Sentinel-3A Earth colour data released
2016-10-21 (IPMA)
Today, 20th October, the Copernicus Sentinel-3A satellite has taken another step towards being fully ‘operational’ as the first data from its Ocean and Land Colour Instrument are made available to monitor the health of our planet.
Following its launch in February, the satellite and instruments have been thoroughly tested and fine-tuned – leading to this important milestone.
Carrying a suite of instruments, Sentinel-3A is arguably the most complex of all the Copernicus Sentinels. It has been designed to measure Earth’s oceans, land, ice and atmosphere to monitor large-scale global dynamics and to provide critical near-realtime information for numerous ocean, land and weather applications.
The Sentinel-3 validation team, a group of expert users, has been receiving sample products since May. Their feedback is essential to both ESA and EUMETSAT to ensure the data are of the highest quality, as is needed for the myriad of operational applications that the mission will serve.
Offering new eyes on Earth, the Ocean and Land Colour Instrument will monitor the global oceans, and inland waters, including phytoplankton, water quality, harmful algal blooms, sediment transport in coastal areas, El Niño and La Niña events, and climate change.
It will also support observations of vegetation and crop conditions, as well as provide estimates of atmospheric aerosol and clouds – all of which bring significant benefits to society through more informed decision-making.
While the operations of the Sentinel-3A satellite are carried out by EUMETSAT, the mission is managed jointly by ESA and EUMETSAT.
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