February marks the peak of summer in Antarctica, providing the opportunity to observe unusual phenomena affecting the continent's ice. On 16 February, one of the Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellites captured a rare image of green-tinged sea ice due to a phytoplankton bloom in the Ross Sea. In 2017, the same phenomenon of green ice was observed in...

On 19 February at 05:00 UTC, one of the Copernicus Sentinel-3 satellites acquired this image of Freddy, a very intense tropical cyclone currently active in the Indian Ocean. The storm is expected to approach Mauritius Island and La Réunion on 20 February before hitting the coast of Madagascar on 21 February, bringing along strong winds, heavy...

Bushfires are affecting the Western Downs region of Queensland, Australia. These fires have burnt more than 7,400 hectares of vegetation, causing significant damage. On 16 February, one of the Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellites captured a pyrocumulus cloud produced by a fire ongoing near Pelham. This type of cloud develops as a result of the...

This image, acquired on 15 February 2023 by one of the Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellites, shows the reduced flow of the Po River north of Voghera, in northern Italy. The entire Po Valley is affected for the second year in a row by severe drought conditions. According to the ANBI Observatory, the Po River reached its all-time record low levels in...

The shift towards a digital era has increased the reliance on connectivity for businesses, governments and people. Secure connectivity is essential to enabling everyday operations as well as ensuring the viability of critical infrastructure systems, such as power grids and financial systems that are connected and controlled through digital networks

This image, acquired on 12 February 2023, shows part of the province of Málaga in southern Spain, which is renowned for its almond groves. In this area an early blossoming of almond trees is ongoing. Since it is still winter, the flowers are vulnerable to frost, which puts the summer harvest at risk. A poor almond harvest can have serious...

This image, acquired by one of the Copernicus Sentinel-3 satellites on 14 February 2023, shows a Saharan dust storm with transport from the west coast of Africa over to the Atlantic Ocean. The air quality in the Canary Islands (Spain) has been affected by the high concentration of particulate matter (dust) in the air. This has resulted in a...

For the second consecutive year, the region is struggling with over 34,000 hectares of vegetation burnt in the Corrientes province since December 2022. The fires have devastated many natural habitats, including the Iberá National Park, resulting in significant biodiversity loss. As shown in this image acquired by one of the Copernicus...

A devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake has hit Türkiye and Syria. The damage is considerable, with at least 33,000 casualties. The earthquake was so strong that it caused massive ground deformations. This interferogram was created using the radar data acquired by the Copernicus Sentinel-1 satellite in ascending orbit on 28 January and 9...

South America is going through a heatwave, with temperatures rising 10ºC above the seasonal average in many places. Argentina is most affected, with 17 provinces experiencing record-breaking temperatures. The heatwave has also resulted in wildfires in Chile and the loss of snow cover on several Andean glaciers in Argentina. This image, acquired...

Temperatures above reference average values continue to be recorded in Europe. According to the latest climate bulletin published by the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), January 2023 has been the third warmest January, with temperature anomalies reaching +5ºC peaks in Romania, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Poland, Hungary, and Slovakia. The...

  On 6 February 2023, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck near the city of Gaziantep in South-eastern Türkiye. This was followed by several strong aftershocks, including one of magnitude 7.5. The earthquakes caused more than 17,000 casualties and over 37,000 people were injured. The Copernicus Emergency Management Service (CEMS) Rapid Mapping...

Oceans cover 71% of the Earth's surface and provide many social, environmental and economic benefits. They regulate the Earth's climate, are a vital source of food, and are an essential part of national economies.

Despite the cold weather, the ice coverage of the Great Lakes remains significantly below its average winter extent. Ice is covering only 13.91% of the surface of Lake Michigan, about 8% below the winter’s average, This is one of the lowest ice extents on record, second only to the 12.4% of ice coverage measured in 2002. Even though the cold...

Even though the beginning of this winter season had been characterised by a deficit in snow cover in the Alps, the area has seen heavy snowfall over the last weekend. The combination of heavy snowfall and strong winds caused several avalanches in Italy, Switzerland and Austria, where local authorities reported 11 casualties, including visitors...

Severe wildfires are currently raging in central Chile, causing widespread devastation. Over 270,000 hectares have burned, and 24 casualties have been reported. The hot and dry weather conditions, coupled with strong winds, have caused the fires to spread rapidly, making this the second-worst year on record for hectares burnt. Despite the...

A devastating earthquake hit Türkiye at 4 a.m. local time on Monday 6 February 2023, with its epicentre 23 km east of Nurdagi, in the Gaziantep province. With a magnitude of 7.8, it is considered one of the strongest earthquakes to affect Türkiye in over a century. Hundreds of buildings collapsed in Türkiye and Syria due to the powerful quake...

The heavy snowfall that hit Romania in the last week of January 2023 caused widespread damage and disruptions across the country. Over 30,000 people were left without electricity, and road transportation was severely impacted by snow and ice. The affected areas saw fallen trees and electricity poles, while some low-lying regions were also...

The Working Group (WG) Africa project's kick-off meeting took place virtually on 20 December 2022.

Forests offer a wide range of societal benefits which directly impact global health, the environment, ecosystems, economies and food and supply chains. With a total area of 4.06 billion acres, forests cover 31 percent of the global land area. In Europe, forests cover 43 percent of the European Union’s land area.