ESA EO Open Science Newsletter

News from EO Open Science

NOVEMBER 2025

Highlights: Invitation to Tender: BIOMASS+ Innovation, the Marine Heatwaves Workshop, the Antarctic InSync Science Planning Workshop, the New Antarctic datacube available on EarthCODE, the PIKART global atmospheric rivers catalogs, the APEx Web Portal Service and ESA Science Hub study results on canopy complexity

The ESA EO Open Science team

Highlights

FIXED CALL FOR PROPOSALS - BIOMASS+ INNOVATION

The European Space Agency (ESA) has launched the "BIOMASS+ INNOVATION" call for proposals, inviting scientists to explore the novel P-band SAR data from the BIOMASS mission. This mission aims to study forests and their role in the carbon cycle, offering new insights into SAR processing techniques. The call encourages innovative studies and new algorithms to expand the mission’s applications and advance Earth system and climate science.

THE MARINE HEATWAVES FROM SPACE WORKSHOP

The ESA CAREHeat consortium organized the workshop titled “Marine Heat Waves From Space: from detection to prediction” held at the ESA Science Hub from October 13–16. The event brought together 25 experts from 11 countries to discuss improving detection, enhancing observability, advancing predictability, and assessing the impacts of Marine Heat Waves (MHWs). A major outcome of the workshop will be a White Paper outlining key challenges and a roadmap for future MHW research.

WORKSHOP

THE ANTARCTICA InSync PLANNING WORKSHOP

The Antarctica InSync Science Planning Workshop, brought together over 100 participants to review progress across the project’s seven scientific themes. The workshop facilitated collaboration among national Antarctic programs, research institutes, and space agencies to align priorities and advance the InSync Science Plan. Key outcomes included consolidating thematic progress, strengthening international networks, and agreeing on next steps toward finalizing White Papers. A follow-up webinar will be held in January to review progress and finalize next steps.

New open datacube on Antartica available on EarthCODE

Supporting the Antarctic InSync activity, the EarthCODE team is building a 100m, cloud-optimized, analysis-ready data cube for the cryosphere and ESA polar science communities. This Zarr-based cube integrates key Antarctic datasets, including basal melt, bed topography, ice velocity, and calving fronts, onto a common 100m grid (EPSG:3031) for easier access and analysis. The variables contained in this analysis-ready datacube can be explored on a dedicated dashboard viewer (include URL to the viewer). Find data access links and join the discussion in the EarthCODE community here:

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PIKART: a new open access global atmospheric river catalogue

PIKART is a new global atmospheric river (AR) catalog offering a comprehensive compilation of ARs derived from 0.5°/6-hour reanalysis data (1940-2024). It is designed for reproducible AR research from the tropics to the poles. AR identification is based on image-processing instead of absolute thresholds, enabling reliable assessment of long-term changes in AR dynamics. PIKART introduces a tracking scheme that better captures long-lived trajectories, defines a novel inland penetration index and supplies global AR ranks to assess the risk of natural hazards. The dataset is openly accessible via a dedicated website, supported by extensive documentation and Jupyter Notebooks examples.

APEx WEB PORTAL SERVICE

The APEx Web Portal Service enables Earth Observation projects to easily create and manage a professional online presence. The service offers customizable templates, making it simple for teams to share updates, results, and resources while strengthening visibility and outreach. Teams can design their portal with pre-defined features, streamline content management, and enhance collaboration with defined roles for editors. Integrated with other APEx services, it provides a seamless digital ecosystem for collaboration and community interaction, with hosting, monitoring, and maintenance managed by APEx.

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ESA SCIENCE HUB: STUDY ON CANOPY COMPLEXITY

A recent study explored the link between forest structural diversity (FSD) and the resilience of European forests to long-term disturbances. By analyzing data from the GEDI and MODIS satellites, the study found that higher canopy complexity, including both horizontal and vertical diversity, was strongly correlated with increased forest resilience. The research suggests that forest management practices promoting structural diversity, such as mixed-age stands and multi-layered canopies, could help offset the impacts of climate change.

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Highlights

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