Ireland will soon be able to monitor weather and climate in "unprecedented detail" thanks to a new satellite.
It comes as the first-ever image from the MTG-I1 satellite has been revealed.
The picture shows conditions over Europe, Africa and the Atlantic in "remarkable detail", the European Space Agency (ESA) has said.
The first-ever image from the MTG-I1 satellite! Once fully operational, MTG will allow us to monitor our weather and climate in unprecedented detail. 🛰️🌍👏#MTGI1 #FutureFocus #EUMETSAT #ESA pic.twitter.com/mbNHvytUmF
— Met Éireann (@MetEireann) May 4, 2023
The image, which was taken on March 18th, shows much of Northern and Western Europe and Scandinavia blanketed in clouds, with relatively clear skies over Italy and the Western Balkans.
Details such as cloud vortices over the Canary Islands, snow cover on the Alps and sediment in the water along the coast of Italy are visible in the image.
These details are not as clearly visible, or not visible at all, in images from the instruments on the current second-generation spacecraft.
Europe in 24 hours. Source: ESALaunched on an Ariane 5 rocket in December 2022, the Meteosat Third Generation Imager-1 - or MTG-I1 - is the first of a new generation of satellites set to revolutionise weather forecasting here.
ESA's Director of Earth Observation Programmes, Simonetta Cheli, said: "This image is a great example of what European cooperation in space can achieve.
"The level of detail MTG-I1’s image reveals, unachievable over Europe and Africa from a geostationary orbit until now, will give us a greater understanding of our planet and the weather systems that shape it.
"This image represents not just what can be achieved through European expertise but our determination to ensure the benefits of new technology are felt by communities in Europe and beyond".
A weather application is seen on an iPhone in January 2019. Picture by: Jaap Arriens/SIPA USA/PA ImagesInstruments onboard the satellites produce imagery with a much higher resolution, more frequently than those on the second-generation satellites.
MTG-I1 is currently undergoing a 12-month commissioning phase, in which its instruments are switched on and the data they produce will be calibrated.
This will then be sent to meteorological services in Europe and beyond at the end of 2023 for use in weather forecasts.
MTG-I1 is the first of six satellites that form the full MTG system, which will provide data for short-term and early detection of potential extreme weather events over the next 20 years.
