Severe North Atlantic cyclone strikes Ireland and UK

A very deep area of low pressure resulted in a North Atlantic cyclone (named Alexandra) which caused massive ocean surges and brought strong winds to parts of Ireland and the UK.

Met-10/Metop-B, 09 December 2014, 12:00 UTC 

Airmass RGB, with surface pressure and ASCAT winds 

Credit: EUMeTrain

Gale force gusts of more than 129 km/h (80 mph) were recorded at Tiree in Scotland and ocean waves over 15 m (50 ft) high were recorded by the K5 buoy off the north west coast of Scotland (59.10N, 11.40W)

The strong winds caused transport chaos and power outtages across the Northern parts of the UK.

The gales and ocean surges were caused by rapid or explosive cyclogenesis — an intense low pressure system with a central pressure that falls 24 hPa in a 24-hour period, referred to colloquially as a 'weather bomb'.

In EUMETSAT weather blog, ITV weather forecaster Liam Dutton explained how the jet stream caused the cyclogenesis.

The Airmass RGB image from 9 December 12:00 UTC (left side) shows the system had a central pressure of less than 950 hPa.

Met-10, 10 December 2014, 06:00 UTC.

Airmass RGB with 10 m ECMWF model winds 

Credit: EUMeTrain

The ASCAT instrument on Metop measured 60 knots (111 km/h), but the real winds were probably higher as ASCAT winds saturate at around 60 knots (higher winds than 60 knots do not produce a higher ASCAT signal).

Also striking in this image are the strong winds over the Western Mediterranean caused by Mistral winds (two storms caught in one image).

The Airmass RGB image from 10 December 06:00 UTC (right side) shows the very large fetch zone of the storm, which is ideal (conditions) for forming high (monster) waves and very large ocean surge.

ESA Secures New Generation MetOp-SG Weather Satellites

Contracts were signed today to build three pairs of MetOp Second Generation satellites, ensuring the continuity of essential information for global weather forecasting and climate monitoring for decades to come.

MetOp-SG is a cooperative undertaking between ESA and Eumetsat, the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites.

These new satellites offer enhanced continuity of the current MetOp series, today’s main source of global weather data.

Comprising six satellites in total, the mission is based on a pair of satellites that carry different packages to deliver complementary meteorological information.

The A series of satellites will be equipped with atmospheric sounders as well as optical and infrared imagers, while the B series focuses on microwave sensors.

Following the first documents that were signed at the Berlin Air Show earlier this year, the full contracts to build the six MetOp-SG satellites were signed today by ESA and Airbus Defence and Space.

The ceremony at ESA headquarters in Paris, France, was attended by Geneviève Fioraso, the French Minister for Higher Education and Research, and the Director-General of Eumetsat, Alain Ratier.

Airbus Defence and Space France now takes up the role as prime contractor for the A satellites and Airbus Defence and Space Germany for the B series.

Although the different satellites will be developed and built in Toulouse, France and Friedrichshafen, Germany, respectively, a large industrial consortium of many European companies will be involved under the leadership of Airbus Defence and Space.

ESA: EUMETSAT's Metop-B Lift-off - YouTube

ESA's Metop-B lifts-off the launch pad at 18:28 CEST from Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan.

Europe will receive nearly infallible weather data and save almost $7 billion in weather-related damage annually thanks to this trio of bus-sized spacecraft. This is what the atmosphere will look like in HD.

The MetOp-B satellite, which launched on Monday (local time), is part of a $4 billion joint venture between the European Space Agency and the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT).

The program is also coordinating with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) so that MetOp and similar NOAA satellites can maximise their orbital coverage.

The three MetOp satellites are nearly identical. They weigh slightly more than 4000kg and measure 17.6m × 6.5m × 5.2m with their solar panels fully extended, making them the second largest Earth-observation satellite produced by the Europeans.

They will each travel a 820km polar low Earth orbital trajectory during each of their five-year operations.

The individual MetOp satellites are not in orbit together but are instead being launched in five-year increments.

MetOp-A launched back in 2006, Met-Op-B launched on Monday from Baikonur, Kazakhstan, and MetOp-C is expected to launch some time between 2016 and 2018.

