European meteorological satellite organisation – EUMETSAT
EUMETSAT, the European Meteorological Satellite Organisation, monitors weather and climate from space. Sweden is one of the member states of EUMETSAT, and SMHI uses data from their fleet of satellites for Earth observation.
EUMETSAT provides its 30 member states with meteorological images and data necessary to keep communities safe and support other critical sectors. They collaborate with authorities worldwide to secure additional satellite data for weather forecasting and climate monitoring.
EUMETSAT is a key partner in the EU's Copernicus programme for Earth observation.
Together with ESA, the European Space Agency, and ECMWF, the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, EUMETSAT is involved in the EU initiative Destination Earth to create digital twins of the entire Earth system.
Geostationary and polar satellites
EUMETSAT operates both geostationary and polar satellites. Data and products from these satellites are crucial for weather forecasting and significantly contribute to environmental and climate monitoring.
Read more about the satellite missions on EUMETSAT's website:
External link.
- Meteosat-series External link.: Geostationary satellites that provide imagery for early detection of rapidly developing severe weather, weather forecasting, and climate monitoring.
- Metop-series External link.: Polar satellites that provide global data for weather forecasting up to 10 days in advance and for climate monitoring.
- Sentinel-series External link.: Delivers marine and atmospheric missions for the Copernicus programme.
- Jason-series External link.: Provides global sea level observations for climate monitoring as well as ocean and seasonal forecasts.
Archive of satellite observations
EUMETSAT's archive of satellite observations spanning over 40 years provides climate researchers worldwide with long-term, homogeneous data, which is essential for monitoring climate change.
SMHI and EUMETSAT
SMHI uses data provided by EUMETSAT for both meteorological and oceanographic purposes. Today, satellites contribute as one of the most crucial data sources used to produce new weather forecasts.
SMHI's research and development contribute to two of EUMETSAT's Satellite Application Facilities (SAF):
- In the Nowcasting SAF (NWC-SAF), SMHI provides tools to analyse satellite data for knowledge and forecasting of clouds.
- In the Climate Monitoring SAF (CM-SAF), SMHI leads all activities related to clouds.
