Publication

This paper examines international efforts to identify the requirements of a global satellite climate monitoring system. To do this, the author examines the monitoring capabilities of Earth observation satellites operating or planned between 1990 and 2020. She finds that each international effort contains gaps in the type of data collected and often does not meet the technical requirements for climate assessment and forecasting. She also contends that the lack of consensus on the requirements of a global climate monitoring system makes it difficult for nations to use international coordination mechanisms to plan and prioritize future satellite systems.