A Saharan dust storm and an out unseasonal heatwave are affecting the Canary Islands in the second decade of December. The Spanish Meteorological Agency (AEMET) issued a pre-alert for the Canary Islands, as the "calima" could affect air quality in the archipelago.  This image, acquired by one of the Copernicus Sentinel-3 satellites on 12...

Tititaca is the largest freshwater lake in South America, and is located on the border of Peru and Bolivia. The ongoing drought has significantly reduced the lake's water levels, impacting the entire local economy. Industries such as fishing, agriculture, and livestock farming are suffering in the region, and many of the usual navigation routes...

Portugal is at the forefront of the renewable energy sector. This image acquired by one of the Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellite on 12 November shows the solar plant of Alcoutim, the largest of the country.   Located in the south-eastern region of Portugal, this sprawling solar farm covers a vast area and harnesses the abundant sunlight to...

Aruba is a Caribbean island located off the coast of Venezuela. Its wetlands are invaluable natural treasures, playing a vital role in the island's ecosystem and beyond. They serve as critical habitats for a wide range of wildlife, from migratory birds to endemic species, providing them shelter, breeding grounds, and food. Four of Aruba's...

This image, acquired by one of the Copernicus Sentinel-3 satellites on 8 December, shows Storm Jasper as it passed northeast of Australia.  Jasper is a tropical storm which the beginning of the tropical cyclone season in the southern Pacific. According to the latest forecast from the Australian Bureau of Meteorology, Jasper is expected to...

Over the weekend of 2-3 December, a heavy snowstorm hit Munich, Germany's third-largest city. The storm brought a record-breaking amount of snow for a month of December, with almost half a metre of snowfall. This was also the heaviest snowstorm to affect the region since March 2006. As a result of the weather forecast for Tuesday 5...

The Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) has recently released its latest monthly Climate Bulletin, which highlights that November 2023 was the warmest November on record globally. This data visualisation, based on ERA5 C3S data, illustrates the surface air temperature anomaly (ATA) from January 1940 to November 2023. It shows that the ATA...

This image acquired by one of the Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellites on 19 November shows the town of Babcock Ranch, in Florida. It is one of the first communities to be built to resist extreme weather events. Its area is about five times that of Manhattan. It has numerous lakes which act as retention ponds to protect homes from flooding. Roads...

The Albufera Lagoon is located in the Albufera Natural Park, in the autonomous region of Valencia in Spain. Since 1989, the Park has been registered as a Ramsar Site and a Wetland of International Importance. It is characterised by the striking green colours of its shallow waters, but during the month of October 2023, the lagoon began to...

The first winter storm of 2023 brought heavy snowfall to southern Germany and parts of Austria, Switzerland, and the Czech Republic, leading to travel disruptions across the region.  Munich airport declared a halt to air traffic on Saturday 3 December and Zurich’s airport also announced weather-related delays and flight cancellations.  In this...

Cyclone Michaung is the 6th named storm of the 2023 North Indian Ocean cyclone season.  It is expected to make landfall on 4 December on the east coast of the Indian Peninsula, where an orange cyclone alert has been issued for the provinces of Andhra Pradesh and adjoining North Tamil Nadu-Puducherry.  The area is expected to experience heavy...

The El Niño induced floods continue in the Horn of Africa. The consequences of the torrential rains have affected more than two million people in several areas of Somalia, with over 100 casualties reported and 750,000 persons displaced. This image, acquired by one of the Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellites on 30 November, shows the region of...

The Antarctic Ozone Hole (AOH) is an atmospheric phenomenon that occurs in early austral spring and typically lasts until the end of November, but according to the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS), it has followed an unusual pattern in 2023.  The AOH has appeared several days earlier than usual and is taking an unusually long...

In the fight against climate change, the emphasis often falls on the significance of planting trees, yet coastal wetlands also play a vital role in carbon capture, outperforming even tropical forests. Derrymore Island marshes, nestled amidst the Atlantic waves in Ireland, stand as a natural carbon sink—a subject of intense scrutiny by a team...

The Iwo Jima Volcano is a submarine hot spot located south of the Japanese island of Iwoto. According to the Global Volcanism Programme, it began erupting on 30 October from a vent near Okinahama in the south-eastern part of the island. The eruption has been ongoing for almost a month, and on 1 November it created a new lava island that has...

Somalia has been hit by torrential rains in recent days, causing severe flooding and devastating consequences for local communities. The floods have claimed nearly 100 lives and left more than 650,000 people displaced and homeless.  The town of Beledweyne, visible in this radar image acquired by the Copernicus Sentinel-1A satellites on 26...

In November 2023, as confirmed by the Brazilian Space Research Agency (INPE), the country faced a wildfire crisis with an alarming increase in the number of fires of nearly 3,000 being recorded compared to only 69 wildfires for the same period of the previous year. Among the worst affected areas was the Pantanal Matogressense National Park...

Villarrica, an active volcano located in the southern Andes in Chile, renowned for its symmetrical conical shape and the presence of a persistent lava lake within its crater, is currently on yellow alert.  This alert status, the second level on a scale of four, was confirmed following the detection of explosive activity at the beginning of...

A23a is the largest iceberg in the world, covering almost 4,000 square kilometres and is 400 metres thick. It has been stuck on the Antarctic ocean floor for over 30 years but has recently started to move again and is now drifting towards the Southern Atlantic Ocean.  These radar images acquired by the Copernicus Sentinel-1A satellite on 19 and...

The Dominican Republic has been recently affected by unprecedented rainfall that President Luis Abinader labeled as the “largest rainfall event ever” in the country's history.  This deluge resulted in devastating floods across multiple areas, leading to extensive damage. At least 24 casualties have been reported as well as significant...