Current status of the MTG-FCI AMV prototype

Abstract

The Meteosat Third Generation (MTG) programme is intended to provide meteorological data from the geostationary orbit as a continuation of the Meteosat Second Generation (MSG) services at least until the mid-2040s. The programme consists of a twin satellite concept, based on three-axis stabilised platforms: four imaging satellites (MTG-I) and two sounding satellites (MTG-S). The first MTG satellite is currently scheduled for a launch around the fourth quarter of 2021. Images from the Flexible Combined Imager (FCI) instrument on board the MTG-I satellites will be used to derive Atmospheric Motion Vectors (AMVs) in a wide range of frequencies, from visible to infrared, ensuring the continuity of the Full Earth Scan service currently provided by Meteosat-11. AMVs are derived from satellites by tracking clouds or water-vapour features in consecutive satellite images. They are an important meteorological product because they are assimilated in Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) models and contribute to the improvement of forecast scores. The MTG-FCI AMV extraction algorithm is largely based on that of MSG, with a few important differences (three images instead of four, no intermediate product averaging, etc.). This MTG-FCI AMV algorithm strategy is expected to provide more instantaneous information on the wind vectors, which is more suitable for the smaller-scale evolution of NWP models. In this paper, the current status of the MTG-FCI AMV prototype is presented, together with a detailed comparison of the MSG and MTG-FCI AMV algorithm performances using one month of MSG data. The impact of the new MTG-FCI strategy on the AMV product and its performance against forecast are also analysed.