Europe鈥檚 giant Earth-monitoring satellite Envisat has beamed back its first images one month after launch. They highlight the changing environment of our planet.
One picture shows the break-up of the huge Larsen B ice shelf in Antarctica. Another depicts a bright green bloom of phytoplankton off the coast of Mauritania. These were captured using two of Envisat鈥檚 10 instruments.
The Larsen B ice shelf broke apart at an alarming rate in early March. An image captured by the Advanced Synthetic Aperture Radar instrument shows that the 3250 square kilometre sheet turned into numerous free-floating icebergs. Scientists predicted the collapse but were surprised by the rate at which it occurred. They believe it to be the result of rising temperatures.
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The image of the phytoplankton bloom near the coast of Mauritania, West Africa, was captured by the Medium-Resolution Imaging Spectrometer instrument. The bloom is caused by northeast trade winds that bring nutrient rich water to the surface, but scientist believe the scale of the bloom is sensitive to climate change and needs careful monitoring.
Scientists hope that the combined results of all Envisat鈥檚 instruments will provide the most detailed picture yet of the environmental health of Earth. The satellite will monitor the Earth鈥檚 atmosphere, land, sea and ice.
Envisat was launched from the Kourou spaceport in French Giana on 1 March. Since then, scientists have switched on and calibrated each of Envisat鈥檚 instruments. The satellite was developed over a period of 10 years at a cost of more than 拢1.4 billion.