Each MetOp is packed with sensors from Europe, the US, Canada and France that are designed to monitor everything from atmospheric humidity to wind speeds over the ocean to levels of ozone and solar activity.

It shares eight instruments with its partner NOAA satellites, including microwave sounding units, very high-resolution radiometers, a search and rescue processor/repeater and a high-resolution infrared radiation sensor.

It also carries an Advanced Scatterometer, the Global Ozone Monitoring Experiment (GOME), and the Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer (IASI), the most accurate infrared sounding interferometer currently in orbit.

It can scan the atmosphere and measure the temperature and humidity to within 1C and relative 10 per cent respectively for every horizontal kilometre of the air column.

“These crucial instruments will be used for weather forecasting and to help us all gain a better understanding of the Earth’s systems,” said Gene Martin, POES Project instrument manager.

EUMETSAT Metop-A Image: Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans

On the 7th anniversary of the day Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, Hurricane Isaac hits the city (right-hand image). 

Unlike Katrina, which was a devastating Category 5 hurricane, Isaac is a Category 1 hurricane with wind speeds of around 80mph (128 km/h).

Left-hand image show Isaac approaching on 28 Aug. 0

Composite from 28/08/12 15:46 and 29/08/12 03:01 UTC Archive of Images

Credit the EUMETSAT Site

EUMETSAT MSG-3, Europe’s latest weather satellite, delivers first image

The Spinning Enhanced Visible and Infrared Imager (SEVIRI) instrument on MSG-3 captured its first image of the Earth.

This demonstrates that Europe’s latest geostationary weather satellite, launched on 5 July, is performing well and is on its way to taking over operational service after six months of commissioning.

The European Space Agency (ESA) was responsible for the initial operations after launch (the so-called launch and early orbit phase) of MSG-3 and handed over the satellite to EUMETSAT on 16 July.

The first image is a joint achievement by ESA, EUMETSAT, and the European space industry.

For its mandatory programmes, EUMETSAT relies on ESA for the development of new satellites and the procurement of recurrent satellites like MSG-3.

This cooperation model has made Europe a world leader in satellite meteorology by making best use of the respective expertise of the two agencies.

ESA Meteosat Second Generation: Watch MSG-3 launch on 5th July 2012

MSG-3 is planned for launch in July 2012 from Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana. MSG-3 is the third in a planned series of four satellites operated by Eumetsat, the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites.

The satellites return highly detailed imagery of Europe, the North Atlantic and Africa every 15 minutes for use by meteorologists and national weather forecasters.

Along with keeping track of cloud development and temperature to improve weather forecasting accuracy, MSG-3 has two secondary objectives in the areas of radiation and rescue.

Shortly after liftoff from Kourou, French Guiana, MSG-3 will be injected into geostationary orbit at an altitude of 36 000 km over the equator.

Credits: ESA/CNES/Arianespace/Optique Video du CSG-J.M.Guillon

ESA MetOp-B: Europe's next weather satellite gears up for launch

MetOp-B being readied for testing after arriving at the launch facilities at Baikonur. Credits: ESA.

Following the safe arrival of the MetOp-B weather satellite in Kazakhstan, the sophisticated craft is now being carefully assembled and tested before launch on 23 May.

MetOp-B will provide essential data for weather forecasting and climate monitoring.

Developed as a joint undertaking between ESA and Eumetsat, the MetOp programme comprises a series of three identical satellites for continuous observations until 2020.

The first in the series, MetOp-A, was launched in 2006 and marked a new era in operational meteorology - it was Europe's first weather satellite to orbit Earth from pole to pole.

It is now time to launch the second in the series: MetOp-B.

The satellites carry a host of sensitive instruments to provide key information on a wide range of variables such as temperature and humidity, wind speed and direction over oceans, ozone and other atmospheric gases for numerical weather prediction and climate monitoring.

With MetOp-A still in service, the two satellites will orbit in tandem, increasing the wealth of data even further.

MetOp-B arrived at the Baikonur Cosmodrome on 6 March after being transported from Toulouse, France on an Antonov cargo aircraft.

Two separate flights carried the satellite's solar array and the supporting equipment that is being used to prepare the satellite for launch.

MetOp-B will be launched on a Soyuz rocket with a Fregat upper stage.

