Wind measurements from Aeolus second laser

Shortly after switching over from the first to the second laser, Aeolus is delivering high-quality measurements of Earth’s wind. Currently, instrument and data processing refinements are ongoing, which will enhance the data product quality even more in the coming weeks. The figure shows measurements by Aeolus while crossing the African continent between Turkey (on the right) and the Southern Ocean (left). Aeolus measures winds from the surface up to about 25 km altitude. Strong easterly winds are visible around the tropopause at 15 km altitude over north Africa (green, yellow and orange), and the strong westerly winds (blue and purple colours) in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere as the satellite moves into the area of the ‘roaring forties’ over the Southern Ocean. Thick clouds block the laser signal and hence prevent measurements to be taken within or below the clouds (white areas between 0 and 10 km altitude).
Read full story: Second laser boosts Aeolus power