The primary goal of the EnMAP mission is to provide accurate and diagnostic information on the state and evolution of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems for research and application in various fields such as agriculture and forestry, geology and soils, urban areas, coastal and inland waters. EnMAP will help to quantify and model crucial ecosystem processes, to study diverse effects of human intervention and to manage natural resources.
The EnMAP Science Team identified key scientific questions that EnMAP can contribute to answering in the future and that have to some extent been addressed in the science projects mentioned in the preparatory science program.
Key scientific questions to which EnMAP will contribute
- What are the consequences of climate change on the state, composition and seasonal cycles of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems (e.g. boreal forests and coral reefs)?
- What measures can effectively reduce the projected climate change and how can their implementation be monitored (e.g. reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD), carbon sequestration in forests and wetlands)?
- What is the extent and rate of severe land degradation processes (e.g. desertification, ground erosion, salinization, soil acidification) and land use / land cover changes (e.g. deforestation, urbanisation)?
- Which processes drive land degradation and how efficient are countermeasures?
- What are the consequences of land degradation and land use / land cover changes in view of food security and environmental sustainability?
- What is the spatial pattern of ecosystem and diversity distributions from local to global scale?
- How do ecosystems change over time in their composition and health?
- How are ecosystem functions and services being altered by human activities or natural causes and how can harmful consequences for biodiversity be reduced or prevented?
- Which areas are affected by water scarcity and water quality problems from local to global and from seasonal to decadal scale?
- How do climate change and human activities such as intensive agriculture, water demanding industries and high population density reinforce water scarcity problems?
- How is the quality of inland and coastal water affected by the change of land use and climate, and by management of lakes, rivers and coastal zone?
- What is the impact of water quality and climate change on tdal flats as well as on benthic organisms, such as kelp, seaweed and corals?
- How can natural resources such as mineral deposits, energy sources (oil, gas), groundwater sources and others be explored and managed in a sustainable way?
- What impact do human activities such as industry, mining, agriculture and others have on natural resources?
- How can environmentally harmful impacts such as water/air pollution, land contamination, mine waste and others be tracked, monitored and managed in order to conserve and sustain natural resources?
- Which areas are to what extent vulnerable to natural and man-made hazards?
- In case of a natural or man-made disaster, which areas are to what extent affected?
