Connecting ground-based in-situ observations, ground-based remote sensing and satellite data within the Pan Eurasian Experiment (PEEX) program

Abstract

Human activities put an increasing stress on the Earth’ environment and push the safe and sustainable boundaries of the vulnerable eco-system. It is of utmost importance to gauge with a comprehensive research program the current status of the environment, particularly in the most vulnerable locations. The Pan-Eurasian Experiment (PEEX) is a new multidisciplinary research program aiming at resolving the major uncertainties in the Earth system science and global sustainability questions in the Arctic and boreal Pan-Eurasian regions. The PEEX program aims to (i) understand the Earth system and the influence of environmental and societal changes in both pristine and industrialized Pan-Eurasian environments, (ii) establish and sustain long-term, continuous and comprehensive ground-based airborne and seaborne research infrastructures, and utilize satellite data and multi-scale model frameworks filling the gaps of the insitu observational network, (iii) contribute to regional climate scenarios in the northern Pan-Eurasia and determine the relevant factors and interactions influencing human and societal wellbeing (iv) promote the dissemination of PEEX scientific results and strategies in scientific and stake-holder communities and policy making, (v) educate the next generation of multidisciplinary global change experts and scientists, and (vi) increase the public awareness of climate change impacts in the Pan- Eurasian region. In this contribution, we underline general features of the satellite observations relevant to the PEEX research program and how satellite observations connect to the ground-based observations.