Editing Weather satellite (section)

{{short description|Type of satellite designed to record the state of the Earth's atmosphere}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{distinguish|Atmospheric satellite}}
[[File:GOES-R SPACECRAFT.jpg|300px|thumb|GOES-16, a United States weather satellite of the meteorological-satellite service]]

A '''weather satellite''' or '''meteorological satellite''' is a type of [[Earth observation satellite]] that is primarily used to monitor the [[weather]] and [[climate]] of the Earth.  Satellites are mainly of two types: [[polar orbit]]ing (covering the entire Earth asynchronously) or [[geostationary]] (hovering over the same spot on the [[equator]]).<ref>[[NESDIS]]. [http://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/satellites.html <nowiki>Satellites.[link not working]</nowiki>] Retrieved on July 4, 2008. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080704195947/http://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/satellites.html |date=July 4, 2008 }}</ref>

While primarily used to detect the development and movement of storm systems and other cloud patterns, [[meteorology|meteorological]] satellites can also detect other phenomena such as city lights, fires, effects of pollution, [[auroral light|aurora]]s, sand and [[dust storm]]s, snow cover, ice mapping, boundaries of [[ocean current]]s, and energy flows. Other types of environmental information are collected using weather satellites. Weather satellite images helped in monitoring the volcanic ash cloud from [[Mount St. Helens]] and activity from other volcanoes such as [[Mount Etna]].<ref>[[NOAA]]. [http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=15216 NOAA Satellites, Scientists Monitor Mt. St. Helens for Possible Eruption.] {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20120910225555/http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=15216 |date=September 10, 2012 }} Retrieved on July 4, 2008.</ref> Smoke from [[forest fires|fires]] in the western United States such as [[Colorado]] and [[Utah]] have also been monitored.

[[El Niño]] and its effects on weather are monitored daily from satellite images.  The Antarctic [[ozone hole]] is mapped from weather satellite data.  Collectively, weather satellites flown by the U.S., China, Europe, India, Russia, and Japan provide nearly continuous observations for a global weather watch.