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Training Opportunity for “Young Graduate Trainees”
Reference Specialist Area Duty Station Closing Date
ESA/YG-ESRIN(2011)003,REV.1 Ocean Remote Sensing ESRIN 01 July 2012
Overview of the Division’s mission
The Science Strategy, Coordination and Planning Office within the Science, Applications and Future Technologies Department supports the development of the overall Earth Observation Programme strategy, manages the mission selection procedures, coordinates all science and preparatory studies, and manages interfaces to major international scientific programmes. The office is also managing activities of the Earth Science Advisory Committee.
This training opportunity is part of the Support to Science Element (STSE), whose main objective is the reinforcement of the scientific component within the ESA Living Planet Programme.
STSE covers scientific support for both future and on-going missions, by taking a proactive role in the formulation of new mission concepts and of the related scientific agenda, by offering a multi-mission support to scientific use of ESA Earth Observation mission data and to the promotion of the achieved results.
Overview of the field of activity proposed
The selected candidate will be involved in developing, testing and validating algorithms to improve/refine the processing of SMOS (Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity) oceanographic data. The SMOS mission was launched in November 2009 to provide, over the oceans, remotely-sensed Sea Surface Salinity (SSS) estimates, with spatial and temporal coverage adequate for large scale oceanography.
A comprehensive inversion scheme has been defined to allow proper SSS retrievals in a single satellite overpass (Level 2 product) from the multi-angular brightness temperatures measured by SMOS. Spatio-temporal averaging is required (Level 3 product) to reduce measurements’ noise and meet mission requirements.
Nevertheless, several issues remain critical; the selected candidate should work at both Level 2 and Level 3 of the processing chain to devise adequate strategies to help in addressing some of the following issues:
- Instrumental bias mitigation;
- Wind speed/sea surface temperature auxiliary data uncertainties propagation; - Characterization of external noise sources (Galactic noise and Sun contamination); - Optimal averaging of the SSS product and
- Data validation with various in-situ sources.
Educational and other requirements
Applicants should have just completed, or be in their final year of a University course at Master level (or equivalent) in a technical or scientific discipline with knowledge of remote sensing. Good computer skill is a mandatory requirement.
Applicants must be fluent in English and/or French, the working languages of the Agency. A good proficiency in English is required.
Applicants should have good interpersonal and communication skills and should be able to work in a multi-cultural environment, both independently and as part of a team.
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How can I apply?
Please fill in the online application form.
Please note that only one application may be submitted for the YGT Scheme.
The YGT Scheme is open to recently qualified young men and women who are nationals of one of the following states:
Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK; or Canada as a Cooperating State; Estonia, Hungary, Poland, and Slovenia as European Cooperating States