Climate Data Records

How to get data?

EUMETSAT’s Secretariat and Satellite Application Facilities (SAFs) use applicable data from current and heritage satellites to generate climate data records. The development of these data records continues through our satellite programs, SAF projects, as well as Copernicus or European Union funded projects.

The Product Navigator provides a catalogue of all climate data records produced by the Secretariat and the SAFs as a single point of access. It provides access to climate data records of sensor radiances and geophysical variables. Access to these data records is open and free of charge.

If EUMETSAT has not everything you need, please explore the Inventory of climate data records created by the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS)-Coordination Group for Meteorological Satellites (CGMS) Joint Working Group on Climate that provides more information on available climate data records from the network of space agencies.

How do we observe climate from space?

Satellite sensors detect radiation reflected or emitted by the Earth. This can be radiation originating from the Earth’s atmosphere, surface, or even subsurface. Satellite sensors are of two primary types, i.e., passive and active sensors (see Fig A).

Passive sensors sense shortwave, solar, radiation reflected by the Earth or longwave, thermal, radiation emitted by the Earth. Passive sensors measure radiation in specific frequency bands. Examples of passive sensors are MVIRI, SEVIRI, IASI, and GOME-2.

Active sensors provide their own source of energy to illuminate the objects they are sensing. An active sensor emits radiation in the direction of the target to be investigated. The sensor then detects and measures the radiation that is reflected or backscattered from the target. Examples of an active sensor is ASCAT.

What are Climate Data Records?

Climate data record is a specific definition developed by the CEOS-CGMS Joint Working Group on Climate in 2020. The group defines three types of climate data records. Firstly, Fundamental Climate Data Records (FCDRs) that consists of a consistently-processed time series of uncertainty-quantified sensor observations calibrated to physical units, located in time and space, and of sufficient length and quality to be useful for climate science or applications. FCDRs are typically calibrated radiances, backscatter of active instruments, or radio occultation bending-angles, and include the ancillary data used to calibrate them. A prime example is EUMETSAT’s Meteosat FCDR. Secondly, Climate Data Records (CDRs) that consists of a consistently processed time series of uncertainty-quantified retrieved values of a geophysical variable or related indicator, located in time and space, and of sufficient length and quality to be useful for climate science or applications. Examples of CDRs are cloud property data records and sea ice concentration. Finally, and thirdly, Interim Climate Data Records (ICDRs) that are consistently processed times series of uncertainty-quantified estimates of CDR values produced with better timeliness than, but otherwise minimizing differences with, the estimated CDR values. ICDRs are important to monitor climate closer to real time and actual developments of sea ice concentrations are a good example for that.

Why are Climate Data Records important?

Climate data records provide trustworthy information on how, where, and to what extent the land, oceans, atmosphere and ice sheets are changing over long periods. Interest groups from the energy, the water resource, the agricultural, the human health, the national security, the coastal communities, and many more recognise the importance of climate data records, such as the ones provided by EUMETSAT. Typically, climate data records allow these communities to unravel the underlying climate trends and variability information or to assimilate these data in state-of-art climate reanalysis, such as the fifth ECMWF ReAnalysis (ERA-5). The information created in this process is important for the implementation of the Paris Agreement at the level of the United Nations.

How is the quality and consistency of Climate Data Records ensured?

EUMETSAT produces climate data records (both FCDRs and CDRs) by applying state-of-art data processors, which have advanced significantly during the last decade, to historical and present-day satellite data. Our climate data records are operationally generated and are routinely checked on quality. The steps in establishing these operational climate data record involves a rigid Research-to-Operations process, which starts with defining the requirements from users and completes with performing a formal review of the data quality and corresponding documentation. Only after this rigid process and a successful review of all data and documents, a climate data record is officially released to the global user community.