Copernicus Global Land Lot 2 is a component of the Copernicus Global Land Service addressing the thematic domains of cryosphere and water. One of the main objectives of Copernicus program is to provide the scientific community as well as other stakeholders, including policy makers, with information required for several applications. The products are operationally generated and delivered freely through the Copernicus Land Monitoring Service (land.copernicus.eu) in near real-time as well as in offline.
Syke is part of the cryosphere team with the Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI) and the Austrian company ENVEO. The cryosphere has a strong impact on Earth’s energy balances and changes in snow and ice extent tend to amplify climate fluctuations. Reliable information on snow and ice cover across the Globe is essential for climate monitoring, understanding the Arctic climate system, and evaluating the role of snow and ice cover — and their feedback effects — in climate models. Additionally, snow and ice cover parameters are crucial for predicting water balance, streamflow, and river runoff in hydrological models and for water resource management. In weather prediction, snow and ice conditions influence energy exchange at the surface-atmosphere boundary.
The key cryosphere parameters monitored within the Copernicus Global Land Service are the areal snow extent, snow water equivalent and lake ice extent. These parameters are observed using optical and microwave sensors in order to provide spatially and temporally extensive information. Syke is leading the production of the Lake Ice Extent product from optical satellite data.
More information
- Copernicus Land Monitoring Service (land.copernicus.eu)
- Kirsikka Heinilä, first name.last name@syke.fi, 0295 251 155