Category Archives: Remote sensing

Investigating Clouds With New Radar Technology

By: Christopher Westbrook Since I joined the University of Reading in 2005 as a research assistant, I have been using radars at the Chilbolton Observatory to study the processes in clouds. I’m very excited at the moment to be part … Continue reading

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Metrology, Earth Observation and Climate Data

By: Jonathan Mittaz  Metrology is the science of measurement which both defines the System International (SI, The International System of Units, 2019) as well as mathematical frameworks for measurement uncertainties (for example see the GUM: Guide to the expression of Uncertainty in Measurement, … Continue reading

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Green shoots from the grassroots at the 26th Conference of the Parties

By: Chris Merchant On the opening two days of COP26, I was in Glasgow to raise awareness of the climate and environmental data freely available from satellite observations of Earth. While the news media focus on big political headlines from COP26, … Continue reading

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Soil Moisture Monitoring with Satellite Radar

By: Keith Morrison-Department of Meteorology & Will Maslanka-Department of Geography & Environmental Science Everyone knows about the impacts from intense and/or prolonged rainfall – flooding, like that experienced in the Thames Basin during the Summer of 2007, and the Winter of … Continue reading

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Satellite data used to provide life-saving weather forecasts in tropical Africa

By: Peter Hill Much of the population of tropical Africa are vulnerable to severe weather, often caused by intense storms that can generate heavy rainfall, strong winds and flooding. For instance, thousands of fishermen drown each year in Lake Victoria … Continue reading

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Why do clouds matter when we measure surface temperature from space?

By: Claire Bulgin We can use satellites up in space to measure the surface temperature of the Earth over the land and sea.  Satellites have now been making measurements for 40+ years and these data are really helpful for understanding … Continue reading

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Sea Surface Temperature Climate Data Record

By: Owen Embury Oceans cover over 70% of the Earth’s surface and knowing its temperature is crucial for understanding both weather and climate. Historically, sea surface temperatures (SSTs) have been measured in situ – from ships and automated buoys – … Continue reading

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Measuring Lake Water Temperature From Space

by: Laura Carrea ‘Climate change’, and ‘global warming’: these have been two of the most referenced terms in the media in the past few years.  These words sometimes generate controversy and discussion not only on social media or between friends, … Continue reading

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Mapping bio-UV products from space

By: Michael Taylor Solar radiation arriving at the Earth’s surface in the UV part of the spectrum modulates photosynthetically-sensitive life on the land and in the oceans. UV radiation also drives important chemical reaction pathways in the atmosphere that impact … Continue reading

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Why was the sky Orange?

By William Davies I was sitting in my house one morning in October 2017, engrossed in what I was doing. Gradually I noticed that an eerie darkness was smothering the natural light in the room. I stopped and looked outside. … Continue reading

Posted in Aerosols, Atmospheric chemistry, Atmospheric optics, Climate, Climate modelling, earth observation, Environmental hazards, Numerical modelling, Remote sensing, University of Reading | Leave a comment