EarthCARE data begin to make an impact
Fielding, Mark ; Janisková, Marta ; Mason, Shannon ; Hogan, Robin ; McLean, William ; Benedetti, Angela ; Forbes, Richard
A rich stream of never-seen-before cloud and aerosol observations has begun flowing through the ECMWF data centre. Back in 2024, on a fittingly cloud-filled Californian May morning, the EarthCARE (Cloud, Aerosol and Radiation Explorer) satellite was launched into space from Vandenberg Space Force Base. Due to its size, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket was used to deliver EarthCARE into a sun-synchronous orbit at an altitude of 400 km. EarthCARE is the 8th European Space Agency (ESA) Earth Explorer mission and a joint venture between ESA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). Equipped with four synergistic instruments - a Doppler radar, a high-spectral-resolution lidar, a multi-spectral imager and a broadband radiometer - EarthCARE provides unprecedented insights into the interactions between clouds, aerosols, precipitation and radiation. These processes play a key role in the Earth's weather and climate, yet they are some of the least understood. As greenhouse gas concentrations continue to rise, and severe weather is projected to become more frequent and intense, high-quality observations are essential for improving our understanding of the atmosphere and improving our climate and numerical weather prediction models.</p>
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