Radiation and water in the climate system

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.