EARS-NWC

Providing near-real time availability of high resolution cloud products

The EARS-NWC derives cloud products from the AVHRR instrument data, collected from the Primary Morning Orbit and Primary Afternoon Orbit satellites via a network of AHRPT/HRPT stations, and re-transmits them via EUMETCast.

Last Updated

29 June 2022

Published on

28 April 2020

For the nowcasting and very short range weather forecasting, the near-real time availability of high resolution cloud products is essential.

The three cloud products of the EARS-NWC service complement the cloud products from geostationary-satellites like MSG, especially for the high-latitudes where the coverage from the geostationary orbit is limited. The distributed products are:

Cloud Mask (CM)
Cloud Type (CT)
Cloud Top Temperature and Height (CTTH)

EARS-NWC service specification

Satellites supported

Metop-B, Metop-C and N19 as shown on the tables on the Regional Data Service/EARS webpage.

Product processing

AAPP as provided by the NWP-SAF and PPS as provided by NWC-SAF, configured and run by EUMETSAT.

Product segmentation

Segments each containing one minute of observations.

Duplicate segments removed before dissemination.

Products via EUMETCast Europe

Cloud products derived for each segment:

Cloud Type (including cloud phase flag and processing flag)
Cloud Top Temperature & height (height, pressure, temperature), including processing flag — both for opaque and for semi-transparent clouds.
Cloud Mask (aerosol flag only).

Geo-location information represented as tie-points contained in the products. All products on original instrument grid, netCDF4 format, bz2-compressed.

Timeliness via EUMETCast

30 minutes.

Products via RMDCN/GTS

None.

Archived in EUMETSAT

All disseminated products.

Further information

For more information on EARS-NWC see TD 14 - EUMETSAT Advanced Retransmission Service Technical Description

Full details on products can be found in the Product Navigator:
EARS Cloud Mask – Multimission
EARS Cloud Top Temperature & Height – Multimission
EARS Cloud Type – Multimission

Other EARS services

EARS-ASCAT

EARS-ASCAT collects ASCAT instrument data from Metop passes, via a network of HRPT stations, and re-transmits Level 2 products via EUMETCast.

EARS-ATMS

EARS-ATMS collects data from the ATMS instrument on board the JPSS spacecrafts, operated by NASA and NOAA.

EARS-ATOVS

EARS-ATOVS provides the European meteorological community with sounder data covering data-sparse areas, within 30 minutes of the instrument observations.

EARS-AVHRR

EARS-AVHRR collects data from Metop and NOAA via a network of AHRPT/HRPT stations.

EARS-CrIS

The EARS-CrIS service collects data from the CrIS instrument onboard the JPSS spacecrafts, operated by NASA and NOAA.

EARS-IASI

EARS-IASI collects IASI instrument data from Metop satellite-passes via a network of HRPT stations and re-transmits Level 1c and pilot Level 2 products.

EARS-MERSI

EARS-MERSI complements the Metop and the US POES and SNPP/JPSS satellites currently covered by EARS.

EARS-MWRI

EARS-MWRI complements the Metop, POES and SNPP/JPSS satellites currently covered by EARS.

EARS-VASS

EARS-VASS (Vertical Atmospheric Sounding Service), complements the Metop and the US POES and SNPP/JPSS satellites currently covered by EARS.

EARS-VIIRS

The EARS-VIIRS service collects data from the VIIRS instrument onboard the JPSS spacecrafts.