Madrid, Spain, February 28, 2013 -- Measurements made by the satellite SMOS – for which Spain developed MIRAS, the primary measuring instrument – have been unveiled in Madrid.

A little over three years ago, the European Space Agency (ESA) launched the SMOS (Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity) satellite to observe changes in the humidity of the earth and salinity of the oceans. This demonstrated Europe’s key role – with the cooperation of Spanish experts and companies – in the observation of the Earth, as well as its commitment to helping the advancement of research into climate change.

Spain was responsible for the MIRAS (Microwave Imaging Radiometer with Aperture Synthesis), the satellite’s main measuring instrument, which was developed with the participation of various Spanish and European companies and coordinated by Spain’s EADS-CASA Space. It is an antenna with three deployable arms that measures the microwaves emitted by the Earth’s surface, making it possible to measure soil humidity and water salinity. Its shape has led to it being nicknamed the “star in the sky”.

Álvaro Jiménez, director of ESAC (the European Space Astronomy Centre) unveiled the satellite’s results in Madrid, at the centre’s headquarters in Villanueva de la Cañada (Madrid). The most striking results are those relating to the Gulf Stream, which originates in the Caribbean and flows towards the North Atlantic. This phenomenon plays a fundamental role in transferring heat and salt, and has a decisive impact on the climate of North America and the western coast of Europe.

Now, thanks to the SMOS, scientists are able to monitor the extent and thickness of Arctic sea ice and can measure wind speed during a hurricane, using MIRAS to measure the microwave radiation emitted by churned-up seas.