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ESA's SMOS water mission has taken another step forward by demonstrating that it will lead to a better understanding of ocean circulation. Using preliminary data, scientists can clearly see how surface currents affect the 'Amazon plume' in the open sea. 
Devastating around a third of the country, it is estimated that the floods in Pakistan have affected up to 20 million people. As part of the effort to support humanitarian relief, satellite data are being used to generate essential maps of the flooded areas. 
Young Earth scientists from all over the world are gathering this August in ESRIN, ESA?s centre for Earth observation, in Frascati, near Rome, Italy, for the fifth ESA Earth Observation Summer School. 
Envisat has been observing a rare event in the Arctic since early August - a giant iceberg breaking off the Petermann glacier in North-West Greenland. 
The Payload Module of ESA?s latest meteorological satellite, MetOp-B, has been hauled out of the largest vacuum chamber in Europe: its ability to operate in the harsh conditions of space has been proved. 
An award-winning new website is using realtime imagery from ESA's Envisat satellite to provide a wealth of information on sea ice to aid safe passage through the treacherous waters of the Antarctic. 
As a strong supporter of the benefits that space industry can bring to Europe, Vice-President of the European Commission and European Commissioner for Industry and Entrepreneurship, Antonio Tajani, visited ESA's ESRIN establishment in Italy today. 
While the recent Living Planet Symposium focused mainly on the latest findings on Earth's environment and climate using data from Earth observation satellites, it also provided the forum to present the progress that the GMES initiative has made since the last symposium in 2007. 
A better understanding of how Earth's ice fields are changing has come another step closer as the first data from ESA's ice mission are released to selected scientists around the world for fine-tuning. 
ESA and the European Maritime Safety Agency have signed a further Agreement to ensure that satellite data are available to enhance maritime safety and help combat pollution from shipping. 
More than 1400 scientists and users from around the world gathered this past week in Bergen, Norway, for ESA?s Living Planet Symposium to present their latest findings on Earth's environment and climate using data from observation satellites. Selected highlights from the symposium were streamed live on the web and are now available for replay. 
Today, participants at the Living Planet Symposium have been hearing about ESA's most recently launched mission, CryoSat-2. In orbit for almost three months, the satellite is in excellent health with scientists very encouraged by the first ice-thickness data presented at the symposium. 
Today, a focus at ESA's Living Planet Symposium is on the innovative SMOS mission, which recently became operational. Early results are proving very encouraging with its first observations due to be released in early July. 
The Payload Module of the giant MetOp-B weather satellite has been lowered into ESA?s largest vacuum chamber. ESTEC Test Centre engineers will be subjecting it to prolonged space conditions ? their latest assignment in a busy year. 
The first global gravity model based on GOCE satellite data has been presented at ESA?s Living Planet Symposium. ESA launched GOCE in March 2009 to map Earth's gravity with unprecedented accuracy and resolution. 
ESA PR 11-2010. The media are invited to ESA's largest scientific event of the year: the Living Planet Symposium, in Bergen, Norway. The symposium covers all areas of Earth observation, highlighting the results and ESA?s planned missions, as well as bringing together the key scientists and decision-makers worldwide. 
As Arctic sea-ice recedes inexorably towards another record summer minimum, scientists have highlighted the exceptional contribution that satellites have made to the International Polar Year and charting the effects of climate change. 
The first products based on GOCE satellite data are now available online through ESA?s Earth observation user services tools. ESA launched the satellite in March 2009 on a mission to map Earth's gravity with unprecedented accuracy and spatial resolution. 
Following the eruption of Iceland?s Eyjafjallajoekull volcano that spewed huge amounts of ash and grounded numerous flights, more than 50 experts from around the world gathered at a workshop organised by ESA and EUMETSAT to discuss what has been learned and identify future opportunities for volcanic ash monitoring. 
ESA will host an Earth observation conference at the ILA Berlin Air Show to present how it is responding to the increasing demand for remote-sensing data as decision-makers are faced with environmental change, natural disasters and civil security issues. 
ESA's SMOS satellite completed its six-month commissioning this week and formally began operational life. This milestone means the mission is now set to provide much-needed global images of soil moisture and ocean salinity to improve our understanding of the water cycle. 
Scientists monitoring the US oil spill with ESA?s Envisat radar satellite say that it has entered the Loop Current, a powerful conveyor belt that flows clockwise around the Gulf of Mexico towards Florida. 
As ESA's SMOS mission nears the end of its commissioning, a new network will provide harmonised global datasets of soil moisture measurements collected from the ground, ensuring the data received from space are as accurate as possible. 
As fears grow that the Loop Current in the Gulf of Mexico could soon catch the oil slick and drag it south towards coral reefs in the Florida Keys, scientists are monitoring the situation closely with ESA?s Envisat radar data. 
ESA?s Envisat has captured the changes in direction of the rapidly-growing oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico as strong winds over the weekend pushed it around and hampered clean-up efforts. Advertisements!
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