EUMETSAT

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EUMETSATs contribution to sustained climate
monitoring from space

• Dr. Lars Prahm
• Director-General
• European Organisation for the Exploitation of
  Meteorological Satellites

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Introduction EUMETSATs commitment and activities

• As stated in its Convention, EUMETSAT is
  committed to the contribution to the operational
  monitoring of the climate and the detection of
  global climate change.
• This objective is addressed by EUMETSAT at
  different levels
• the provision of observational data with its
  satellites and embarked instruments
• the generation of climate products, as well as
• the programmatic and organisational activities,
  with a focus on the various frameworks of the
  international cooperation.

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Goals of Climate Monitoring

• Identify how the Earth system is changing over
  decades
• Explain why these changes occur
• Separate natural from anthropogenic cause and
  effects
• Contribute to improvement in prediction of change
  

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Providing data for climate monitoring Meteosat
(1st and 2nd Generation)

• The Meteosat programme is the well-established
  European contribution to the ring of
  geostationary satellite observations.
• The first Meteosat satellite was launched more
  than 30 years ago by ESA in 1977. In 1995
  EUMETSAT took over the operation of the Meteosat
  satellites.
• EUMETSAT currently operates two Meteosat
  satellite of the first generation and two of the
  second generation (images in 12 spectral bands
  every 15 minutes, better spatial resolution and
  on-board calibration for thermal IR)

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Providing data for climate monitoring Metop
satellites (EUMETSAT Polar System EPS)

• Metop-A launched in October 2006
• EUMETSAT has a polar orbiting satellite system
  with a long-term operational perspective
• Metop provides information on a large number of
  Essential Climate Variables (ECVs) over at least
  14 years on a global scale
• Part of a joint polar system with NOAA gt also
  cooperation on ECVs

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Providing data for climate monitoring Metop
satellites (EUMETSAT Polar System EPS)
IASI Spectrum

• The hyper spectral sounding Infrared Atmospheric
  Sounding Interferometer (IASI) allows the
  retrieval of temperature and moisture profiles at
  high accuracy (1K, 15 , respectively) over 1km
  layers. IASI also allows the observation of trace
  gases relevant for the greenhouse effect and for
  atmospheric chemistry.
• The Global Ozone Monitoring Experiment -2
  (GOME-2) continue the capability to measure Ozone
  profiles and related trace gases with high
  accuracy.
• The Radio-occultation Atmospheric Sounder (GRAS)
  provide absolute measurements on the temperature
  and humidity profiles.
• From the other instruments on Metop (AVHRR,
  ATOVS, ASCAT) long-term climate records can be
  derived as well, with regard to AVHRR and ATOVS
  this provides continuity of climate records of
  NOAA satellites.

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Providing data for climate monitoring Jason

• Jason-2 will provide essential observational data
  on the mean sea level (ocean altimetry).
• Jason-2 extends mean sea level observations
  beyond TOPEX/Poseidon and Jason-1 and completes
  two decades of high-precision altimetry
  observations.
• Follow-on mission studies are currently done by
  EUMETSAT in cooperation with NOAA to establish
  the basis for an Ocean Surface Topography
  Constellation that satisfies the requirements for
  climate monitoring of sea level and sea state.

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Toward Generating Climate Products and Essential
Climate Variables (ECVs)

• EUMETSATs Application Ground Segment including
• Central Facilities in Darmstadt, Germany
• Network of Satellite Application Facilities SAFs
  (located in its Member States)
• continuously generates on an operational basis
  products of climate relevant parameters.

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Toward Generating Climate Products and ECVs

• Adherence to GCOS Climate Monitoring Principles
  is key
• gt the essence is
• calibration,
• characterization,
• continuity,
• consistency and
• sustainability.
• Operational meteorological satellite systems can
  provide what is required
• EUMETSAT future programmes Meteosat Third
  Generation (MTG) and Post-EPS (Post-Metop) do
  appropriate the needs for climate monitoring

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Reprocessing of Meteosat Atmospheric Motion
Vectors (AMVs)Important contribution to
Re-analyses at NWP Centers
gt Substantially improved coverage and impact of
re-processed winds from Meteosat satellites (C.
Desol, ECMWF, 2008) Period corresponds to time
when Meteosat-5 was operational at 0º and
Meteosat-3 supported NOAA because there was only
one GOES satellite.
Example of coverage 19950102
Original Met5
Reprocessed Met3 and Met5
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Reprocessing of Meteosat 1st Generation VIS data
from ArchiveConsistent Calibration using stable
desert target areas gt A pre-requisiste for the
ECV Surface Albedo
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EUMETSATs partnership in International
InitiativesGSICS (Global Space-based
Intercalibration System)

• The Global Space-Based Intercalibration System
  (GSICS) Objective is to create an operational
  system that monitors and evaluates the
  calibration of the global meteorological
  satellite observing system in a coherent and
  systematic manner.
• EUMETSAT is one of the founding members of GSICS
  and very actively pursues the realisation of such
  an operational system.
• GSICS is embedded in the WMO Space Programme and
  within the CGMS (Coordination Group for
  Meteorologcal Satellites)

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Example from GSICS Intercalibrating MSG with
IASI
IR13.4
IR10.8
IR8.7
IR12.0
IR9.7
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IASI is an excellent reference for satellite
inter-calibration
from Hewison and König, 2008, GSICS Quarterly
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EUMETSATs partnership in International
InitiativesR/SSC-CM (Regional Specialised
Satellite Centers on Climate Monitoring)

• EUMETSAT supports and contributes to the
  implementation of the Global Network of
  Regional/Specialised Satellite Centres on Climate
  Monitoring (R/SSC-CM), currently defined under
  the WMO framework.
• The main objective of the R/SSC-CM Network is to
  provide high quality long-term data sets of what
  GCOS has defined as Essential Climate Variables
  using observations from space.
• Main contributions of EUMETSAT to the R/SSC-CM
  are the coordinated activities (climate product
  generation through reprocessing of archived data)
  of its Central Facility and the SAF Network.
• EUMETSAT has also been nominated secretariat of
  the R/SSC-CM Network.

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R/SSC-CM Regional Specialised Satellite Centers
on Climate Monitoringgt the way toward
operational production of ECVs

• The R/SSC-CM Network will be
• Based on activities of existing initiatives (GOS,
  GCOS and GSICS)
• Build upon existing operational infrastructures
• Serve users and other organisations (e.g. WMO
  Regional Climate Centres RCC, National Weather
  Services)

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Summary of EUMETSATs Commitment to Space Based
Climate Monitoring

• A clear mandate in the Convention to contribute
  to Climate Monitoring and detection of Climate
  Changes
• Contribution to the generation and re-processing
  of long term series of products relevant for
  climate monitoring (ECVs)
• Participation in the Implementation of the Global
  Space-based Inter Calibration System (GSICS)
• Coordinates with international partners for the
  implementation of the WMO global network of
  Regional/Specialised Satellite Centres on Climate
  Monitoring (R/SSC-CM)
• Supports to the concept that space based Climate
  Monitoring could only be organised through
  international partnerships CEOS, GEOSS,
• EUMETSAT support the international interactions
  with users and scientists, i.e. IPCC, GCOS,
• EUMETSAT is willing to serve the world-wide
  community with a leading role in Europe on
  Climate Monitoring from space