EUMETSAT: European and Global Weather and Climate Experts Gather in Würzburg

The EUMETSAT Meteorological Satellite Conference will bring together about 550 European and global weather and climate experts in Würzburg this week to discuss the latest in use of satellite data.

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Opening session of the EUMETSAT Meteorological Satellite Conference 2024, with EUMETSAT Director-General Phil Evans on screen (Photo: Business Wire)

This year’s conference, co-hosted by the German Meteorological Service, Deutscher Wetterdienst (DWD), has the theme, “the Earth observation value chains for weather, climate and hydrosphere”.

“Nine of the 10 natural events that caused the highest economic loss globally in 2023 were weather and climate related – storms, floods or droughtsⁱ,” EUMETSAT Director-General Phil Evans said.

“Our goal, as Europe’s meteorological satellite agency, is to ensure that weather and climate experts have the data they need to accurately and promptly predict severe events to protect the communities they serve.

“We are seeing the impact of climate change in the increasing frequency of severe weather and climate-related events. The challenge is to ensure we are well-placed to respond to the need for high-quality meteorological and climate data and that we deliver the data in the most accessible and usable way.

“The conference looks at this challenge through multiple lenses – existing and future Earth observation satellite systems, the evaluation and usage of existing data and products, the impact of artificial intelligence and machine learning, data access and cloud technologies, and much more.”

DWD President Prof Dr Sarah Jones said satellite data are indispensable for weather forecasting today.

“A good 80% of all data for forecasts comes from weather satellites,” Jones said. “We are also increasingly working with satellite data in climate research.

“The DWD therefore is involved in the entire value chain: from determining which data we will need from future weather satellites to the operational integration of the data into our weather and climate models, as well as into our warnings and alerts.

“This exchange with data users is particularly valuable for us.”

Experts from throughout Europe and around the globe would contribute to the five-day event.

Session topics include:

• Introductory session on international Earth observation systems
• Meteosat Third Generation product evaluation and scientific assessment, utility in application domains such as nowcasting and its preliminary contribution to numerical weather prediction
• Upcoming Earth observation missions, including microwave constellations, new wind measurements and altimetry
• How artificial intelligence, machine learning and cloud-based platforms will accelerate use of satellite data
• Using satellite observations to assess climate variability and change
• Moving toward a full Earth system approach in weather prediction
• Data and products for emerging services, such as wildfires, volcanic eruptions, chemical compounds release, energy, flash flood rapid warnings
• Data access and cloud technologies

About EUMETSAT

EUMETSAT, Europe’s meteorological satellite agency, monitors the weather and climate from space. Based in Darmstadt, Germany, EUMETSAT provides its 30 member states with meteorological imagery and data that are essential for keeping their communities safe and for the benefit of critical sectors of their economies.

EUMETSAT’s 30 member states are: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Türkiye and the United Kingdom.

For more information, see the EUMETSAT website.

ⁱ Gallagher Re Natural Catastrophe and Climate Report 2023

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