ESA’s EarthCARE satellite was launched on 29 May 2024. It has already returned images from its cloud profiling radar and from its broadband radiometer. Now, it has also delivered the first images from its multispectral imager, showcasing various types of clouds and cloud temperatures worldwide. This instrument is set to add valuable context to the data from EarthCARE’s other instruments.
The multispectral imager comprises two cameras: one imaging in the visible, near-infrared and shortwave-infrared (VIS-NIR-SWIR) parts of the of the electromagnetic spectrum and one in the thermal-infrared (TIR). Images captured with these different spectral bands will allow scientists to differentiate between various cloud types, aerosols and Earth’s surface.
This image shows a thunderstorm north of Naples in Italy on 17 July from the instrument’s thermal-infrared band. The top of this storm cloud was about –50°C and that the land below was about 30°C. The thermal-infrared part also picks out the surrounding lower clouds, particularly over the Adriatic Sea, much better than the true-colour image linked here.
Read full story: EarthCARE’s multispectral imager puts clouds into context