Chapter 2 - Climate Data and Monitoring

The Australian Climate Network > Satellite Networks

Australia is not an operator of environmental satellites, but is an active user and major international contributor to research, development and applications in relation to space-based observing systems used to derive climate-related information. Australian use of satellite data in climate monitoring applications are described in detail in the Australia’s Global Climate Observing Systems: a detailed national report on systematic observation of climate (AGO, 2001).

Australia contributes to international space-based programs in a variety of ways including: membership of international coordinating bodies such as the Committee for Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS), development and construction of satellite hardware, provision of ground stations for the reception of satellite data and satellite orbit determination, and active involvement in various calibration/validation programs. The CSIRO, for example, has represented Australia on CEOS since 1989, chairing the Committee in 1995-96. Australia has been a major participant in the Along Track Scanning Radiometer series of satellite instruments onboard the European Space Agency’s ERS-1, ERS-2 and ENVISAT. The CSIRO, AIMS and the Bureau of Meteorology are all involved in ongoing validation studies for satellite instruments.

The AIMS owns and operates a High Resolution Picture Transmission (HRPT) satellite receiving station in Townsville. AIMS receives, processes and archives data from the NOAA series of satellites and Sea-Viewing Wide Field-of-View Sensor (SeaWiFS) data. Both of these data sets are collected at the local area coverage (LAC) scale of 1.1 km. Coverage is centred on Townsville, Australia and extends for a radius of approximately 3,500 km.

Some of the international space-based observing systems in which Australian agencies are directly involved, as well as the main Australian satellite reception and processing ground stations that are related to climate observation, are listed in Tables 2.1 and 2.2 respectively.