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MetOp
The prime objective of the
EUMETSAT Polar System
(EPS)
Metop
mission series is to provide continuous, long-term datasets, in
support of operational meteorological and environmental
forecasting and global climate monitoring.
The EPS programme consists of a series of three polar orbiting
Metop satellites, to be flown successively for more than 14
years, from 2006, together with the relevant ground facilities.
The launch of Metop has brought about a new era in the way the
Earth's weather, climate and environment are observed and will
significantly improve operational meteorology, in particular
Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP).
NWP is the basis of all modern global and regional weather
forecasting. The data generated by the instruments carried by
Metop can be assimilated directly into NWP models to compute
forecasts ranging from a few hours up to 10 days ahead.
Measurements from infrared and microwave radiometers and
sounders on board Metop provide NWP models with crucial
information on the global atmospheric temperature and humidity
structure, with a high vertical and horizontal resolution.
 EPS
also ensures continuity in the long-term monitoring of factors
known to play an important role in climate change, for example
changing patterns in the distribution of global cloud, snow and
ice cover, and ocean surface temperatures and winds. In
particular, the Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer
(IASI) instrument has the ability to detect and accurately
measure the levels and circulation patterns of gases that are
known to influence the climate, such as carbon dioxide.
This heralds a breakthrough in the global monitoring of the
climate. The data collected by IASI feeds into the models, for
the first time showing the variable global distribution of
carbon dioxide as a function of seasons and circulation
anomalies such as the Southern Oscillation (also known as El Niño)
and the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO).
The Metop satellites carry a payload of eight instruments for
observing the planet, together with a range of communications
and support services. A core set of instruments for atmospheric
sounding and Earth imaging is identical to those flown on the
NOAA satellites.
NOAA-N
The NOAA-N Prime Mission
The NOAA-N Prime satellite renamed NOAA-19, built for NASA by
Lockheed Martin, will improve weather forecasting and
monitor environmental events around the world. NOAA-N Prime is
the fifth and last in the current series of five polar-orbiting
satellites with improved imaging and sounding capabilities.
The satellite will
collect meteorological data and transmit the information
to NOAA's Satellite and Information Service, which processes the
data for input to the National Weather Service for its
long-range weather and climate forecasts. Forecasters worldwide
also will be able to access the satellite's images and data.
NOAA-N Prime has sensors that will be used in the Search and
Rescue Satellite-Aided Tracking System to monitor for distress
signals around the world.
NOAA-N Prime carries a suite of instruments that provides data
for weather and climate predictions. Like its predecessors,
NOAA-N Prime provides global images of clouds and surface
features and vertical profiles of atmospheric temperature and
humidity for use in numerical weather and ocean forecast models,
as well as data on ozone distribution in the upper part of the
atmosphere, and near-Earth space environments—information
important for the marine, aviation, power generation,
agriculture, and other communities. The NOAA-N Prime primary
instruments —the
Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR/3), High
Resolution Infrared Radiation Sounder (HIRS/4), and the
Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit (AMSU-A)—were all designed
for a three-year mission. The Solar Backscatter Ultraviolet
Spectral Radiometer (SBUV/2)
was designed for a two-year mission, and the
Microwave Humidity Sounder (MHS) was designed for a
five-year mission.
Sensors on MSG
altitude: 36 000 km
inclination: 0.3°
orbit: Geosynchronous (geostationary)
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satellites: |
Meteosat-8: 13/08/2002 – operational |
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Meteosat-9: 21/12/2005 - operational |
The two main instruments on board MSG satellites are the SEVIRI
and GERB radiometers.
SEVIRI (Spinning Enhanced Visible &
Infrared Imager) is able to supply, at intervals of 15 minutes (compared
to 30 with the first generation), images of the hemisphere
observed by the satellite in 12 different visible and infrared
wavelengths (a fourfold increase). This enrichment of the
spectrum of observations was a major advance, making for
improvement of numerical climate modelling. By delivering data
at twice the previous frequency, MSG satellites make it easier
for climatologists and meteorologists to detect the start of
sudden weather phenomena, such as snow, thunderstorms and fog.
With the improvement of image resolution in the visible spectrum,
to 1 km from 2.5 km previously, observation and monitoring of
local phenomena have been improved as well.
