| Wanneer | 12 februari 2026, aanvang 15:30 |
|---|---|
| Waar | Buys Ballotzaal, KNMI, De Bilt |
Speaker: Gerd-Jan van Zadelhoff, R&D Satellite Observations, KNMI
The ESA-JAXA Earth Clouds, Aerosols and Radiation Explorer (EarthCARE), launched in 2024, is the first mission specifically designed to observe clouds, aerosols, precipitation, and radiative fluxes on a single satellite within a tightly integrated framework. By combining the high-spectral-resolution lidar ATLID, the cloud-profiling radar CPR, the multispectral imager MSI, and the broadband radiometer BBR, EarthCARE provides an unprecedented, vertically resolved view of cloud-aerosol-radiation interactions.
Since launch, EarthCARE has demonstrated excellent instrument performance and synergy, delivering high‑quality profiles of aerosol extinction, cloud microphysical structure, and precipitation, together with collocated top-of-atmosphere radiative fluxes. Early results highlight the mission’s ability to resolve (stratospheric) aerosol layers, cloud-aerosol overlap, hurricane overpasses and multilayer cloud systems, and to directly link these features to their radiative impacts. Comparisons with ECMWF analyses show how EarthCARE’s detailed vertical information complements model‑based aerosol and cloud distributions, helping to identify systematic biases and deficiencies in the representation of vertical structure.
KNMI plays a leading role in the mission by coordinating and leading the EarthCARE Data, Innovation and Science Cluster (EarthCARE‑DISC), which is responsible for the development, evolution, and quality assurance of EarthCARE scientific data products. Within EarthCARE‑DISC, studies are underway to assimilate EarthCARE observations into ECMWF operational systems, including CAMS and related forecasting frameworks, to assess the added value of EarthCARE for improving aerosol and cloud analyses, forecasts, and their associated radiative impacts.
This talk will present an overview of EarthCARE’s scientific objectives, showcase early results since launch, and discuss how EarthCARE observations are advancing the evaluation and improvement of aerosol and cloud representations in numerical weather prediction and atmospheric composition models.