Weather, climate, ozone and UV radiation

The Copernicus Sentinel-5 mission addresses the need for accurate atmospheric composition data, specifically related to

• air pollution
• UV radiation
• ozone
• climate change

This information, delivered daily, is used in forecasts and health warnings, as well as for scientific research and to form the basis of policy decisions, for the benefit of society.

Poor air quality causes more than four million premature deaths annually and exposure to excessive UV radiation is a primary cause of skin cancer. The effects of climate change, including more frequent heatwaves, floods and storms, pose both direct and indirect risks to human lives, property, biodiversity and livelihoods. Data from the Sentinel-5 mission will improve our understanding of each of these factors.

By providing data once a day, covering the whole globe, Sentinel-5’s global observations deliver a wide range of atmospheric measurements that complement data from the Sentinel-4 mission.

The daily observations are crucial for providing health alert warnings for UV radiation and for poor air quality.

The data also support compliance with environmental regulations and form a scientific basis for strategies to reduce emissions.

Sentinel-5 will extend the series of European satellite sensors that covers more than 30 years of atmospheric composition observations. These sensors include:

• GOME on board ERS-2,
• Sciamachy on board Envisat
• GOME-2 on board MetOp
• OMI on board Aura
• Tropomi on board the Sentinel-5 Precursor mission

Long-term atmospheric composition data sets provided by this series of sensors are crucial for monitoring climate, ozone layer recovery and air pollution trends.