Recent Satellite Studies

Abstract

During the past decade the global networks of meteorological observations have been richly supplemented by a growing wealth of satellite data. Amongst the quantities of interest to meteorologists or oceanographers, measured or derived from satellite observations over the oceans are: cloud amount and type; reflected short wave radiation and albedo; total outgoing long-wave radiation; long-wave radiation in selected wave bands; the radiation balance of the earth-atmosphere system; temperature and height of cloud tops; sea surface temperature; atmospheric vertical temperature profile; atmospheric water vapour content; low-level wind speeds; winds at cloud levels; the fields of divergence and vorticity of the air flow; the sea state; and the extent of sea ice. In addition there are proposals for the future measurement of chlorophyll and plankton population by spectrometry.