Japan, Europe to launch satellite in 2013 to study clouds, climate

Tokyo, June 4 Kyodo - The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency has decided to launch a satellite in 2013 jointly with the European Space Agency to study the effects of clouds in trying to accurately forecast the progress of global warming, Japanese agencyofficials said Tuesday.

The launch of EarthCARE is expected to increase the accuracy of global warming predictions, such as average temperature rises at the end of the century, a move that would help craft measures to address climate change, said the Japanese agency known as JAXA.

Clouds have been the biggest obstacle for scientists in predicting the warming of the Earth, according to the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

Loaded with four sensors, EarthCARE will survey dust and dirt in clouds and the Earth's atmosphere. JAXA will develop a cloud-profiling radar, a key component of the vehicle.

JAXA said it wants the satellite to improve numerical weather forecast models by acquiring vertical profiles of clouds and aerosols, as well as the radiances at the top of the atmosphere.

Aerosols control cloud properties, while clouds control the production of precipitation and convection influences stratospheric humidity. ==Kyodo