EarthCARE satellite launched to improve understanding of clouds and aerosols in climate dynamics

The European Space Agency’s EarthCARE satellite is now actively assessing how clouds and aerosols affect Earth’s energy balance, a critical element in understanding climate dynamics. This mission, which launched in May 2024 in collaboration with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), is expected to improve the precision of climate models that inform global climate policies and actions.

While clouds and aerosols are recognized for their overall cooling effects, the intricacies of their interactions with solar energy and Earth’s thermal emissions are complex and not fully understood. With rising greenhouse gas emissions raising global temperatures, questions remain about how these factors might shift. For instance, a decline in cloud coverage could lead to increased sunlight reaching the surface, further intensifying warming.

Aerosols complicate the situation further. Though they generally cool the climate by reflecting sunlight and enhancing cloud reflectivity, recent trends—such as reductions in industrial emissions and significant increases in wildfire smoke—could drastically alter their climate impact. The implications of these changes are still under investigation. Current climate predictions rely on models that simulate various Earth system components under assorted scenarios, yet these models often simplify the behavior of clouds and aerosols based on assumptions and limited measurements.

EarthCARE is equipped with four advanced instruments that work together to gather simultaneous data on clouds and aerosols, allowing it to derive key metrics like water content and particle size. This comprehensive data will contribute to refining climate model representations, leading to better forecasts regarding future climate scenarios. For example, on September 20, 2025, EarthCARE collected data over Typhoon Ragasa in the Philippines, demonstrating its capability to deliver detailed insights into cloud dynamics.

The satellite employs a technique known as radiative transfer modeling to analyze the 3D structure of clouds and assess how these formations scatter sunlight and influence energy flows. This process was recently showcased through a comparison of EarthCARE’s calculated data and independent measurements, confirming the reliability of its findings.

Robin Hogan, Principal Scientist at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), emphasized that EarthCARE’s data verification enhances confidence in the cloud and aerosol characteristics for climate modeling. The data’s reliability is so significant that it will also be incorporated into daily weather forecasts, potentially improving predictive accuracy for weather systems.

Bjoern Frommknecht, ESA’s EarthCARE Mission Manager, announced that as of December 1, the complete suite of Level-2 data products from EarthCARE has been made available to researchers globally. This includes the new ‘radiative closure’ data, which connects cloud and aerosol measurements with energy flux observations, providing deep insights into climate processes. By making this comprehensive dataset public, the mission allows scientists to validate climate models and examine how recent atmospheric changes influence the Earth’s energy balance, fostering international collaboration and accelerating scientific innovation. The data can be accessed through the EarthCARE Online Dissemination Service.