Foreword
The search for an accurate knowledge of the transfer of energy and water in our climate system
and of all participating processes is still a burning issue within environmental and climate
research. More reliable ways should be found to model them in their complex interplay with
cascades of processes in that system, and their impact on all our resources on earth. Such
modelling needs also validation with accurate and complete observations which in turn should
also enable to observe variations of climate components.
These are the goals of the Global Energy and Water Experiment (GEWEX), which began its
work about 8 years ago. Many advanced remote sensing capabilities have now been developed,
of which only a few will enter into satellite based platforms. These new developments should
be brought to the attention of a broader community of younger scientists, in particular of those
countries which quite recently could open their borders for free exchanges.
Therefore, after the very successful Advanced Study Institute on the "Energy and Water Cycles
in the Climate System", which was held from 29. September to 13. October 1991 in Gliicksburg,
Germany, another one has been felt to be required to bring this need jor, but also the limitations
oj remote sensing techniques for many components of those cycles to the attention of young
scientists. The invited co-directors (Y. Fouquart and V. V. Salomonson) and all speakers agreed
immediately and constructively to cooperate in its preparations; and they did their best during
the courses and responded as far as possible to all wishes of the auditorium.
We had a large number of applicants of which finally 74 could come into the Kurhaus PIon,
Germany, from 1 to 12 May, 1995. They came from as far as Japan, Taiwan, South Africa,
Brazil, Bulgaria, Ukraine, from all NATO-Member Countries and from other parts of Europe.
As for the earlier ASI in Gliicksburg, all participants were asked to report in a permanent poster
exhibition and during a few oral sessions on their own research, which in some cases was not
at all related to the theme of our Summer School. Many long night sessions were required to
bring the more than 40 posters into an order, that allowed to write the summarizing reports,
which are reproduced at the end of this book.
This book contains somewhat modified and shortened versions of the original presentations,
where most illustrations, which were shown during the lectures, have been left away in favour
of an enhanced quotation of literature for deeper information. It is not perfect, and the reader
may find here and there inconsistencies or even (what she / he may interpret as) an error or
incompleteness. We left it entirely to the responsibility of each author to prepare the text and
content according to her / his own lines, since we felt an urgent need to bring these lectures as
fast as possible to the attention of the open scientific community for further use. We asked all
authors to provide as much as possible information on related reviews and books.
At the end of this work we want to thank in particular all donators, whose financial contributions
were fundamental for this event. These were the NATO Division for Scientific Affairs, the
Directorate of the World Climate Research Programme in Geneva, the GKSS Research Centre in
Geesthacht and its associated" Club of Friends and Donators" and also many of our colleagues,
who managed to support fully or in part their collaborators or students for their stay in the
encouraging environment of the lake area in Schleswig-Holstein. We acknowledge also remarks
of two anonymous reviewers of our proposal.
The search for an accurate knowledge of the transfer of energy and water in our climate system
and of all participating processes is still a burning issue within environmental and climate
research. More reliable ways should be found to model them in their complex interplay with
cascades of processes in that system, and their impact on all our resources on earth. Such
modelling needs also validation with accurate and complete observations which in turn should
also enable to observe variations of climate components.
These are the goals of the Global Energy and Water Experiment (GEWEX), which began its
work about 8 years ago. Many advanced remote sensing capabilities have now been developed,
of which only a few will enter into satellite based platforms. These new developments should
be brought to the attention of a broader community of younger scientists, in particular of those
countries which quite recently could open their borders for free exchanges.
Therefore, after the very successful Advanced Study Institute on the "Energy and Water Cycles
in the Climate System", which was held from 29. September to 13. October 1991 in Gliicksburg,
Germany, another one has been felt to be required to bring this need jor, but also the limitations
oj remote sensing techniques for many components of those cycles to the attention of young
scientists. The invited co-directors (Y. Fouquart and V. V. Salomonson) and all speakers agreed
immediately and constructively to cooperate in its preparations; and they did their best during
the courses and responded as far as possible to all wishes of the auditorium.
We had a large number of applicants of which finally 74 could come into the Kurhaus PIon,
Germany, from 1 to 12 May, 1995. They came from as far as Japan, Taiwan, South Africa,
Brazil, Bulgaria, Ukraine, from all NATO-Member Countries and from other parts of Europe.
As for the earlier ASI in Gliicksburg, all participants were asked to report in a permanent poster
exhibition and during a few oral sessions on their own research, which in some cases was not
at all related to the theme of our Summer School. Many long night sessions were required to
bring the more than 40 posters into an order, that allowed to write the summarizing reports,
which are reproduced at the end of this book.
This book contains somewhat modified and shortened versions of the original presentations,
where most illustrations, which were shown during the lectures, have been left away in favour
of an enhanced quotation of literature for deeper information. It is not perfect, and the reader
may find here and there inconsistencies or even (what she / he may interpret as) an error or
incompleteness. We left it entirely to the responsibility of each author to prepare the text and
content according to her / his own lines, since we felt an urgent need to bring these lectures as
fast as possible to the attention of the open scientific community for further use. We asked all
authors to provide as much as possible information on related reviews and books.
At the end of this work we want to thank in particular all donators, whose financial contributions
were fundamental for this event. These were the NATO Division for Scientific Affairs, the
Directorate of the World Climate Research Programme in Geneva, the GKSS Research Centre in
Geesthacht and its associated" Club of Friends and Donators" and also many of our colleagues,
who managed to support fully or in part their collaborators or students for their stay in the
encouraging environment of the lake area in Schleswig-Holstein. We acknowledge also remarks
of two anonymous reviewers of our proposal.