The European Space Agency (ESA) is Europe’s gateway to space. Its mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world.
Find out more about space activities in our 23 Member States, and understand how ESA works together with their national agencies, institutions and organisations.
Exploring our Solar System and unlocking the secrets of the Universe
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This Copernicus Sentinel-2 image shows some of the longitudinal dunes found in George V Land in East Antarctica. In a recent paper published in Nature Geoscience, a team led by a research team from Université Grenoble Alpes in France and the Institut de physique du globe de Paris, used satellite data, including Copernicus Sentinel-2 imagery, to identify and analyse snow dunes.
One of the study’s most significant discoveries is the widespread prevalence of longitudinal dunes, which account for 61% of the formations observed. These dunes form under unidirectional wind regimes, where strong and consistent winds stretch the snow into long, narrow shapes.
Read full story: Unveiling the hidden snow dunes shaping Antarctica's frozen landscape