Meteosat Third Generation the Case for Preparing National Users Contents
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METEOSAT THIRD GENERATION THE CASE FOR PREPARING NATIONAL USERS CONTENTS A word from the Director-General of EUMETSAT �������������������������������������������������������1 Meteosat Third Generation: a great leap ahead ����������������������������������������������������������4 Tackling major weather-related economic risks ���������������������������������������������������������5 Application scenarios for MTG data ����������������������������������������������������������������������������7 Getting ready – a national perspective ���������������������������������������������������������������������13 Data access and processing �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������13 Technical annex��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������14 The MTG mission ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 14 Transitioning from MSG to MTG ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 16 Data and products from MTG services ������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 17 Evolution of data access and dissemination �������������������������������������������������������������������� 18 Getting ready for MTG: user familiarisation data ������������������������������������������������������������ 21 How EUMETSAT can help ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 22 Sources ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������23 A WORD FROM THE DIRECTOR-GENERAL 1 METEOSAT THIRD GENERATION (MTG): OF EUMETSAT A GREAT LEAP AHEAD The impact of severe storm events on In the run-up to the launch of the first Meteosat Third Generation (MTG) is a highly innovative geostationary economies in Europe has significantly MTG Imager satellite, currently scheduled satellite system for Europe and Africa to support meteorological and increased over the past decade compared in Q4 2021, Member States are invited to to earlier decades, as shown in loss evaluate their respective elements of related environmental services, especially for improving forecasts from statistics maintained by the re-insurance meteorological data reception, processing several minutes up to a few hours (‘nowcasts’). sector� Hail, high winds, extreme rainfall and visualisation infrastructure and and related flash floods pose hazards to related human resources in light of the lives and property of European massively increased data volumes, citizens� The ability of National the novelty of data especially from the Forecasts such as these are the ‘last line Meteorological and Hydrological Services Lightning Imager (LI) and the InfraRed of defence’ in weather forecasting, vital to (NMHS) to forecast severe storms with Sounder (IRS), and new data formats protect the life and property of citizens in Lightning lead times of several minutes up to a few and means of data delivery� Additional the case of severe storm events, and for hours ahead provides a vital ‘last line of investments in national infrastructure complementing the skill of numerical Convection defence’ for vulnerable economic sectors may be required to ensure user readiness weather prediction models� MTG will also Winds such as transport, tourism, and for the when MTG data become available� provide important, novel data to further first responders in emergency services� enhance numerical weather prediction, air In support of the preparation by Member quality monitoring, and other applications� In preparing for the upcoming Meteosat State NMHS to MTG, I am enclosing the As the successor of the current Meteosat Atmosphere Third Generation satellites (MTG), package ‘MTG: The Case for Preparing Second Generation (MSG), MTG has the European NMHS are adding a powerful National Users’, intended to inform NMHS capability to fulfil the geostationary capability to their forecasting services: decision-makers and national satellite data requirements of Member 4-dimensional observations of the key administrations� The package highlights States, needed to continue supporting ingredients in severe weather that will the main improvements to weather and and improving applications and services at provide new insight into convective related environmental services expected national meteorological centres� The first processes, especially the formation and from the MTG mission, and provides MTG data are planned to be available in 2022� development of potentially dangerous technical details relevant for procurement ENABLING INNOVATION Figure 1: Artist’s illustration storms� A ‘4D Weather Cube’ such as this purposes as an annex� Along the same The MTG programme, adopted by Member of the ‘4D Weather Cube’, is composed of atmospheric soundings lines, I encourage all Member States to States of EUMETSAT in 2011, derives directly The lightning and infrared sounding enabled by Meteosat Third of temperature and humidity, derived wind participate actively in the MTG User from the EUMETSAT Convention� Furthermore, missions of MTG offer novel data types Generation instruments which information, lightning observations and Preparation Project (MTGUP), which EUMETSAT Member States are committed to to European users with high innovation probe the atmosphere in three imagery� All of these data will be fosters information exchange and the MTG mission for two main reasons: potential� Unprecedented information on the dimensions and with high collocated and available from a support among Member States� dynamic features of atmospheric moisture repeat cycle, for the first time geostationary orbit at high temporal VALUING CONTINUITY and temperature will be available every 30 over Europe. Forecasters will and spatial resolution� I wish you every success minutes over Europe at high vertical and be able to simultaneously track in preparing for MTG! Transitioning to MTG allows Member States horizontal resolution from the operational meteorological phenomena, MTG will constitute a massive leap to safeguard their investment in weather- geostationary infrared-sounding mission� such as convection, winds and forward with respect to the existing related services and skills that build on data By adding collocated spectral imagery and lightning activity, and, thus, more Meteosat Second Generation satellites from the current Meteosat Second lightning data to the ‘4D Weather Cube’, accurately detect and forecast that have been serving Member State Generation (MSG) satellites� While providing national services are expecting a rapidly developing high-impact NMHS reliably since the early 2000s: MTG higher resolution in space and time, the breakthrough in gaining precious prediction weather, like thunderstorms. data will provide continuity of observations spectral channels of the MTG imagery lead time through early detection of rapidly- from geostationary orbit and enable mission include the heritage of MSG� MTG developing high-impact weather events, innovation in weather forecasting at the Alain Ratier allows for the continuation of the Meteosat- such as severe storms� Among other uses, most critical timescales� It does so by Director-General based climate data record, going back to lightning data will provide air traffic providing vital and unique observations 1981, into the 2040s� In addition, new management with information on that better inform the forecast scenario opportunities arise from additional spectral electrically active storms� Air quality in the critical half an hour or hour ahead� imager channels, e�g� for creating ‘true monitoring over Europe will be enhanced, MTG data will also continue the ongoing colour’ imagery, or for better detecting and such as the measuring of nitrogen dioxide, Meteosat climate data record, starting in understanding clouds� Using MTG data, ozone and fine particles� Member States are 1981 and extending it well into the 2040s� Member States can preserve and enhance investing in the scientific development of the value of their existing MSG-related new methods and tools to exploit the applications and services� innovation potential of these data� 1 METEOSAT THIRD GENERATION - THE CASE FOR PREPARING NATIONAL USERS 2 TACKLING MAJOR WEATHER-RELATED “Traditionally, the overall benefits accrued from ECONOMIC RISKS investment made in the meteorological and hydrological infrastructures were estimated to Among 30 global risks identified by the World Economic Forum in its 2018 be, in several countries, in [the] order of 10:1.” Global Risks Perception Survey, extreme weather events and natural disasters M� Jarraud are ranked as the top two global risks in terms of likelihood, and number two Former Secretary-General of WMO (World Bank, 20132) and three in terms of impact on economies; the risk of failure to mitigate climate change and adapt to climate change impacts come shortly after. In the national institutional landscape, data from MTG forming the ‘4D Weather National Meteorological and Hydrological Cube’ is particularly vital for nowcasting ECONOMIC Services (NMHS) are key providers of and very short-range forecasting severe Figure 2: Global Risks Landscape 2018 ENVIRONMENTAL information for reducing the major weather events up to a few hours� (World Economic Forum, 2018)1 GEOPOLITICAL economic risks associated with extreme Furthermore, satellite data are the 1: Risk very unlikely to happen