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Table 2. Global products requiring satellite observations - atmospheric essential climate var 
iables 
ECVs / 
Global Products requiring Satellite Observations 
Fundamental Climate Data Records required 
for Product Generation 
(from past, current and future missions) 
Surface Wind Speed and Direction 
Surface vector winds analyses, particularly from rea- 
nalysls 
Passive microwave radiances and scatterometry 
Requirement Is fulfilled: The METOP satellites of 
EUMETSAT have the ASCAT 8 Instrument on board 
providing sea surface wind speed and direction; with 
all 3 METOP satellites data continuity can be expected 
until about 2018; resulting products are archived; see 
also the WebPages of the SAF on Ocean and Sea 
Ice 9 . 
Upper-Air Temperature 
Homogenized upper-air temperature analyses; 
Extended MSU-equivalent temperature record; 
New record for upper-troposphere and lower- 
stratosphere temperature using data from radio occul- 
tatlon; 
Temperature analyses obtained from reanalyses 
Passive microwave radiances; 
GPS radio occultatlon; 
High-spectral resolution IR radiances for use In reanal- 
ysls 
Requirement Is fulfilled: The METOP satellites have 
the IASI, AMSU 10 -A and GRAS 11 12 Instruments on 
board; with all 3 METOP satellites data continuity can 
be expected until about 2018; resulting data and prod 
ucts are archived. 
Water Vapour 
Total column water vapour over the ocean and over 
land; 
Tropospheric and lower-stratospheric profiles of water 
vapour 
Passive microwave radiances; 
UV/VIS radiances; 
IR Imagery and soundings in the 6.7pm band; 
Microwave soundings In the 183 GHz band 
Requirement Is fulfilled with Meteosat First and Second 
Generation (MSG) and METOP; with all 4 MSG and all 
3 METOP satellites data and product continuity can be 
expected until about 2018 and longer; resulting prod 
ucts are archived. 
Cloud Properties 
Cloud radiative properties (Initially key ISCCP prod 
ucts) 
VIS/IR Imagery; 
IR and microwave soundings 
Requirement Is fulfilled with Meteosat First and Second 
Generation and METOP; with all 4 MSG and all 3 
METOP satellites data continuity can be expected until 
about 2018 and longer; resulting products are ar 
chived. 
Precipitation 
Improved estimates of precipitation, both as derived 
from specific satellite Instruments and as provided by 
composite products 
Passive microwave radiances; 
High-frequency geostationary IR measurements; 
Active radar (for calibration) 
Requirement Is fulfilled with Meteosat First and Second 
Generation and the MHS Instrument on board of 
METOP; with all 4 MSG and all 3 METOP satellites 
product continuity can be expected until about 2018 
and longer; resulting products are archived. 
Earth Radiation Budget 
Top-of-atmosphere Earth radiation budget on a contin 
uous basis 
Broadband radiances; 
Spectrally-resolved solar Irradlances; 
Geostationary multi-spectral Imagery 
Requirement Is fulfilled with GERB 19 on all 4 MSG 
satellites and the Imaging Instruments SEVIRI and 
AVHRR on board of MSG resp. METOP; with all 4 
MSG and all 3 METOP satellites product continuity can 
be expected until about 2018 and longer; resulting 
products are archived. 
8 Advanced Scatterometer 
9 http://www.osi-saf.org 
10 Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit 
11 Global Navigation Satellite System Receiver for Atmospheric Sounding 
12 Geostationary Earth Radiation Budget