Meteosat Series - European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites
Original (non-English) name
Acronym
Meteosat Series - EUMETSAT
Citation
Abstract
Geostationary satellites providing imagery for the early detection of fast-developing severe weather, weather forecasting and climate monitoring. Meteosat satellites have been providing crucial data for weather forecasting since 1977.
EUMETSAT currently operates the Meteosat -9, -10 and -11 in geostationary orbit (36,000km) over Europe and Africa, and Meteosat-8 over the Indian Ocean.
The Meteosat satellites are operated as a two-satellite system providing detailed full disc imagery over Europe and Africa every 15 minutes and rapid scan imagery over Europe, every five minutes.
Meteosat imagery is crucial for nowcasting, which is about detecting rapidly developing high impact weather and predicting its evolution a few hours ahead, in support of the safety of life and property.
Observations are also used for weather forecasting (as input to numerical weather prediction models), and for climate monitoring.