Understanding Climate Change using Satellite Data (FutureLearn)

Offered by University of Twente,
Understanding Climate Change using Satellite Data (FutureLearn)

Explore cutting-edge technology and learn how to analyse satellite climate data to help measure and mitigate climate change. Explore the tools that can help with climate change solutions. To accurately study climate change, assess its risks, and mitigate the impact, we need systematic observations of the climate.

Class Deals by MOOC List - Click here and see FutureLearn's Active Discounts, Deals, and Promo Codes.

There are 54 essential variables used to measure climate change. These essential climate variables (ECVs) are crucial in helping to provide evidence for climate change and implement adaptation methods.
On this three-week course, you’ll explore the state-of-the-art technology used in the Climate Change Initiative programme (CCI) of the European Space Agency, and how satellite data is used to measure climate change.
Through interactive exercises, you’ll be trained to understand climate change and analyse satellite climate data using the CATE (Climate Analysis Toolbox) of the Climate Change Initiative Programme.
With these tools, you’ll find essential climate variables that are indicators of the state and change of the climate and a specific process in the atmosphere-Earth system.
Understand the components of the climate system
You’ll explore many components of the climate system: the water, energy and carbon cycles, cryosphere and land.
This will help you understand the physical processes of climate change from different perspectives.
With this knowledge, you’ll learn how to create and communicate maps, times series, and trends of essential climate variables. You’ll also be able to evaluate the results and provide judgments of the significance of the analysis.
Learn from the experts at the University of Twente
You’ll be guided through articles and videos by world-class scientists on this course led by the specialists at the ITC faculty at the University of Twente.
With a 70-year track record in knowledge transfer in the field of Earth observation, ITC was awarded by the European Space Agency to create this interactive online course.

Syllabus

Week 1: Introduction
Week 2: How land interacts with the climate
Week 3: Cryosphere

Learning on this course
You can take this self-guided course and learn at your own pace. On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.

What will you achieve?
By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...

  • Understand the physical processes of the climate systems.
  • Explore the CCI toolbox and find essential climate variables (ECVs) that are indicators of the state and change of the climate.
  • Create and communicate maps, time series and trends of ECVs using the CCI Toolbox.
  • Evaluate the results and provide judgments of the significance of the analysis.

Who is the course for?
This course is designed for anyone studying, researching, or interested in climate change and satellite climate data.

What software or tools do you need?
You will need to have access to a computer to access the websites used in this course.

Go to Class
MOOC List is learner-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Related Courses

Learning for a Sustainable Future: Live at COP26 (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
University of Edinburgh

Learning for a Sustainable Future: Live at COP26 (FutureLearn)

Explore global issues during COP26 and be part of the call for collective action. What on Earth could be more important? Live at COP26. The 26th UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) is being held in Glasgow, Scotland between 31st October and 12th November 2021. It will bring together heads of state, climate experts and campaigners to agree and accelerate coordinated global action on climate change.

Nov 7th 2022
2 Weeks
Using Systems Thinking to Tackle the Climate and Biodiversity Crisis (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
University of Reading

Using Systems Thinking to Tackle the Climate and Biodiversity Crisis (FutureLearn)

Discover how switching to a systems mindset could help overcome the global environmental challenges we face today. Take a big picture approach to the climate and biodiversity crisis. With crises as vast, complex, and interconnected as climate change and biodiversity loss, focusing on one aspect of the problem will never be enough. Systems thinking offers a new way of seeing and understanding environmental issues, which could radically change how we go about tackling them. On this two-week course from the University of Reading, you’ll learn what systems thinking is and how it could transform your approach to the climate and biodiversity crisis.

Self Paced
2 Weeks
Monitoring Climate from Space (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
European Space Agency

Monitoring Climate from Space (FutureLearn)

Explore our planet from space and learn how Earth observation is used to monitor climate change, with this free online course. It is increasingly essential for us to study climate change across the planet at the highest level of detail possible. But how can we achieve such a comprehensive worldwide view?

No sessions available
5-12 Weeks
Real Climate Action: How to Engage People in Climate Change (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
EIT Climate-KIC

Real Climate Action: How to Engage People in Climate Change (FutureLearn)

Engage with and motivate others to join you in the fight against climate change using a variety of approaches. Inspire climate action in others with strategies that really work. To take effective climate action, it’s important to communicate and engage with others around climate change. This four-week course from EIT Climate-KIC will show you how to do that, while achieving audience buy-in and behaviour change.

Nov 1st 2021
5-12 Weeks
Climate and Energy: An Interdisciplinary Perspective (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
University of Glasgow,CIVIS

Climate and Energy: An Interdisciplinary Perspective (FutureLearn)

Explore climate change issues from an interdisciplinary perspective to find innovative solutions for a better future. Gain interdisciplinary skills for climate change solutions. On this four-week course, you’ll join educators from ten universities on a virtual field trip to a remote Swedish island to gain perspectives on climate and energy from a multitude of disciplines.

Self Paced
4 Weeks
Environmental Justice (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
University of East Anglia

Environmental Justice (FutureLearn)

Understand how climate change, biodiversity loss and deforestation affect people, exploring justice in environment management. The world faces challenging environmental problems. They are challenging because different people typically contribute differently to environmental change, and because its effects will be felt differently by different people in different places.

Oct 11th 2021
5-12 Weeks
Water for Liveable and Resilient Cities (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
Monash University

Water for Liveable and Resilient Cities (FutureLearn)

Learn how water can be used in the planning of cities to improve liveability in the face of climate change and population growth. Water plays a central role in almost every aspect of our urban environment and quality of life in our cities. Alarmingly, the combined impacts of rapid population growth and climate change are now posing a severe threat to the liveability and resilience of our cities.

No sessions available
5-12 Weeks
Causes of Climate Change (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
University of Bergen

Causes of Climate Change (FutureLearn)

Learn the physical processes behind climate variation around the world to better understand the causes of climate change. Uncover the past, present, and future of the causes of climate change. This free online course provides the basis for understanding the underlying physical processes governing climate variations in the past, present and future.

Self Paced
3 Weeks
Climate Change: Challenges and Solutions (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
University of Exeter

Climate Change: Challenges and Solutions (FutureLearn)

This course aims to explain the science of climate change, the risks it poses, and the solutions available to reduce those risks. The course is aimed at the level of students entering university, and seeks to provide an inter-disciplinary introduction to what is a broad field. It engages a number of experts from the University of Exeter and a number of partner organisations.

No sessions available
5-12 Weeks
Sustainable Cities: Governing Urban Adaptation Under Climate Change (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
University of Groningen,Global Center on Adaptation

Sustainable Cities: Governing Urban Adaptation Under Climate Change (FutureLearn)

Discover expert governance strategies for preparing urban areas to face the challenges posed by climate change. Learn how cities can successfully adapt to environmental change. In this course, you will investigate how governance strategies and policies for making cities more sustainable and resilient in the face of increasing climate risks can be financed and implemented.

Self Paced
3 Weeks