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Band
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Band width
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VIS 0,6 |
0,56 - 0,71 µm |
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VIS 0,8 |
0,74 - 0,88 µm |
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IR 1,6 |
1,50 - 1,78 µm |
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IR 3,9 |
3,48 - 4,36 µm |
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IR 8,7 |
8,30 - 9,10 µm |
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IR 10,8 |
9,80 - 11,80 µm |
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IR 12,0 |
11,00 - 13,00 µm |
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WV 6,2 |
5,35 - 7,15 µm |
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WV 7,3 |
6,85 - 7,85 µm |
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IR 9,7 |
9,38 - 9,94 µm |
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IR 13,4 |
12,40 - 14,40 µm |
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High Res VIS,1 km: HRV |
0,5 - 0,9 µm |
The GERB (Geostationary Earth Radiation Budget) radiometer
supplies crucial data on the Earth's radiation budget - the
balance between the incoming radiation from the sun and the
radiation returned to space. The radiation budget, about which
much has yet to be learnt, plays a key role in climate change.
Sensors on MTG
Flexible Combined Imager
 The Flexible Combined Imager (FCI) on the MTG-I
satellite will continue the very successful operation of the Spinning
Enhanced Visible and Infrared Imager (SEVIRI) on Meteosat Second
Generation (MSG). The satellite’s three axes stabilised platform will be
capable of providing additional channels with better spatial, temporal
and radiometric resolution, compared to the current MSG satellites.
Requirements for the FCI have been formulated by regional and
global Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) and Nowcasting
communities. These requirements are reflected in the design
which allows for Full Disk Scan (FDS), with a basic repeat cycle
of 10 minutes, and a European Regional-Rapid-Scan (RRS) which
covers of one-quarter of the full disk with a repeat cycle of
2.5 minutes. The FCI takes measurement in 16 channels of which eight
are placed in the solar spectral domain between 0.4 µm to 2.1 µm,
delivering data with a 1 km spatial resolution. The additional eight
channels are in the thermal spectral domain between 3.8 µm to
13.3 µm, delivering data with a 2 km spatial resolution. In the
RRS mode there will be two additional channels in the solar
domain, with a spatial resolution of 0.5 km, and two in the
thermal domain, with a spatial resolution of 1 km.
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Channel |
Centre Wavelength, Δ0 |
Spectral Width, Δλ0 |
Spatial Sampling Distance (SSD) |
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VIS 0.4 |
0.444 µm |
0.060 µm |
1.0 km |
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VIS 0.5 |
0.510 µm |
0.040 µm [TBC] |
1.0 km |
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VIS 0.6 |
0.640 µm [TBC] |
0.050 µm [TBC] |
1.0 km; 0.5 km* |
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VIS 0.8 |
0.865 µm [TBC] |
0.040 µm [TBC] |
1.0 km |
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VIS 0.9 |
0.914 µm [TBC] |
0.020 µm [TBC] |
1.0 km |
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NIR 1.3 |
1.380 µm [TBC] |
0.030 µm [TBC] |
1.0 km |
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NIR 1.6 |
1.610 µm |
0.050 µm |
1.0 km |
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NIR 2.2 |
2.250 µm [TBC] |
0.050 µm [TBC] |
1.0 km; 0.5 km* |
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IR 3.8 (TIR) |
3.800 µm |
0.400 µm |
2.0 km; 1.0 km* |
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WV 6.3 |
6.300 µm |
1.000 µm |
2.0 km |
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WV 7.3 |
7.350 µm |
0.500 µm |
2.0 km |
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IR 8.7 (TIR) |
8.700 µm |
0.400 µm |
2.0 km |
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IR 9.7 (O3) |
9.660 µm |
0.300 µm |
2.0 km |
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IR 10.5 (TIR) |
10.500 µm |
0.700 µm |
2.0 km; 1.0 km* |
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IR 12.3 (TIR) |
12.300 µm |
0.500 µm |
2.0 km |
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IR 13.3 (CO2) |
13.300 µm |
0.600 µm |
2.0 km |
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* The channels VIS 0.6, NIR 2.2, IR 3.8 and IR 10.5 are
delivered in both FDS and RRS sampling configurations, the
latter is indicated by * in the table.
With the FCI on-board the MTG-I satellites, Europe will continue
to play the leading role in imaging radiometry from the
geostationary orbit in the decades to come.
