CONTRIBUTION OF SATELLITE-BORN INFORMATION TO CLIMATE SCIENCE
MIKA J.
ABSTRACT. – Contribution of satellite-born information to climate science. Observed climate processes play important role in understanding the ongoing changes in the climate system. Our paper intends to present this cross-section of climate science illustrated by selected satellite images and diagrams in four parts. (i.) Technical possibilities of the observations are briefly surveyed first. Many satellite platforms and devices started working in the 1980 and 1990s, definitely for climate purposes. (ii.) Climate forcing factors and their radiation effects are comprehended, including direct observation of solar irradiance and volcanic aerosol concentration allowing us to compare natural factors to the anthropogenic ones. (iii.) Detection of changes in the Earth climate system follows next, including the atmosphere, the oceans and the cryosphere, as well. (iv.) Finally, satellite-born results in validation of climate models are presented in three aspects: reconstruction of present climate, validation of simulated changes and investigation of feedback mechanisms driving climate sensitivity to the external forcing factors. The above possibilities of using satellite information in climate science are mostly illustrated by key figures of the IPCC AR5 Report (2013).
Keywords: climate change, satellites, ice, model validation, feedback mechanisms