The weather images of Europe and Africa are mostly taken by the European satellite Meteosat. This satellite is located at a geostationary orbit over the equator, at 0° latitude and an altitude of 36 000 km, where it transmits images in different spectral bands. These images are especially suitable for the diagnosis and analysis of weather conditions.
Images of geostationary weather satellites show the overall weather situation around the world. The infrared images also provide information on the temperatures of the earth and cloud surfaces.
Every temperature range is shown in a certain greyscale. This scale ranges from black to white. Black represents regions of hot temperatures like the Sahara desert in Africa. Clouds for example appear from a dark grey to white, depending on their altitudes and thus their surface temperatures.
- dark grey: fog, stratus
- medium to light grey: altocumulus-, altostratus fields
- white: rain clouds
- white, mostly circular or oval and isolated: thunderstorm
- long, circumflex band of clouds: adverse weather front
- light grey to white band of clouds: cold front
- light grey to white, short but wide, barely structured band of clouds: warm front
This link goes to an image that shows an infrared view of Africa on 31 March 2002, taken by Meteosat. The different cloud structures are clearly visible. Click on the link to the image.
Print the image and classify the cloud structures using the explanation above.
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African climate
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| • | Introduction (http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Eduspace_Weather_EN/SEM1C3KTYRF_0.html) |
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| • | Background (http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Eduspace_Weather_EN/SEMLD3KTYRF_0.html) |
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Exercises
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| • | Introduction (http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Eduspace_Weather_EN/SEM5L3KTYRF_0.html) |
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| • | Exercises using LEOWorks (http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Eduspace_Weather_EN/SEM7Y3KTYRF_0.html) |
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Links
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| • | Meteosat images (http://www.eumetsat.int) |
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| • | Actual weather
animation using
Meteosat (http://oiswww.eumetsat.org/IPPS/html/MSG/IMAGERY/IR108/BW/FULLDISC/) |
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| • | Weather broadcast worldwide (http://weather.edition.cnn.com/weather/intl/forecast.jsp) |
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| • | Climate system (http://www.espere.net/index.html) |
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| • | Seasonal change of the NDVI (http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Eduspace_Weather_EN/SEML04KTYRF_0.html) |
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Eduspace - Software
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| • | LEOWorks 3 (http://esamultimedia.esa.int/multimedia/LEOWorks3.exe) |
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Eduspace - Download
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| • | Africa - Meteosat visible channel (http://esamultimedia.esa.int/img/2013/11/Meteosat_VIS.zip) |
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| • | Africa - Meteosat thermal infrared channel (http://esamultimedia.esa.int/img/2013/11/Meteosat_IR.zip) |
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| • | Africa - Meteosat water vapour channel (http://esamultimedia.esa.int/img/2013/11/Meteosat_WV.zip) |
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