Lightning Imager
The Lightning Imager (LI) will offer improvements for Nowcasting
by delivering information on total lightning (Inter Cloud – IC
and Cloud to Ground - CG).
.jpg) The
instrument will bring full hemispheric near real-time total
lightning detection capabilities.
The benefit of the LI mission is that it will continuously and
simultaneously observe total lightning over the hemisphere,
providing the information to the users with an extremely high
timeliness. One method of assessing the impact of climate change
on thunderstorm activity is to globally monitor and long-term
analyse the lightning characteristics, which would require a
long-term stable and spatially homogeneous lightning observing
system. Lightning is a major source of harmful nitrogen oxides (NOx)
in the atmosphere. NOx plays a key role in the ozone conversion
process and acid rain generation. A detailed knowledge of the
global distribution of the total lightning (CG + IC) is a
prerequisite for studying and monitoring the physical and
chemical processes in the atmosphere regarding NOx. Lightning
observations from the geostationary orbit, delivered with
spatially homogenous and well-characterised quality, are
specifically suited to support these climate and atmospheric
chemistry applications.
The LI on MTG will compliment the two NOAA GLMs (Geostationary
Lightning Mapper) on the GOES-R and the GOES-S satellites, thus
contributing, in the long term, to near global coverage.
Infrared Sounder
The Infrared Sounder (IRS) on MTG-S will be able to provide
unprecedented information on horizontally, vertically, and
temporally (4-dimensional) resolved.jpg) water
vapour and temperature structures of the atmosphere.
Retrieving highly resolved vertical structures of humidity (~2
km resolution with 10% accuracy) and temperature (~1 km with
0.5° - 1.5° accuracy) by remote sensing techniques does require
measurements within the water vapour and CO2 absorption bands
with extremely high spectral resolution and accuracy. The IRS is
based on an imaging Fourier-interferometer with a hyperspectral
resolution of 0.625 cm-1 wave-number, taking measurements in two
bands, the Long-Wave InfraRed (LWIR) and the Mid-Wave InfraRed (MWIR),
with a spatial resolution of 4 km. The IRS will deliver over the
Full Disk in the LWIR (700 – 1210 cm-1 or 14.3 – 8.3 µm) 800
spectral channels and in the MWIR (1600 – 2175 cm-1 or 6.25 –
4.6 µm) 920 channels with a basic repeat cycle of 60 min.
The IRS includes the ozone band within LWIR and the carbon
monoxide band within MWIR. This will allow measurement within
the free troposphere, leading to information on enhanced levels
of pollution in the boundary layer below. By providing
operational measurements of carbon monoxide and ozone, IRS will
also make a significant contribution to the space segment of the
Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES) initiative.
Ultraviolet Sounder
The Ultraviolet, Visible and Near-Infrared Sounding (UVN)
instrument is a Global
Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES) Sentinel 4
instrument designed for geostationary chemistry applications.
It will fly on board the MTG-S satellites. Funding for the UVN
is provided by the European Commission in cooperation with
European Space Agency (ESA).
The UVN is a spectrometer taking measurements in the ultraviolet
(UV: 305 – 400 nm), the visible (VIS: 400 – 500 nm) and the near
infrared (NIR: 755 – 775 nm) with a spatial resolution of better
than 10 km. Its observations are restricted to Earth area
coverage, from 30 to 65º N in latitude and 30º W to 45º E in
longitude. The observation repeat cycle period will be shorter
than or equal to one hour.
ESA is responsible for the definition of the Sentinel 4 mission
and provision of the UVN Instrument, whereas EUMETSAT takes
responsibility for the operational processing, delivery and
management of the instrument data.
For further information on the sensors
installed in the MTG follow this link:
https://directory.eoportal.org/web/eoportal/satellite-missions/m/meteosat-third-generation
Sensors on MetOp
For further
information on the sensors installed in the Metop follow this
link:
https://directory.eoportal.org/web/eoportal/satellite-missions/m/metop
Sensors on NOAA-N
For further information on the sensors
installed in the Metop follow this link:
https://directory.eoportal.org/web/eoportal/satellite-missions/n/noaa-poes-series-5th-generation
Information on the status of our geostationary
and polar satelllites and the data.
http://www.eumetsat.int/website/home/Data/ServiceStatus/index.html
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