Value of satellites recognised for conserving wetlands


Upo wetland, Republic of Korea
 
The Upo wetland in the Republic of Korea is one of the Ramsar sites. Covering 854 hectares and straddling the country’s four administrative regions, it is the largest natural continental wetland in Korea. The Upo wetland is a primitive lowland swamp that is home to numerous wild animals and plants.

ESA at COP 10
 
ESA attended the plenary of the Ramsar COP 10 held in Changwon, Republic of Korea, from 28 October to 4 November 2008. This is the third time the Agency has attended Ramsar COPs, including the COP 8 in Valencia, Spain, and the COP 9 in Kampala, Uganda. The COP 11 will be held in Romania during the first half of 2012.

Lake Chad chlorophyll concentration
 
This image shows the chlorophyll concentration of Africa’s Lake Chad as derived from the Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS) instrument aboard the Envisat satellite in November 2007. Chlorophyll concentration is closely related to the re-filling of lakes in early November. Fresh water is coming in from the south through the Chari River, reducing the Chlorophyll levels in the lake from south to north.

ESA’s exhibition booth
 
ESA participated in the Ramsar COP 10 with a side event on the role of Earth Observation from space for monitoring and assessing wetlands. At the Agency’s exhibition booth, the benefits of Earth Observation technologies for supporting the multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs) and the Ramsar Convention were presented.

Lake Chad suspended matter
 
This image shows the total suspended matter of Africa’s Lake Chad as derived from the Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS) instrument aboard the Envisat satellite in November 2007. The re-filling of the lake by the Chari River from the south brings in turbulent waters and increases suspended matter, as demonstrated in this image.



Release date: 3 December 2009