Copernicus programme: Month of climate contradictions: Contrasts noted worldwide in March 2023, finds Copernicus

Source: The post is based on the article “Month of climate contradictions: Contrasts noted worldwide in March 2023, finds Copernicus” published in Down To Earth on 11th April 2023

What is the News?

According to the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), March 2023 saw variations on several meteorological fronts. Copernicus programme found that the world had the second joint warmest March on record and Antarctic sea ice was the second lowest on record.

What is the Copernicus programme?

Copernicus is the most ambitious Earth observation programme to date. 

Purpose: It provides accurate, timely and easily accessible information to improve the management of the environment, understand and mitigate the effects of climate change and ensure civil security.

Launched by: This initiative is headed by the European Commission (EC) in partnership with the European Space Agency (ESA).

The services provided by Copernicus fall into 6 categories: Land management, the marine environment, the atmosphere, emergency response, security and climate change.

Satellites: Copernicus is served by a set of dedicated satellites (the Sentinel families) and contributing missions (existing commercial and public satellites). 

– The Sentinel satellites are specifically designed to meet the needs of the Copernicus services and their users. 

– Since the launch of Sentinel-1A in 2014, the European Union set in motion a process to place a constellation of almost 20 more satellites in orbit before 2030.