Call for Media: ESA's Living Planet Symposium, Bergen, June 28 - July 2

The media are invited to ESA's largest scientific event of the year: the Living Planet Symposium, in Bergen, Norway. The symposium covers all areas of Earth observation, highlighting the results and ESA's planned missions, as well as bringing together the key scientists and decision-makers worldwide.

In addition to presenting the contributions that ESA's ERS and Envisat satellites have made in advancing our understanding of Earth's environment and climate change over the last 15 years, there will be emphasis on the first results from the three latest missions: GOCE, SMOS and CryoSat.

The first gravity model, resulting from data acquired by the Gravity field and Steady-State Ocean Explorer (GOCE), will be released. GOCE, launched in March 2009, is dedicated to measuring Earth's gravity with unprecedented accuracy to advance our knowledge of ocean circulation, sea-level change and processes occurring inside Earth.

The first official results from the Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) mission will also be released. SMOS was launched in November 2009 to provide a global image of surface-soil moisture and ocean salinity to further our understanding of Earth's water cycle.

The first results from the CryoSat mission, launched in April this year, will be presented. CryoSat is studying Earth's ice to show how the volume is changing and to improve our understanding of the relationship between ice and climate.

In addition, special sessions will be devoted the Sentinel families of missions and services being developed for Europe's Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES) programme.

Programme

The latest results from ESA's missions will be presented during the opening plenary session on Monday, 28 June, 09:30-12:00, followed by a working lunch between the panel's participants and the media.

09:30-12:00

Welcome by Mayor of Bergen

Opening address by Dr. Volker Liebig, Director of ESA EO Programmes

GOCE: Prof. Reiner Rummel, Principal Investigator, Technical University of Munich

SMOS: Prof. Yann Kerr, CESBIO, Toulouse

SMOS: Prof. Jordi Font, Institut de Ciencies del Mar, Barcelona

CryoSat: Prof. Duncan Wingham, Lead Investigator, University College London

ERS/Envisat: Prof. Johnny Johannessen, ESAC Chair, NERSC, Norway

ESA Earth observation: Dr Volker Liebig, Director of ESA EO Programmes

Address by Trond Giske, Minister of Trade and Industry of Norway

12:00-13:00

Media questions and answers session

SOURCE [1]