Three European earth science missions move to the next phase

Space Mart: ESA [the European Space Agency] has announced three candidate Earth Explorer mission concepts to progress to the next phase of consolidation. This selection is part of the user-driven process that will lead to the launch of the Agency's seventh Earth Explorer satellite in the 2016 time frame. Last week ESA's Programme Board for Earth Observation decided on three Earth Explorer missions that will undergo Feasibility Studies.

The decision was based on recommendations made by ESA's Earth Science Advisory Committee (ESAC) following the Earth Explorer User Consultation Meeting held in Lisbon, Portugal in January. This decision means that the BIOMASS, CoReH2O and PREMIER missions now go through to the next stage of consolidation. The BIOMASS mission aims to determine, for the first time and in a consistent manner, the distribution and temporal changes of forest biomass at a global scale.
…. COld REgions Hydrology High-resolution Observatory (CoReH2O) is the first satellite mission dedicated specifically to measuring fresh water stored in snow on land surfaces and in snow accumulation on glaciers and ice sheets.
The amount of water held in snow is an important component of the water cycle - though presently poorly understood. Since climate change is impacting the amount of snow and ice present it also has a critical impact on water resources.
… The objective of the Process Exploration through Measurements of Infrared and millimetre-wave Emitted Radiation (PREMIER) mission is to quantify processes controlling global atmospheric composition in the mid- to upper-troposphere and lower stratosphere, which is between 5 and 25 km above the surface of the Earth. The composition and dynamics of the atmosphere at the boundary between the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere has an important impact on chemical exchanges and the Earth's radiative balance.

The mission aims to improve chemistry-climate models that are needed to accurately predict future changes in climate on decadal to century time scales.

"BIOMASS" illustration from the ESA's website