Earth's surface and the atmosphere

'''With its cameras ASIM can observe hurricanes, dust storms, forest fires and volcanic eruptions. ASIM observe these from two angels: downwards as done by traditional earth observation satellites and horizontally towards the limb where altitude variations are better resolved.'''

Hurricanes
New measurements have shown that when hurricanes intensify, electrical activity is generated in the eye of the hurricane. It is not well known under what conditions hurricanes become electrical active. It is also not known what happens to the atmosphere above hurricanes, if hurricanes for instance create blue jets and X- and gamma-ray flashes.

With ASIM it is possible to get a better understanding of the development of hurricanes, in particular as relates to electrical activity and hurricanes effect on the atmosphere. This may lead to better predictions of hurricanes development.

Dust storms
Dust in the atmosphere has a cooling effect and is therefore limiting the effects of global warming. Most of the dust is coming from deserts and can be carried over long distances. Dust from Sahara, for instance, blows westwards over the Atlantic and may reach the American continent.

ASIM can study dust storms with the imaging instruments that measure in bands from UV to the IR region and follow dust transport in the atmosphere ASIM can also observe the interplay of dust, cloud formation and electrification of clouds.

ASIM will have particular focus on the Mediterranean region, which becomes increasingly arid as the climate is warming. ASIM can - with other satellites - be part of a network tracking and warning for dust storms.

Forest fires
Forest fires are one of the great concerns for the population in areas with little precipitation. It is an increasing problem for the countries around the Mediterranean, where global warming is likely to make the region even drier in the coming years.

With its instruments ASIM can join other missions in monitoring of forest fires. The cameras are especially designed for observations during the night and will be able early to detect forest fires and their development, thereby assisting in the work of extinguishing the fires. ASIM will have particular focus on the countries in the Mediterranean region which during recent years have experienced increased outbreaks of forest fires.

ASIM will also study the interplay between the atmosphere, the heat of the fires and the smoke, in particular their effect on clouds and precipitation.

Volcanoes
Volcanoes have played a big role in the earth's climate. Dust from large eruptions can reach the upper layers of the atmosphere, where it can reside for months and have a cooling effect on the atmosphere. Many of the major eruptions in historical time can also be found in ice cores from Greenland as deposits of dust. Also in more recent times volcanic eruptions have had a cooling effect lasting for some years.

ASIM can measure and characterize the particles that volcanoes eject into the atmosphere. In particular, ASIM can measure both the vertical transport of particles and their horizontal transport in the direction of the wind. Simultaneous measurement of water vapor and clouds will tell about the role of the particles in cloud formation.