Massive Open Online Course

Understanding Climate Change using Satellite Data | Explore cutting-edge technology and learn how to analyse satellite climate data to help measure and mitigate climate change.

To the MOOC Go to course.

Do you want to develop the skills necessary to understand climate change, use ESA’s Climate Change Initiative data on the Essential Climate Variables (ECVs) to analyse and visualise what truly is happening with the climate and learn more about how satellite data provide excellent views of the Earth’s climate? This free, English-taught Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) is what you are looking for!

A series of articles and videos from world-class scientists will guide you through the most important aspects of the climate, its nexuses with the Earth systems and how they are observed using satellite data. Through exercises, you will acquire the analytical skills and techniques to manipulate data records of Essential Climate Variables (ECVs) using the Climate Analysis Toolbox (Cate) of the ESA Climate Change Initiative.

This online course is three weeks long and each week forms an independent learning unit focusing on one component of the climate system:

• the first week forms a general introduction and can therefore be followed by the public and non-specialists,
• the second week focuses on the land-climate nexus,
• the third week focuses on the cryosphere-climate nexus.

As they are independent learning units, you can follow one week, combine more than one or follow the three-week course. To achieve maximum gain in your learning experience we advise you to follow the full three-week course. Upon following the three-week course and completing the end-course test, you will receive a certificate equivalent to 1 ECTS of study credit. Please note that to access the end-course test you will need to upgrade.

At the end of this online course, you will be able to:

• understand the physical processes of the climate systems.
• use the Climate Analysis Toolbox (Cate) of the ESA Climate Change Initiative to analyse data records on Essential Climate Variables.

The high-level video lectures, self-study, quizzes and online discussions allow for a hybrid and enjoyable online social experience. Live-streamed video lectures from climate experts and visualised tutorials on using the Climate Analysis Toolbox (Cate) will give you the tools to complete your assignments on real-life study cases. Get the most out of your learning experience through the student-teacher discussions with invited CCI climate science experts.