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ATSR
Applications |
The
Along-Track Scanning Radiometer (ATSR), incorporating the
innovative dual-angle view concept, has been producing high-quality global
sea-surface temporature (SST) products to 1.0 Kelvin since ERS-1 was
launched in 1991. The ATSR instruments on ERS-1/2 and Envisat have
provided SST data of unprecedented accuracy and consistency, meeting the
demanding requirements of climate research. ATSR data are also used for
monitoring atmospheric aerosol and over land for fire detection. The
difference in ERS-2 and Envisat overpass times of 30 minutes is providing
opportunities for investigating diurnal variations in land surface
temperature (LST) and soil moisture, important parameters for predicting
vegetation development.
"Simultaneous
operation of ERS-2 and Envisat provides excellent and important
opportunities to cross-calibrate and cross-validate the data from the two
sensors. This is particularly important for the climate record, where
inter-sensor calibration helps guarantee the quality of the data."
Professor David Llewellyn-Jones, University of Leicester.
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| ATSR image of
the Gulf Stream off the US coast. |
ATSR image of the Gulf Stream off the US coast.
Warmer Gulf Stream waters are red, with colder waters to the north shown
in blue and green. The importance of monitoring the Gulf Stream is
universally recognised in the context of climate change. Sea Surface
Temperature
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RA
Applications |
El
NiņoEl Niņo is a phenomenon of the ocean-atmosphere system in
the tropical Pacific affecting the weather around the globe. It is
characterised by changes in sea level and sea surface temperature, which
are able to be monitored by the combined use of the RA and ATSR.
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|
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| The El Niņo phenomenon.
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"ERS-2 has
given us more than we ever dreamed of. From space we can now observe the
chemical impact of human activities in the atmosphere, such as biomass
burning from land clearing in the tropics, the photo-chemical smog from
urban centers, the NO2 emissions from ship traffic, surface
ozone depletion at polar sunrise, and even the "weekend effect" when
people pollute less than on weekdays. GOME has been a pioneer instrument.
Such instruments are of great value for international negotiations on air
quality and climate."
Professor Paul Crutzen, Nobel Prize
Winner.
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Sea Surface Temperature
(SST) |
SST is a
relatively stable geophysical parameter, which is closely related to the
available heat content of the earth's climate system and is a useful
indicator of climate change. However, the rates of change in global mean
SST that can be attributed to genuine climate change as opposed to natural
variability are expected to be small; rates of changes are typically
measured in tenths of a degree per decade. The ATSR sensor was designed
for this and has achieved the required accuracy.
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Keywords: ESA European
Space Agency - Agence spatiale europeenne,
observation de la terre, earth observation,
satellite remote sensing,
teledetection, geophysique, altimetrie, radar,
chimique atmospherique, geophysics, altimetry, radar,
atmospheric chemistry
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