Space measurements of carbon offer clearer view of Earth's climate future   The three-day Carbon from Space workshop took place at ESRIN in Italy from 6 June 2005.   The carbon cycle is the term for the flow of carbon between the atmosphere, land, ocean and biosphere. Increasing knowledge of the carbon cycle is important for the study of climate change. Human activities are releasing increased amounts of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, causing the atmosphere to heat up. Around half of this surplus carbon dioxide is then taken up in carbon 'sinks' on the land and sea surface, mitigating the extent of global warming - at least for now. Carbon modellers seek to better understand the carbon 'flux' between the surface and atmosphere within the carbon cycle.   Not all the carbon that human activity pumps into the atmosphere stays there. As this diagram shows, on average around half is absorbed in the ocean and the land, although the precise ratio varies considerably from year to year - for still unknown reasons. Source: Sarmiento & Gruber, 2002, Physics Today, 55, 30-36. See link here.   More than 60 researchers attended the Carbon from Space workshop, which took place at ESRIN from 6-8 June 2005.   Carbon dioxide analysis by data assimilation of the satellite sensor AIRS observations at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF). This experimental work will evolve into a full greenhouse gas data assimilation system. Images copyright Richard Engelen at ECMWF.   NASA and JAXA's carbon-dedicated missions, due to launch in 2007 and 2008 respectively. NASA's Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO) is shown above JAXA's Greenhouse gases Observing Satellite (GOSAT). Both spacecraft will be able to observe atmospheric carbon dioxide, improving the accuracy of carbon models.   Burning peat swamps in Kalimantan, Borneo. ESA-led research has established that when these peat swamps - formed over thousands of years - start to smoulder, they release vast quantities of carbon. Multiple Envisat sensors were used to study the 2002 fires. The ESA project GLOBCARBON aims to use Earth Observation to gather information of interest to the carbon research community, including the distribution of burned areas. Image courtesy Dr Florian Siegert/Remote Sensing Solutions GmbH.   Carbon from Space workshop logo Release date: 1 September 2005