Snow from Space: Satellite Imagery of Snow-Bound UK by Steven Priestley

In an article from sciencedaily.com European Space Agency satellite instruments have been monitoring the icy blast in the UK from their vantage points in space. Meaning Scientists used two instruments MERIS, and AATSR which illustrate images of a snow-bound UK from observations took on the 29^th of November and the 1^st of December. The MERIS image shows from white snow and clouds to green vegetation opposed to the AASTR images which depict non-snow areas in red to show the differences in the snow. The amount of snow covered in the images within two days is visibly apparent. Professor John Remedios Head of Earth Observation Science at the University of Leiceste says “"These images demonstrate how much our local climate depends on a combination of the climate mean temperature in a given month and the meteorological variability which can produce very cold and very warm months. For the UK, it is another cold winter. At one time a few years ago our children complained that there was never any snow. Now there is plenty!" The AATSR measures climate variables such as sea and land surface temperature, aerosols and clouds opposed to the MERIS instrument which observes vegetation green pigment and ocean color, and their variations over the seasons. These two instruments MERIS and AASTR are hand and hand in determining weather prediction and forecasting. According to Professor Remedios the “AASTR instrument is very good for both measurements for climates and for weather forecasting”. In reference to this article MERIS and AATSR are two vital components in forecasting weather and predicting weather in European Space Agency for the UK. Apparently these recorded images of the UK’s winter by MERIS and AASTR are very beneficial, they show and prove that the two instruments are working well and provide the European Space Agency with vital information so they can predict and forecast accurately and accordingly. The Envisat just recently made an alteration to manage the orbit change to extend the life of MERIS and AATSR to 2013 because it is working so well.   All in all the team of scientist and professionals of the European Space Agency are very impressed and pleased with how the recorded images depict the landscape of the UK. 

(Science Daily)

University of Leicester (2010, December 3). Snow from space: Satellite imagery of snow-bound UK. ScienceDaily. Retrieved December 5, 2010, from http://www.sciencedaily.com /releases/2010/12/101203123517.htm