WIVERN Is ESA's 11th Earth Explorer Satellite Mission

Storms are an important part of weather patterns and the climate system. A new satellite mission of the European Space Agency ESA is about to substantially improve the scientific understanding of storm structure and dynamics: WIVERN will make continuous wind measurements within clouds available on a global scale for the first time. These measurements will provide insights into the formation, organization, and life cycle of storms—from small convective cells to tropical cyclones. 

WIVERN was designed by scientists from the University of Reading (UK) and the Polytechnic University of Turin (Italy). Cathy Hohenegger from the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology is involved in the mission as a member of the scientific advisory team and will contribute to further developing the scientific plan for the mission.

Before the launch of the European “Earth Explorer” satellite mission EarthCARE in 2024, observations had only been able to capture the morphology of storms, i.e., their external appearance, but not their metabolism, i.e., what is happening on the inside.  But even EarthCARE’s view is limited to a single component of the wind in single clouds. The new mission WIVERN will use a cloud radar on board a new satellite which will scan the atmosphere and use the Doppler effect to determine the wind from the received cloud signals.  Its varying scan angles allow it to see different components of the wind vector, and how this varies across fields of clouds on the mesoscale. In addition, WIVERN will provide high-resolution measurements of rain, snowfall, and clouds with much better temporal and spatial coverage than is currently possible with satellites. WIVERN will also record snow cover and sea ice extent and provide direct observations of ocean surface currents, which is of interest for understanding the polar climate and ocean dynamics.