Meteosat images
Preparatory work
Image file naming: Meteosat_00032106VIS.jpg means that this image was acquired on 21 March 2000 at 0600 UTC (or GMT - Greenwich Mean Time) in the visible band. For technical details see below.
These series of Meteosat images, selected at certain dates and times, can be used to carry out various exercises in the classroom. Before working with the images or printing them, it is recommended that you further enhance the contrast. To do this, you should use the LEOWorks image processing software, available by clicking on the link on the right of this page.
|  | METEOSAT visible channel | |
How to use the printouts
Meteosat visible channel:
Africa images
Indian Ocean images
Using the series of Meteosat images in the 'visible' band,
print each image without any indication of when the images were acquired. Use one page per image. Mix the pages (also turn them upside down) and leave the students to find out when they were acquired (date and time).
| | METEOSAT thermal infrared channel | |
Meteosat thermal infrared channel:
Africa images
Indian Ocean images
Using the series of Meteosat images in the 'thermal infrared' band,
print each image without any indication of when the images were acquired. Use one page per image.
Again leave the students to find out when the images were acquired (date and time), and then add them to the images that have already been arranged in sequence. Remember, the darker an area the warmer it is!
| | METEOSAT water vapour channel | |
Meteosat water vapour channel:
Africa images
Indian Ocean images
Using the series of Meteosat images in the 'water vapour' band,
print each image without any indication of when the images were acquired. Use one page per image.
Leave the students to discover corresponding visible and thermal infrared band images by comparing the cloud pattern. A tip when interpreting the water vapour band: the whiter the image, the more humidity is present in the atmosphere.
Related questions
Visible band:
Explain the faintly illuminated horizon in the various 2100 GMT images (midnight at 60 degrees East)! Why does the inclination of the day/night line change during the year?
Thermal infrared band:
Why is no shadowed area visible in the morning and in the evening images, and why are the continents dark at noon, while the oceans always show the same grey level, even at midnight? Can you explain the difference between morning and evening in these thermal infrared images?
Water vapour band:
Why are the daytime shadows not visible, and why are neither the coastline nor any land visible?
When comparing the different seasons, can you see a characteristic difference in the respective cloud pattern in the images? Is there a way of differentiating between spring and autumn images? Can you define the actual monsoon front? On which date is this front furthest North? Why does this not correspond to 21 June? The respective images are not included here, but you can find them by carefully browsing the Eumetsat archives.
Observe the weather where you are now, and compare the situation with the most recent Meteosat image for today. Having done this, try to assess how the weather was in your area on the other dates of this year for which you have Meteosat images.
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