Nasa to use SCATSAT-1 data

American space agency Nasa and the European Space Agency will avail the services of Indian weather satellite SCATSAT-1, which was successfully launched on September 26. Isro on Tuesday said that SCATSAT-1 inputs will provide global weather data to all those involved in weather studies and global climate change studies.

“Data generated from the Isro’s Scatterometer will also be utilised by the Nasa and European Space Agency EUMETSAT,” an Isro official said. According to him, the satellite is carrying a Ku-band Scanning Scatterometer radar instrument operating at 13.515 GHz, similar to the instrument flown on-board Oceansat-2.

The payload instrument will be a vital tool globally used to study wind patterns above the ocean, air-sea interactions, ocean circulation and their overall effects on weather patterns.

Climate quality data is expected to be obtained from this spacecraft to provide accurate knowledge regarding Himalayan ice formation and melting, cyclone formation near Indian coastal line and Greenland ice melting.

Scatterometer operates on the principle of radar. When the radar radiates energy pulses towards the ocean’s surface, a backscatter effect is produced due to interaction between electromagnetic waves and sea surface waves, which is the function of speed and direction of surface winds over the oceans.