The European Space Agency's Copernicus Sentinel-3 mission has provided data on oceans, land and atmosphere for climate research and policy-making since the first satellite launched a decade ago. The mission's sensors measure ocean surface characteristics, land temperature, forest cover, greenhouse gas concentrations and ice thickness. According to the ESA's Sentinel-3 Project Manager Nic Mardle, the combination of instruments aboard each satellite and their wide viewing angle allow the mission to capture data quickly across entire regions.
Sentinel-3 data feed into the reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the scientific body that advises the United Nations on climate science. The mission also contributes to 55 climate indicators defined by the Global Climate Observing System. According to Jerome Bouffard, the mission manager at ESA, because Sentinel-3 captures a wide range of geophysical data, it contributes to datasets upon which climate science is based.
The satellites provide daily global coverage and can detect methane leaks of at least 10 tonnes per hour, depending on location and weather conditions. In 2023, the mission contributed data to studies identifying methane "super-emitters." The mission's sensors, able to capture data over an area of up to 1,400 kilometres across, can monitor regional phenomena including industrial emissions and smoke from wildfires and volcanic eruptions.
Sentinel-3 measures sea surface temperature using a thermal sensor designed for precise calibration, supporting research into ocean characteristics including biodiversity and acidification. The mission also provides altimetry data showing that sea levels have risen at a global average of 3.64 millimetres per year since 1999 and are accelerating. Additional data from Sentinel-3 track sea-ice thickness and forest cover, measuring droughts and mapping burn scars.
The launch of a third Sentinel-3 satellite extends the mission's continuity and its contribution to European Union climate policy development and implementation. According to Simonetta Cheli, ESA's Director of Earth Observation Programmes, the addition ensures ongoing tracking of key climate indicators.
