Andrew Yee
February 2nd 06, 04:02 PM
ESA News
http://www.esa.int
1 February 2006
First images from GERB
The Geostationary Earth Radiation Budget (GERB) onboard the MSG-2
satellite captured its first images on 1 February 2006. These twin images
measure our planet's emitted thermal and reflected or scattered solar
energy.
This achievement comes just a week after the first image was acquired by
MSG-2's main Spinning Enhanced Visible and Infra-red Imager (SEVIRI)
sensor, designed for operational meteorology. Launched on 21 December
2005, MSG-2 was designed and procured by ESA on behalf of EUMETSAT,
European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites.
GERB is a novel, small instrument flying as a science 'passenger' on the
MSG series. The initial GERB already in orbit has made the first ever
geostationary measurements of the Earth's energy balance.
This is the net balance between incoming radiation from the Sun, and
outgoing radiation from the Earth, known as the 'Earth Radiation Budget'
-- which is the energy source for the planet's atmospheric system and the
ultimate driver of weather phenomena and climate.
What GERB does is continuously measure the sunlight reflected or scattered
back from the Earth plus the heat radiation radiating from it. First it
measures the total radiation, next a filter is passed in front of its
measuring array so it measures only the short wavelength radiation. A
figure for long wavelength radiation can simply be derived by subtracting
the short wavelength value from the total.
While the incoming energy of the Earth's Radiation Budget stays broadly
consistent within seasonal norms, the outgoing energy can vary
considerably over a period of hours or days because of what is termed
'radiative forcing', mainly from changes in concentrations of clouds,
aerosols or water vapour. GERB, like SEVIRI, performs a new measurement
every 15 minutes, working on a continuous basis.
"The GERB sensor on the first MSG has already been a great success, and
this news that No. 2 in the series is now operating is splendid news for
the UK and international climate research communities," said Professor
John Harries of Imperial College, GERB Principal Investigator.
"Four GERB instruments in all will fly on the MSG satellite series,
spanning over a decade of new, precise observations that are telling us a
great deal about the processes of importance to climate. GERB is a great
success for our team of British and European scientists and engineers."
About MSG
Meteosat Second Generation (MSG) is a joint project between ESA and the
European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites
(EUMETSAT) and follows up the success of the first generation Meteosat
weather satellite series with a larger design boasting higher performance.
The first in a planned series of MSG satellites was launched in 2002,
entering into service with EUMETSAT in early 2004 and now renamed
Meteosat-8. The second MSG launched on December 2005. Once commissioning
is complete it will become operational as Meteosat-9, with Meteosat-8
serving as a 'hot back-up' to ensure continuity of service.
About GERB
Responding to an Announcement of Opportunity by ESA, lead funding for the
original GERB instrument came from the UK Natural Environment Research
Council (NERC). The instrument was developed by a European consortium
headed by Imperial College, London, where the Principal Investigator (PI)
is Prof. John Harries.
The UK Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (RAL) has held the Project Manager
role, as well as being the technical authority. Major technical and
financial contributions have come from Belgium (Royal Meteorological
Institute of Belgium - RMIB, Advanced Mechanical and Optical Systems -
AMOS) and Italy (Officine Galileo). The University of Leicester provided
the detector arrays that ultimately sense the radiation from the Earth.
Subsequent GERB instruments are being funded by MSG operator EUMETSAT, the
European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites,
by contracts to the same consortium members and structure as for the first
instrument.
RAL is responsible for processing, archiving and distribution of GERB
data, with RMIB performing additional processing. Imperial College in
London is performing instrument calibration as well as scientific
leadership of the consortium.
