The industry's recognized authority for design, engineering and application of equipment and services in the global ocean community
Issue link: http://sea-technology.epubxp.com/i/477967
www.sea-technology.com March 2015 / st 23 W ith an uncertain future that includes climate change, sea level rise and increasing coastal populations, be- ing able to make informed policy decisions in coastal zones will be critical for ensuring the well-being of citizens, the environment and the sustainability of economic activities. Earth observation (EO) can be used to effciently and sys- tematically provide the key information needed to make these decisions. However, getting access to the right EO in- formation can be a complicated and costly business, limit- ing availability. However, the launch in April 2014 of the frst Sentinel satellite from Europe's fagship EO program, Copernicus, represents a major advance in the availability of EO data, which has great potential to beneft numerous sectors involved in marine and coastal activities. What is Copernicus? Copernicus (previously Global Monitoring for Environ- ment and Security—GMES) is an EU-led initiative in part- nership with the European Space Agency (ESA) that aims to aid decision making in a world facing increasing en- vironmental and socioeconomic pressures. The program includes satellites with missions observing land, atmo- spheric and oceanographic parameters. This space com- ponent comprises ESA's fve families of dedicated Senti- nels (launched between 2014 and 2020) and contributing missions from other space agencies. In common with the NASA/USGS (U. S. Geological Survey) Landsat missions, access to Sentinel data is open, full and free to all. This decision, very much appreciated by end-users, is part of the strategy designed to ensure the long-term sustainability of Copernicus. Reuse of data will generate new businesses and jobs, while providing consumers with more choice and value for their money. In line with this idea, Copernicus is more than just its space component. It is solidly built upon three other equally important pillars: in-situ (ground-based and airborne) mea- surements, data harmonization and standardization, and the provision of products and services to users. These gen- eral services address six main thematic areas: land, marine, atmosphere, emergency management, security and climate change. Innovative Services for Coastal Zones The preoperational marine service (developed by My- Ocean) integrates in-situ, satellite and modeling data to provide detailed, near-real-time information on marine physiochemical parameters at global, regional and local scales. Complementary marine and coastal meteorologi- cal and climate data are available from the preoperational atmosphere monitoring and climate services. Also rel- evant for coastal zones, the land service provides detailed information on land use types, water bodies and digital elevation. Taking advantage of these general services and including rapid tasking, the emergency management service provides support for disaster management and prevention, including, for example, food warnings throughout Europe via the Eu- ropean Flood Awareness System (EFAS). Indeed the opportunities for synergistic development of these generic services to provide value-added, user-specifc downstream services in coastal zones are unlimited. For ex- ample, a system to provide early warnings of marine toxic algal blooms for the aquaculture and fsheries industries that will help contribute to food security/safety is being devel- oped by the ASIMUTH and AQUA-USERS projects. Another example, already contributing to improvements in maritime safety and environmental protection, is radar satellite track- ing of vessels and oil spills (CleanSeaNet and ARCOPOL), which enables the recognition of oil pollution, monitoring of accidental spills during emergencies and the identifca- tion of polluters. A sector of growing interest, where Copernicus can po- tentially make an impact, is risk management and protec- tion of coastal populations/assets. Recent extreme weather events, such as the December 5, 2013 storm surge that af- fected eastern England, Hurricane Sandy in 2012 and Hur- ricane Katrina in 2005, as well as the recent severe fooding events in the southern U.K. and the Danube, have frmly un- derlined the very real human and economic costs of coastal fooding. Indeed, studies suggest that the future global economic impacts of sea level rise and changing climate will be sub- stantial. Hence, assessing these risks and providing inno- Copernicus Downstream Service Supports Nature-Based Flood Defense Use of Sentinel Earth Observation Satellites for Coastal Needs By Dr. Edward P. Morris • Dr. Jesus Gomez-Enri • Dr. Daphne van der Wal