Understanding Climate Change using Satellite Data

To accurately study climate change, assess its risks, and mitigate the impact, we need systematic observations of the climate.

There are 54 essential variables used to measure climate change. These essential climate variables (ECVs) are crucial in helping to provide evidence for climate change and implement adaptation methods.

On this three-week course, you’ll explore the state-of-the-art technology used in the Climate Change Initiative programme (CCI) of the European Space Agency, and how satellite data is used to measure climate change.

Through interactive exercises, you’ll be trained to understand climate change and analyse satellite climate data using the CATE (Climate Analysis Toolbox) of the Climate Change Initiative Programme.

With these tools, you’ll find essential climate variables that are indicators of the state and change of the climate and a specific process in the atmosphere-Earth system.

You’ll explore many components of the climate system: the water, energy and carbon cycles, cryosphere and land.

This will help you understand the physical processes of climate change from different perspectives.

With this knowledge, you’ll learn how to create and communicate maps, times series, and trends of essential climate variables. You’ll also be able to evaluate the results and provide judgments of the significance of the analysis.

You’ll be guided through articles and videos by world-class scientists on this course led by the specialists at the ITC faculty at the University of Twente.

With a 70-year track record in knowledge transfer in the field of Earth observation, ITC was awarded by the European Space Agency to create this interactive online course.