Better understanding of weather extremes: Uni Graz supports ESA mission EarthCARE

Die Messdaten des WegenerNet dienen der ESA als Referenz und unterstützen die zuverlässige Eichung der innovativen Instrumente des neuen Satelliten. Bild: ESA/ATG medialab

How do greenhouse gases, clouds and aerosols influence vertical radiation in the Earth's atmosphere? What role does this play in global warming and the occurrence of extreme weather events? ESA's EarthCARE mission will provide data to answer these questions. The new satellite was launched on 29 May 2024 as a joint venture of the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Japanese Space Agency (JAXA). The mission is being supported by the WegenerNet 3D climate research laboratory at the University of Graz.

With its close-meshed network of over 150 measuring stations, which record temperature, precipitation and other important climate variables every five minutes in south-east Styria, the WegenerNet is of great international interest for research. The temporal and spatial density as well as the quality of the measurements, which have been ongoing since 2007, are unique worldwide. Since 2020, the data recorded on the ground has been supplemented by the observation of climate variables in the atmosphere. This means that WegenerNet is now a 3D open-air laboratory for researching meteorological processes such as the course of extreme weather events.

"WegenerNet provides valuable data from the ground up to an altitude of around ten kilometres, i.e. in the entire weather layer, which is particularly relevant for the greenhouse effect. This makes us an interesting partner for the EarthCARE mission," explains Gottfried Kirchengast, climate researcher at the Wegener Centre at the University of Graz and head of the project selected by the European Space Agency. "Our data will serve ESA as a reference for cloud and precipitation measurements as well as for radiation modelling. In this way, we support the reliable calibration of the new satellite's innovative instruments so that it can also measure extreme weather events as accurately as possible," adds Kirchengast. EarthCARE wants to use this precise data to help improve climate and weather models.

The research of Gottfried Kirchengast's team is embedded in Climate Change Graz, a field of excellence at the University of Graz. WegenerNet is funded by the Ministry of Science and the Province of Styria. The City of Graz and sponsors contribute additional funds.

WegenerNet

EarthCARE

Gudrun Pichler

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