MetOp Second Generation tracks wildfire smoke over Southern Europe

MetOp Second Generation (MetOp-SG) was launched in August 2025. Two of its instruments have already returned first data. Now it's the turn of the Multiviewing multichannel multipolarisation imager – 3MI for short. This hi-tech instrument, built by Leonardo, provides data on aerosols in our atmosphere.

The first images captured by 3MI are a view over Northern Africa, Italy and the eastern Mediterranean, captured between 10:59 and 11:03 CEST on 28 August 2025. The images confirm that the instrument is performing well as it delivers its preliminary data streams.

Here we see more detail from those first images. On the left we see a zoomed-in view showing Italy and Greece, with initial processing and corrections. The polarised right-hand image clearly shows smoke from fires over Southern Europe, which is far less visible in the natural light image on the left.

Wildfires have been deadly across the summer of 2025, intensified by record-breaking heatwaves and scorching temperatures in parts of Southern Europe. This type of data will be vital for detecting and tracking wildfires, as well as informing air quality assessments and public health responses across Europe and beyond.

3MI also captured an image of a cloud bow over Chile and Peru on the same day.