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ESPERE-ENC - Preface
What is ESPERE?
ESPERE is a project founded by a group of young scientists studying various aspects of the Earth's atmospheric system. They met in Grenoble, in the foothills of the French Alps in January 2000 at the annual European Research Course on Atmospheres. Here postgraduate scientists from around Europe and beyond come for a number of weeks to hear lectures by the leading researchers in many fields concerned with the study of atmospheres - mainly the Earth's atmosphere, but also the atmospheres of other planets in our solar system. During discussion groups, and in breaks between the lectures, some of the participants of the course formulated the idea of a web site maintained by scientists for up-to-date and impartial information about climate change and environmental science for school pupils and other people who are interested in these subjects. The idea grew, and sceintists from around the world gave their support to the project.
In September 2002, the European union granted ESPERE the money necessary to fund the first part of the ESPERE idea - a network of web pages dedicated to teaching of the climate system in schools - ESPERE-ENC.
ESPERE is a source of information, like a text book. But in many ways it is different from a text book. Your text books are fixed - whether you enjoy them and understand them or not, you cannot change them. The author is not there to answer your questions directly. The content of the ESPERE network, however, is under your control. If you think something could be explained better, or if you have ideas on how to improve the information presented on the ESPERE pages, you can tell us and we will make changes to improve the site for you and others learning about the climate system with ESPERE. If you or your class has a question about something you learned about with ESPERE, you can ask us and one of us will reply with an answer to your question. So by using ESPERE you contribute to it, and become a part of it.
The Topics
Climate: Weather, storms, precipitation and droughts, the greenhouse effect, the ozone hole, radiation and the sun cycle, free radical chemistry, cloud physics, ocean circluation, glacier melt, urbanization, natural emissions of pollutants by biological systems, acid rain, forest fires and more....
How is climate changing? Does the human race have a significant effect on climate?
On TV, or in the newspapers people have different opinions on these questions. Some fear the worst, others are indifferent, some say it is all a load of rubbish. They might say these things for their own reasons - political or economic.
ESPERE will attempt to present to you the basics of the climate system, along with the latest discoveries and opinions in the scientific community, as impartially as possible. Climate is a very complicated system determined by many factors. We will give you the most up-to-date information so that you may find your own answers to the above questions.
We aim to explain it gradually, and wait for your questions. We will not be able to answerall of them - many things are still unknown. As the research continues, and the scientific community knows more, we will hopefully be able to pass new information on to the people using ESPERE
The team.
ESPERE is a team of young scientists from different countries in Europe. All work in research institutes with dirrerent specialities. They will work mainly with the schools in their country, or other countries speaking the same language. Some ESPERE members will be concerned with the production of the content for the thematic fields that people will use to learn about climate - ESPERE-ENC. A panel of senior experts in climate science will review all of the pages in these teaching units to ensure that the content is scientifically correct and relevant. All members of the team will be in contact with all other members for discussion and the sharing of ideas.
At the University of East Anglia in Norwich, we will be working with schools in the UK and producing the teaching units for oceanography and ocean-atmosphere interaction.
Martin Johnson, October 2002
contact ESPERE-ENC English:
Martin Johnson - e-mail: johnson
Lucinda Spokes - email: lspokes
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