MERIS
(MEdium Resolution Image Spectrometer Instrument)

The MEdium Resolution Imaging Specrometer Instrument MERIS measures the solar radiation reflected by the Earth, at a ground spatial resolution of 300m, in 15 spectral bands, programmable in width and position, in the visible and near infra-red.
MERIS allows global coverage of the Earth in 3 days.

The primary mission of MERIS is the measurement of sea colour in the oceans and in coastal areas. Knowledge of the sea colour can be converted into a measurement of chlorophyll pigment concentration, suspended sediment concentration and of aerosol loads over the marine domain.

Why measure ocean colour?
Four broad domains of applications of ocean-colour data can be identified:

• the ocean carbon cycle
• the thermal regime of the upper ocean
• the management of fisheries
• the management of coastal zones

For more details see: http://www.ioccg.org

What else can Meris measure?
MERIS is also capable of retrieving cloud top height, water vapour total column, and aerosol load over land. These measurements constitute MERIS secondary mission.

• animations
  • MERIS Operation
    
• pictures of hardware
  • MERIS CCD Array
  • MERIS FM final Integration
  • MERIS Optical Tests configuration
• more information

Keywords: ESA European Space Agency - Agence spatiale europeenne, observation de la terre, earth observation, satellite remote sensing, teledetection, geophysique, altimetrie, radar, chimique atmospherique, geophysics, altimetry, radar, atmospheric chemistry