Satellite meteorology

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Under Satellite Meteorology means the inclusion of weather satellites and applications installed on these measuring instruments in the meteorological observation and research.

Area of ​​responsibility

An important problem in meteorology is that its questions cannot generally be studied in a laboratory experiment under ideal conditions. Global relationships can only be recorded with satellites . The upper “floors” of the atmosphere can only be accessed by satellite measurements, since measurements with balloons, for example, only extend up to approx. 60 km. In addition, the measuring network of meteorological quantities is not equally dense everywhere on earth, which is especially true for the southern hemisphere . The monitoring network is relatively thin on the seas.

There are often various measuring instruments on the respective satellites . These instruments usually measure different areas of the electromagnetic spectrum ( called channels ) in order to make as many parameters as possible accessible for an investigation.

With the help of satellite meteorology, data can be collected that serve as input for weather forecast models ( cloud cover , precipitation ) or that help to expand our knowledge of chemical transport processes in the atmosphere (transport of suspended matter into the stratosphere ) and provide information about the composition of the Give atmosphere ( pollution , life cycles of chemical substances such as ozone ).

The areas of application of satellite meteorology are enormous. Satellite data can help to reduce energy consumption by e.g. B. provides energy operators with models fed by satellite data in order to estimate where, for example, high cloud cover occurs and thus an increased energy requirement can be expected. Satellite measurements will also be used for disaster management ( floods , strong winds ).

Outside of the actual purpose, weather satellites are also used in non-meteorological areas. Examples are: oceanography , land surface analysis , fire detection , volcanology , hydrology and water management .

Satellites and institutions

Well-known European satellites that aim to answer meteorological questions are Meteosat , MetOp , Envisat and ERS .

Important organizations related to satellite meteorology are: EUMETSAT , DLR , ESA , NOAA and NASA .

See also

Web links