EUMETSAT Launches Climate Anomalies and Normals Service

EUMETSAT has launched a new service that makes over four decades of satellite climate data accessible for public and expert analysis. The Climate Anomalies and Normals service, unveiled at the European Meteorological Society's annual meeting in Utrecht, allows users to see how key climate variables for any month compare to the long-term average.

This prototype service delivers maps, charts, and downloadable data within days of a month's end. It is built entirely on climate data records from EUMETSAT's Satellite Application Facilities. The aim is to evolve into a fully operational service providing authoritative information to support climate adaptation and mitigation efforts.

Service Foundation and Variables

The service compares each month against a 30-year average, or normal, for that specific month, using the 1991-2020 reference period set by the World Meteorological Organization. Rob Roebeling, Climate Product Expert at EUMETSAT, emphasized the reliance on strong historical data. "Comparing a month with its long-term average depends entirely on the records behind it," he said, noting the records are based on decades of rigorously calibrated and quality-controlled observations.

Initially, the service focuses on four key variables derived from satellite observations:

Supporting Climate Monitoring

EUMETSAT's climate data records are foundational for major climate reports and services, including the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S). The new service offers a complementary way to visualize and explore the satellite-derived records behind these established products. Users can view results for individual countries, broad climate regions, or custom-defined areas on a map, with different projections available for Europe, Africa, and the polar regions.

Carlo Buontempo, Director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service, highlighted the partnership's importance. "A significant fraction of the data behind the Copernicus Climate Change Service comes from EUMETSAT," he stated. He added that the new service offers important new perspectives on the underlying climate records, complementing existing offerings.

Future Development and Access

The service is designed to be developed further based on user feedback. Christine Träger-Chatterjee, Lead Climate Applications Expert at EUMETSAT, explained its purpose is to support climate monitoring with timely information. The goal is for climate services to integrate it into their advice and for people to develop their own analyses from the data.

Plans are in place to integrate many more variables in the near future. Potential additions include land surface temperature, precipitation, and atmospheric ozone. Access to the Climate Anomalies and Normals service is free and open to all at the dedicated web portal can.eumetsat.int.