Related news
* MSG-2 first images
http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/MSG/SEM1G4NZCIE_0.html
* Europe's newest Meteosat launches on Solstice Night
http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/MSG/SEMFKC8A9HE_0.html
* MSG-2 will advance long-term monitoring of Earth's energy balance
http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/MSG/SEMHF48A9HE_0.html
In depth
* Meteosat Second Generation
http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/MSG/index.html
* MSG-2 launch diary
http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/MSG/SEM9NV5DIAE_0.html
Related links
* Imperial College GERB homepage
http://www.imperial.ac.uk/spat/research/atmos_missions/gerb
* Prof. John Harries homepage
http://www.sp.ph.ic.ac.uk/%7Ejeh/
* RAL GERB homepage
http://www.ssd.rl.ac.uk/gerb/default.HTM
* RMIB GERB homepage
http://gerb.oma.be/
* Officine Galileo
http://www.galileovacuum.com/001.html
* University of Leicester GERB homepage
http://www.src.le.ac.uk/projects/gerb/
* EUMETSAT's MSG-2 website
http://www.eumetsat.int/msg2/
* EUMETSAT
http://www.eumetsat.int
IMAGE CAPTIONS:
[Image 1:
http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/MSG/SEMMDKNZCIE_1.html]
Some of the first GERB images, taken at 12:20pm on 1 February 2006 to show
the Earth¹s disk in full sunlight. The TOTAL¹ channel on the left
measures both longwave and shortwave radiation, while the SHORTWAVE¹
channel on the right filters out the longer thermal wavelengths. The
emitted thermal and reflected solar energy are determined from these
measurements during processing.
Credits: EUMETSAT 2006
[Image 2:
http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/MSG/SEMMDKNZCIE_1.html#subhead1]
A day of GERB observations
Based on GERB data, this sped-up animation shows the total sunlight and
heat reflected, scattered or emitted back from the Earth during the
diurnal cycle of 8 May 2003. The animation was produced by the RMIB. For
more information and a more detailed version see
http://gerb.oma.be/gerb/Animations/anim.html.
Credits: RMIB
[Image 3:
http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/MSG/SEMMDKNZCIE_1.html#subhead3]
MSG-2 being prepared for launch
MSG-2 and its payload adapter (ACU) moved onto the CCU-2 (payload
transport container).
Credits: ESA/MSG Team
http://www.esa.int
1 February 2006
First images from GERB
The Geostationary Earth Radiation Budget (GERB) onboard the MSG-2
satellite captured its first images on 1 February 2006. These twin images
measure our planet's emitted thermal and reflected or scattered solar
energy.
This achievement comes just a week after the first image was acquired by
MSG-2's main Spinning Enhanced Visible and Infra-red Imager (SEVIRI)
sensor, designed for operational meteorology. Launched on 21 December
2005, MSG-2 was designed and procured by ESA on behalf of EUMETSAT,
European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites.
GERB is a novel, small instrument flying as a science 'passenger' on the
MSG series. The initial GERB already in orbit has made the first ever
geostationary measurements of the Earth's energy balance.
This is the net balance between incoming radiation from the Sun, and
outgoing radiation from the Earth, known as the 'Earth Radiation Budget'
-- which is the energy source for the planet's atmospheric system and the
ultimate driver of weather phenomena and climate.
What GERB does is continuously measure the sunlight reflected or scattered
back from the Earth plus the heat radiation radiating from it. First it
measures the total radiation, next a filter is passed in front of its
measuring array so it measures only the short wavelength radiation. A
figure for long wavelength radiation can simply be derived by subtracting
the short wavelength value from the total.
While the incoming energy of the Earth's Radiation Budget stays broadly
consistent within seasonal norms, the outgoing energy can vary
considerably over a period of hours or days because of what is termed
'radiative forcing', mainly from changes in concentrations of clouds,
aerosols or water vapour. GERB, like SEVIRI, performs a new measurement
every 15 minutes, working on a continuous basis.
"The GERB sensor on the first MSG has already been a great success, and
this news that No. 2 in the series is now operating is splendid news for
the UK and international climate research communities," said Professor
John Harries of Imperial College, GERB Principal Investigator.
