Ever since the first satellites began taking images of Earth, scientists have used the data they collect to learn more about Earth and improve the lives of its people. Satellites are used for a wide range of tasks, from weather forecasting to improving crop yields. The data they collect is not limited to image processing. China’s new satellite, known as Fengyun-3E, is monitoring Antarctic sea ice using several new approaches to help scientists better understand the changing climate in the polar regions.
It is equipped with a number of other sensors, but the more interesting one is a device called WindRad. The device uses radar to measure winds at different locations and altitudes based on how radar waves reflect from the atmosphere at different locations. Scientists can also use this sensor to monitor sea ice, and the data collected can be used to distinguish between new sea ice and ice that is many years old, thus helping to understand ice formation and loss at the poles. You will be able to understand it more deeply. It was also the first weather satellite to be placed in early morning orbit, allowing it to take advantage of the long shadows cast by the sun on objects on the Earth’s surface to gather more information than other satellites in orbit.
It has a number of other imaging sensors on board and has a polar orbit, so it has other missions besides monitoring sea ice. But data collected around Antarctica should give scientists more information to improve climate models and understand sea ice behavior at deeper levels. However, weather data from such satellites is not necessarily limited to academia. Many weather satellites broadcast unencrypted maps and data over radio bands that anyone can access.