Now that the satellite and support equipment has been unpacked and inspected to make sure that it wasn't damaged in transit, it will spend the next weeks being thoroughly tested before being encapsulated in the rocket fairing.

"We are extremely pleased to see MetOp-B arrive safely at the launch facilities," said Luciano Di Napoli, ESA's project manager.

"The next weeks are extremely important to make sure this advanced satellite is in perfect condition for launch."

The MetOp satellites are built by a European consortium led by EADS Astrium.

The MetOp programme is Europe's contribution to a cooperative venture with the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The satellites are designed to work in conjunction with the NOAA satellite system, flying in complementary orbits to offer maximum coverage.

ESA EUMETSAT Image: Iceland Volcanic Ash

The volcanic ash cloud from Iceland closed down airports in Spain, the Canary Islands and parts of Morocco, and looks set to spread further to southwestern France

However, an Icelandic expert says the volcano has been stable in recent days, and the ash disrupting flights in Europe was likely emitted last week and could continue causing chaos for a while to come.

"The problem with the disruption in the flights is that the ash we see over Europe, is not from today or yesterday. It is much older," said Bjoern Oddsson of the Institute of Earth Sciences at the Iceland University.

"Ash can travel around in the atmosphere due to winds, and we really don't know when it will settle down. So even if the volcano stops, we can look at this problem for a couple of weeks after," he said

Picture: AFP / EUMETSAT

ESA Eumetsat: Meteosat not next generation weather system, yet

The ruling council of Europe’s Eumetsat meteorological satellite organisation failed to approve a $4.4 billion next-generation weather-satellite system when two of its 26 members withheld their votes, Eumetsat officials said.

With unanimity required to move the Meteosat Third Generation (MTG) program forward, the project will essentially stand still until these two nations, which Eumetsat declined to identify, give their written endorsement for the approval process to restart.

For reasons related to the work assigned to their respective industries, Germany and Spain raised questions about the MTG project, European government and industry officials said. One industry official said Portugal also has objections, but it was unclear whether Portugal or Spain had withheld its vote.

Eumetsat Director of Administration Angiolo Rolli said in an interview that the two nations that withheld their votes had nonetheless expressed support for MTG and said they would deliver a formal opinion on it by June 30.

MTG is a six-satellite system designed to provide some 20 years of meteorological data starting in 2016 or 2017. It is budgeted at about 3.3 billion euros ($4.4 billion), with Eumetsat paying 75 percent of the cost and the 18-nation European Space Agency (ESA) funding the remaining share.

Read the full article in Space News, here

ESA's EUMETSAT - European next generation weather satellites

The choice of an industrial team to build the next generation of weather satellites - or Meteosats - for Europe has been delayed by three months.

The Meteosat Third Generation (MTG) programme will cost about 3.4bn euros in total, and should guarantee space-borne weather data until at least 2040.

Thales Alenia Space of France and EADS Astrium of Germany are in competition to lead the satellites' development.

The European Space Agency said it still needed more information from the teams.

"Both are good but both have weaknesses, and we want to give both constructors the opportunity to improve," explained Volker Liebig, the agency's director of Earth observation.

"We will ask them to deliver by the end of January their new reports, in time for our Industrial Policy Committee in March," he told BBC News.

The selection of the winning team had been expected this week. The Paris-based organisation will oversee the research and development phase of the MTG project.

This will include two prototype Meteosats: an imaging spacecraft and a sounding spacecraft (one which can return information about different layers in the atmosphere).

Another pan-European agency, Eumetsat, will operate these platforms once they are launched and pay for their follow-ups. It is envisaged that the MTG programme will comprise six satellites in all, launched at intervals of a few years.

The Meteosat series stretches back to 1977. Currently, two platforms - Meteosat-8 and Meteosat-9 - provide the space data on which daily weather forecasts for Europe depend.

Esa member-states committed just under a billion euros to the MTG programme at a ministerial meeting last year. The details of the Eumetsat contribution, which will amount to more than 2.4bn euros, are expected to be finalised by its member states in mid-2010.

Eumetsat is holding a special council meeting in March to discuss MTG, and the intention is to nominate the industrial team for the space segment before that gathering.