ESAHomeUnderstanding Our PlanetSecuring Our EnvironmentBenefiting Our Economy
   
About understanding our planet
Space and Earth Monitoring
About Observing the Earth
Opportunities with us
Multimedia
Services
Calendar
 
 
 
Bookmark and Share
 
 
 
 
Article Images
Satellites play vital role in understanding the carbon cycle
 
25 April 2007

 
 
FAPAR over Europe
FAPAR (Fraction of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation) derived from MERIS over Europe in May 2005. FAPAR - the fraction of incoming solar radiation useful for photosynthesis that is actually absorbed by vegetation - is recognised as an essential climate variable by international organisations and is regularly used in diagnostic and predictive models to compute the primary productivity of the vegetation canopies.

Credits: N. Gobron
 
 
Download:
 HI-RES JPG (Size: 1353 kb)
Comparison between oxygen (top) and carbon dioxide figures derived from SCIAMACHY.

Credits: Buchwitz, IUP/IFE, Univ. Bremen
 
 
Download:
 HI-RES JPG (Size: 600 kb)
Carbon dioxide and oxygen mixing ratio derived from SCIAMACHY. Envisat's SCIAMACHY instrument is the first space sensor capable of measuring the most important greenhouse gases with high sensitivity down to the Earth’s surface because it observes the spectrum of sunlight shining through the atmosphere in ‘nadir’ looking operations on a global scale.

Credits: Buchwitz, IUP/IFE, Univ. Bremen
 
 
Global CO2 columns derived from SCIAMACHY for July and October 2003. The data shows the Earth 'breathing' from space. The blue colours represent low values of CO2, while the green colours represent normal values. The levels in July are lower because plants draw down the CO2 during the growing season and release some of it back when the leaves fall off in autumn.

Credits: P. Monks, University of Leicester
 
 
Related news
Envisat Symposium 2007 kicks off in SwitzerlandScientists meet to review Envisat results after 5 years of operationsScientists gear up for ESA’s 2007 Envisat SymposiumEnvisat Symposium 2007 highlights
EO satellite achievements
The story in pictures
Opening dayClosing day
Special features
Satellites vital for environmental agreement
Related missions
Envisat overview
In depth
Discover ESA’s environmental satellite at the Palais de la Découverte, Paris, 03 April – 26 August 2007
 
 
 
   Copyright 2000 - 2011 © European Space Agency. All rights reserved.