with France's National Centre for Space Studies (CNES) and Spain's Centro Para el Desarrollo Tecnológico Industrial. The SMOS mission's price tag of about €315 million was divided between the ESA and CNES.
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