PoPSAT ( Polar Precipitation SATellite ) TEAM BLUE :

The terrestrial water cycle is a unique system on planet Earth. It is directly influenced by our changing climate with most drastic effects in the polar regions. A main element of the water cycle is precipitation, and it is only very sparsely observed at high latitudes. We propose a new satellite mission, POPSat, to observe snow and light rain at high latitudes, as well as snowfall at mid latitudes. The satellite will be equipped with a dual band (Ka and W bands) phased array antenna radar and provide 3D information about precipitation and clouds. The horizontal resolution of 2 km will exceed all other observations, and the measurements at high latitudes, together with the capability to monitor snowfall, will complement the GPM mission’s observations. By filling this gap, POPSat will provide essential data for improving global weather and climate models. 1 Scientific background Water, and the water cycle in particular, is surely fundamental to understand our Earth’s functioning. Precipitation is a key process in the weather and climate system, due to its storage, transport and release of latent heat in the atmosphere. In order to establish a global perspective of this process, observation from space is vital to produce globally consistent data, including areas unreachable by in-situ measurements. Precipitation has been extensively investigated in low latitudes, in which detailed models have been established for weather prediction. However, a gap has been left in higher latitudes above 65°, which prevents the creation of global understanding of precipitation ́s role in weather and climate [1]. Figure 1: IPCC (2013): Climate Change 2013, The Physical Science Basis, Summary for Policymakers, 20 Present surface temperature observations and climate model simulations have estimated