Relevance of satellite remote sensing in climate research

Abstract

Satellite remote sensing allows for gathering data of inaccessible areas and also to replace and or complement costly and slow data collection on the ground, ensuring that the areas undergoing this process are not disturbed. Satellite remote sensing retrievals of atmospheric and surface quantities are crucial to obtain observations of the climate system from a near-global perspective and to compare climate variables in different parts of the Earth. Therefore, a detailed future global climate record depends upon a major satellite component. Satellite remote sensing does not only provide present surface and atmospheric conditions, but it may also contribute to understand the physical processes occurring in the atmosphere, ocean, and ground surface in order to create, improve and validate models that attempt to project future Earth climates.