weather satellite

weather satellite,

artificial satellitesatellite, artificial,
object constructed by humans and placed in orbit around the earth or other celestial body (see also space probe). The satellite is lifted from the earth's surface by a rocket and, once placed in orbit, maintains its motion without further rocket propulsion.
..... Click the link for more information. used to gather data on a global basis for improvement of weather forecasting. Information includes cloud cover, storm location, temperature, and heat balance in the earth's atmosphere. The first weather satellites in the United States were those of the Tiros series, which began in 1960; the Nimbus series, which moved in a polar orbit, was next; the Environmental Science Services Administration (ESSA) started in 1966 and launched weather satellites; and in 1972, the Earth Resources Technology Satellite (ERTS) provided photographs to help forecasting. Other meteorological satellites include a series of Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES), which send weather data and pictures that cover a section of the United States; China, Japan, India, and the European Space Agency (ESA) have similar craft. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's satellite series relay meteorological data to stations on the surface, including information on possible changes in various weather parameters that may signal climateclimate,
average condition of the atmosphere near the earth's surface over a long period of time, taking into account temperature, precipitation (see rain), humidity, wind, barometric pressure, and other phenomena.
..... Click the link for more information. change.

Bibliography

See R. Taggart, Weather Satellite Handbook (5th ed. 1995); S. Q. Kidder et al., Satellite Meteorology: An Introduction (1995).

weather satellite

weather satellite