The document discusses the Met Office's use of satellites for weather observation. It outlines two main types of satellite orbits - geostationary and polar orbiting. Geostationary satellites have a wide field of view but lower resolution, while polar orbiting satellites have higher resolution but the Earth rotates underneath them. Examples of each type are provided, as well as illustrations of how satellite data is used to monitor sea surface temperatures, air mass modification, and global observations.

1. Met Office use of satellites
Neil Bewley Spectrum Policy Manager

2. © Crown copyright Met Office
The weather - a national obsession

3. © Crown copyright Met Office

4. © Crown copyright Met Office
Satellite Types

5. Two types of orbit:
• Geostationary
• Polar Orbiter
India 70E
Europe
0
USA
75W
USA
140W
Japan
140E
36000km
850km
Satellite orbits

7. 11km
8km
6km
5km
4km
3km
Variation in resolution

8. Geostationary satellites
Advantages
• Wide field of view
• Frequent images (every 15 mins)
Disadvantages
• Lower resolution, especially at high
latitudes

9. Polar orbiting satellites
• Height: 850 km
• Orbital Period: 102
minutes
• Earth turns underneath
the satellite (sun
synchronous orbit)
• Examples: RadarSat 2
(Canadian owned)
METOP
(EUMETSAT
owned)

10. 1.1 km ~ 6 km
Polar orbiting vs geostationary

11. © Crown copyright Met
Office
MODIS/AQUA
1248Z, 26th February 2011

12. Global Sea Surface temperature
May 23rd 2016

13. Air mass modification – land/sea temperature
Summer
Winter

15. Any questions?