"Four GERB instruments in all will fly on the MSG satellite series,
spanning over a decade of new, precise observations that are telling us a
great deal about the processes of importance to climate. GERB is a great
success for our team of British and European scientists and engineers."
About MSG
Meteosat Second Generation (MSG) is a joint project between ESA and the
European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites
(EUMETSAT) and follows up the success of the first generation Meteosat
weather satellite series with a larger design boasting higher performance.
The first in a planned series of MSG satellites was launched in 2002,
entering into service with EUMETSAT in early 2004 and now renamed
Meteosat-8. The second MSG launched on December 2005. Once commissioning
is complete it will become operational as Meteosat-9, with Meteosat-8
serving as a 'hot back-up' to ensure continuity of service.
About GERB
Responding to an Announcement of Opportunity by ESA, lead funding for the
original GERB instrument came from the UK Natural Environment Research
Council (NERC). The instrument was developed by a European consortium
headed by Imperial College, London, where the Principal Investigator (PI)
is Prof. John Harries.
The UK Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (RAL) has held the Project Manager
role, as well as being the technical authority. Major technical and
financial contributions have come from Belgium (Royal Meteorological
Institute of Belgium - RMIB, Advanced Mechanical and Optical Systems -
AMOS) and Italy (Officine Galileo). The University of Leicester provided
the detector arrays that ultimately sense the radiation from the Earth.
Subsequent GERB instruments are being funded by MSG operator EUMETSAT, the
European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites,
by contracts to the same consortium members and structure as for the first
instrument.
RAL is responsible for processing, archiving and distribution of GERB
data, with RMIB performing additional processing. Imperial College in
London is performing instrument calibration as well as scientific
leadership of the consortium.
Related news
* MSG-2 first images
http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/MSG/SEM1G4NZCIE_0.html
* Europe's newest Meteosat launches on Solstice Night
http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/MSG/SEMFKC8A9HE_0.html
* MSG-2 will advance long-term monitoring of Earth's energy balance
http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/MSG/SEMHF48A9HE_0.html
In depth
* Meteosat Second Generation
http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/MSG/index.html
* MSG-2 launch diary
http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/MSG/SEM9NV5DIAE_0.html
Related links
* Imperial College GERB homepage
http://www.imperial.ac.uk/spat/research/atmos_missions/gerb
* Prof. John Harries homepage
http://www.sp.ph.ic.ac.uk/%7Ejeh/
* RAL GERB homepage
http://www.ssd.rl.ac.uk/gerb/default.HTM
* RMIB GERB homepage
http://gerb.oma.be/
* Officine Galileo
http://www.galileovacuum.com/001.html
* University of Leicester GERB homepage
http://www.src.le.ac.uk/projects/gerb/
* EUMETSAT's MSG-2 website
http://www.eumetsat.int/msg2/
* EUMETSAT
http://www.eumetsat.int
IMAGE CAPTIONS:
[Image 1:
http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/MSG/SEMMDKNZCIE_1.html]
Some of the first GERB images, taken at 12:20pm on 1 February 2006 to show
the Earth¹s disk in full sunlight. The TOTAL¹ channel on the left
measures both longwave and shortwave radiation, while the SHORTWAVE¹
channel on the right filters out the longer thermal wavelengths. The
emitted thermal and reflected solar energy are determined from these
measurements during processing.
Credits: EUMETSAT 2006
[Image 2:
http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/MSG/SEMMDKNZCIE_1.html#subhead1]
A day of GERB observations
Based on GERB data, this sped-up animation shows the total sunlight and
heat reflected, scattered or emitted back from the Earth during the
diurnal cycle of 8 May 2003. The animation was produced by the RMIB. For
more information and a more detailed version see
http://gerb.oma.be/gerb/Animations/anim.html.
Credits: RMIB
[Image 3:
http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/MSG/SEMMDKNZCIE_1.html#subhead3]
MSG-2 being prepared for launch
MSG-2 and its payload adapter (ACU) moved onto the CCU-2 (payload
transport container).
Credits: ESA/MSG Team