This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Just two weeks after it was launched, the Copernicus Sentinel-3C satellite returned its first images and measurements from two of its key instruments—a major milestone that confirms the satellite is working well and on track to monitor the health of Earth's oceans, land, cryosphere and atmosphere. This first set of images includes views of Italy, the Arctic and the Caribbean from the satellite's ocean and land color instrument, as well as measurements of the height of the Greenland ice sheet and sea surface from its synthetic aperture radar altimeter.
Sentinel-3C is the third satellite in the Sentinel-3 series and will continue the mission's long-term task of delivering environmental data that are essential for a wide range of applications. As the workhorse mission for Copernicus, the Sentinel-3 satellites carry the same suite of instruments to systematically measure Earth's oceans, land, cryosphere and atmosphere. Over oceans, Sentinel-3 measures the temperature, color and height of the sea surface as well as the thickness of sea ice to support, for example, the monitoring of marine pollution and marine heat waves.
Over land, this mission monitors drought and wildfires, maps the way land is used, checks vegetation health and measures the height of rivers, lakes and polar ice sheets, as shown in the animation of Greenland below. Sentinel-3's observations are also particularly valuable for providing near-real-time parameters for weather forecasting and for monitoring long-term changes associated with climate change. The European Space Agency is still in the process of commissioning Sentinel-3C for service, an important and intricate task that will take another five months.
But after only two weeks in orbit, the satellite's initial images already show that it is performing well. The first image (above), captured by the ocean and land color instrument on Sept. 30, is a natural-color view that reveals Italy in detail, stretching from southern Germany in the north to Sicily and the southern Mediterranean. Just above the center of the image, the broad, flat expanse of the Po Valley—Italy's agricultural heartland—stands out in shades of brown and green.
Just to the north, the snowcapped Alps form a dramatic contrast with the lowlands, their bright peaks clearly visible against the surrounding landscape. Across the rest of Italy, variations in green and brown reflect differences in vegetation, agriculture and other types of land cover. To the east, the deep blue waters of the Adriatic Sea separate Italy from the Balkan Peninsula, which is partially visible in the image.
Noticeable variations in sea color can be seen along Italy's eastern coastline, where lighter blue waters hug the shore. These brighter tones are likely caused by sediment carried into the sea by rivers and transported along the coast. On Italy's western side, the dark waters of the Tyrrhenian Sea surround the islands of Sardinia and Sicily, which are clearly visible, while Corsica is largely obscured by clouds.
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