Satellites and Spacecraft > Earth Observation Satellites > Earth Cloud, Aerosol and Radiation Explorer (EarthCARE)
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EarthCARE is an earth observation satellite that Japan and Europe have been jointly developing. Using its four sensors (Cloud Profiling Radar, Backscatter Lidar, Multi-Spectral Imager and Broadband Radiometer), clouds and aerosols (small particles like dust and dirt that exist in the earth's atmosphere) will be observed on a global scale to improve the accuracy of climate change predictions.
Climate change predictions are carried out by simulating the climate on computers. The accuracy of these simulations essentially depends on how accurate the data is portrayed from natural phenomena. However, as all natural phenomena related to climate changes are not yet understood, current predictions are sometimes unreliable. The biggest cause of this is said to be the effects from clouds and aerosols in radiation balance of the Earth's atmosphere.