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European Climate Change Monitoring and Prediction System

Objective

The EuroClim project will develop and validate an advanced climate change monitoring and prediction system for Europe. The system will focus on societal consequences of climate change. The European cryosphere, e.g. the Euro-Arctic region and high-mountain areas with seasonal snow, will be used as an indicator for climate change. Snow and ice variables will be extracted and processed by advanced ground and satellite sensor technology and algorithms. The variables will be applied in regional climate and statistical models in order to predict changes and make scenarios. Project partners havecommitted themselves to make EuroClim an operational long-term monitoring system if the prototype system is a success.

Objectives:
The main goal of the project is to develop an advanced climate monitoring and prediction system for Europe. This is achieved through seven sub-goals:
1) Determination of climate-change user needs
2) Development of architecture and technology for generic, scalable and distributed processing and storage of geographical data
3) Development of methodology for precise retrieval of cryospheric variables, based on integrated analysis and storage of multi-sensor, multi-resolution and multi-temporal data
4) Improvement of the accuracy of algorithms for retrieval of cryospheric variables from earth-observation data
5) Improvement of climate models in order to predict future climate accurately
6) Development of new statistical tools for trend estimation, scenario analysis and uncertainty assessment
7) Establishment of an operational service.

Work description:
The project will be carried out through seven work packages:
WP 1: System design identifies the potential users and carries out a comprehensive user investigation. The results of that steers the system design work.
WP 2: Development of models and algorithms will improve state-of-the-art algorithms for cryospheric parameter retrieval and methodology for climate and statistical modelling. The cryospheric parameters include: sea-ice coverage and thickness; snow coverage, wetness, anisotropic reflectance; and glacier equilibrium line altitude, ice velocity and surface topography. These constitute key variables sensitive to climate change.
WP 3: System development will develop the prototype system. The system includes modules for extracting the cryospheric variables from ground and remote sensing data. The data are stored in an advanced, distributed GIS system connecting all the storage and processing sites comprising the EuroClim network. Each database is an innovative storage system for multi-resolution raster data. Modules for climate modelling and statistical analysis generate trend estimation, scenario analysis, uncertainty assessments, etc. A web-based system presents the results. The presentation-products include GIS-maps and animations.
WP 4: System validation will verify and test the system in a large-scale version able to monitor the whole Europe.
WP 5: Evaluation monitors the performance of the project and the results of the various deliverables.
WP 6: Dissemination and exploitation will ensure that the user groups are continuously informed about the project development and results, generating interest and preparing the operational of the system.
WP 7: Project management ensures a co-ordinated approach towards the project objectives.

Milestones:
- Completion of a user requirements report, which gives necessary input for making the system design report;
- Completion of algorithms and model development (fundamental for the system development work, including a proof-of-concept report);
- Completion of a prototype system (verified and evaluated through a step-wise process);
- Completion of an operational system (following various dissemination material and exploitation activities).

Call for proposal

Data not available

Coordinator

NORSK REGNESENTRAL
EU contribution
No data
Address
GAUSTADALLEEN 23
0314 OSLO
Norway

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Total cost
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Participants (8)