The Russian project "Space study of the Earth as an ecological system and human impact on this system" (Program ECOS): main goals and new remote sensing systems

The Russian ECOS program for Earth global processes monitoring is discussed. This program started with KOSMOS-1870 (1987) and ALMAZ-1 (1991) satellites and will be supported by ALMAZ-1B and ALMAZ-2 spacecrafts, by PRIRODA unit of the manned MIR orbital station, by few smaller satellites, and MIR-NASA and ALPHA programs. The largest satellites are to be equipped by multifunctional high resolution radars, microwave radiometers (radiometric complex PARC is described) and by optical and IR devices. The main goal of the project ECOS is to study the Earth as an integrated selforganizing climatic-ecological system subject to human impact. It means that all the natural media: Hydrosphere, Atmosphere, Cryosphere, Lithosphere and Biosphere are to be studied and their interactions. The results of optical, IR and microwave studies are expected to provide data for development improved prognostic models for global climatic change. Microwave remote sensing data on wind waves, water temperature, near water wind speed, evaporation rate, rains, internal waves, fronts, currents, vortices etc. are of great importance. These data may improve our representations of the global temperature change and give additional impulse to the study global bifurcation processes which may abruptly change global and/or local state of the Earth climatic-ecological system. Suggestions are presented how to integrate the Russian ECOS program with international programs like Mission to Planet Earth.