This Paper provides an overview on the first results of the Metop-C satellite, third and last part of the series of three Metop-satellites of the EUMETSAT Polar System (EPS). EPS is the European contribution to the Polar Meteorological Satellite Observing System. It forms a part of the Initial Joint Polar System (IJPS), formed with NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration). The Metop-C satellite, launched on the 7 November 2018 from the Guyana Space Centre in Kourou, and is finalizing its commissioning activities. The Metop satellites were developed in co-operation with the European Space Agency (ESA). Seven meteorological instruments (among 10) are embarked on Metop-C satellites (eight on Metop-A and –B where the HIRS/4 instrument was embarked as well). These are the IASI (Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer), developed by CNES in co-operation with EUMETSAT, the AVHRR (Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer) and AMSU-A (Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit-A) instruments, provided by NOAA, the Microwave Humidity Sounder (MHS), developed by EUMETSAT and the GRAS (GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) Receiver for Atmospheric Sounding) instrument, the GOME-2 (Global Ozone Monitoring .-2) instrument and ASCAT (Advanced Scatterometer), developed by ESA as part of the space segment. Metop instrument data – in particular the sounding instruments - provide an essential contribution to global operational Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP). Climate monitoring and atmospheric composition monitoring and ocean and cryosphere observations are further application areas supported by Metop instrument data. Results from the commissioning phase and first application impacts will be presented. After its successful commissioning, there will be three Metop-satellites in orbit for about three years.
The Multi-Viewing -Channel -Polarisation Imager (3MI), planned to fly on the Metop-SGA satellites as part of the EUMETSAT Polar System - Second Generation (EPS-SG) programme in the timeframe beyond 2020, is a radiometer dedicated to aerosol and cloud characterisation for climate monitoring, atmospheric composition, air quality and numerical weather prediction. The purpose of the 3MI is to provide multi-spectral (12 channels between 410 nm and 2130 nm), multi-polarisation (-60°, 0°, and +60°), and multi-angular (10 to 14 views) images of the Earth top of atmosphere outgoing radiance.
The 3MI concept is based on the PARASOL mission heritage. This heritage allows adapting techniques developed for PARASOL e.g. for the vicarious calibration methods. As PARASOL, 3MI does not have an onboard calibration facility and its radiometric and geometric performances will rely on vicarious calibration. However the monitoring of the SWIR (short wave infrared) channels will be the new challenge for the 3MI calibration as this spectral range was not present on PARASOL. Because the vicarious methods may have less accurate performance for absorption bands (763 nm, 910 nm, and more specifically the SWIR 1370 nm), the access to a moon observation during commissioning would be very beneficial, in addition to the characterization of many other radiometric aspects. The Metop-SGA satellite will also allow simultaneous temporal and geometrical acquisitions between the payload instruments. This synergy will be beneficial to support 3MI with cross-calibration (radiometric, spectral, and geometric). Indeed the Visible-Infrared Imager (METimage) and the UV-VIS-NIR-SWIR Sounder (Sentinel-5), the two other optical instruments covering the similar spectral regions will be both equipped with on-board calibration and provide valuable measurements for cross-calibration with 3MI.
The 3MI instrument is one of the missions of the EPS-SG program to be launched in 2021. This polarimetric mission is a heritage of the POLDER mission, with improved capabilities and now placed in a fully operational long- term framework. The spectral range was extended from the visible-near-infrared (410 to 910nm) to the shortwave- infrared domain (up to 2200nm). The spatial resolution (4km at nadir) and the swath (2200×2200km2) were also improved compared to previous POLDER instruments. The 3MI concept of the multi-viewing, multi-spectral and multi- polarized Imaging will be described, especially how these 3 information are acquired together with one instrumental concept that remains simple. The performance necessary to meet the mission requirements will be initially reached before launch through a fully dedicated ground campaign and maintained once in orbit through an extensive vicarious calibration strategy. The level 1 products available to the users will be geolocated Stokes vectors on the native geometry (Level 1B) and geoprojected multi-directional and spectral Stokes vectors (Level 1C). Level-2 products will provide geophysical and microphysical parameters for aerosol and clouds. The presentation will detail the 3MI concept, overview the mission characteristics, and browse the foreseen ground campaign and in-flight strategy necessary to reach the performance, as well as the products available to the users.
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