The Aeolus mission will improve weather forecasts • Earth.com

The Aeolus mission will improve weather forecasts

07-13-2018


The Aeolus mission will improve weather forecasts Today’s Video of the Day from the European Space Agency is a special edition of the Earth from Space series that describes the mission of Aeolus, a newly-developed wind satellite that will be launched from French Guiana next month.

The Aeolus mission will be the first to collect wind data on a global scale. This data will be used to improve the accuracy of weather forecasts and create better climate models.

Aeolus produces a powerful laser beam that bounces off air particles in the atmosphere. The changing frequencies of the light that is reflected back to the spacecraft are used to calculate wind speeds at different altitudes. A number of tools are available for visualising, processing and analysing Aeolus data. The Aeolus mission provides global observations of wind profiles from space to improve the quality of weather forecasts, and to advance our understanding of atmospheric dynamics and climate processes.

The Aeolus mission provides global observations of wind profiles from space to improve the quality of weather forecasts, and to advance our understanding of atmospheric dynamics and climate processes. ESA’s Earth Explorer, Aeolus, was launched into space on 22 August 2018. The Aeolus winds will be used to evaluate climate models, and for the improvement of modelling of the global atmospheric transport and cycling of energy, water, aerosols and chemicals. The Atmospheric Laser Doppler Instrument (ALADIN) is a Direct Detection Doppler Lidar operating in the ultra-violet spectral region (355 nm). 



By Chrissy Sexton, Earth.com Staff Writer

Video Credit: European Space Agency

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