Geography in the News 4 - Read the article and answer the Qs

Read this article and then answer the questions - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-65476909

What is Meteosat-12?

• A satellite for tracking wildfire

• A weather satellite for Europe

• A satellite for tracking hurricanes

• A satellite for tracking stars

Answer explanation

Europe's new weather satellite takes first photos - the answer was in the news reports title

How high above the equator is Meteosat-12?

• 36,000km

• 20,000km

• 50,000km

• 10,000km

Answer explanation

The answer was in the second sentence - The spacecraft, which sits 36,000km above the equator,

How long will the testing phase of Meteosat-12 last?

• The rest of this year

• Only a few weeks

• One month

• Two years

Answer explanation

The answer was in the second sentence - The spacecraft, ... is currently in a testing phase that will last most of this year.

What is "nowcasting"?

• Forecasting earthquakes

• Detecting glacier retreat

• The ability to predict hazardous weather

• Detecting wildfires

Answer explanation

"nowcasting" - the ability to say with greater confidence that violent winds, lightning, hail or heavy downpours are about to strike a particular area.

So it offers more accurate and timely predictions of possible weather in very precise areas.

What feature of Meteosat-12 will contribute to improved forecasting?

• Increased resolution

• Increased speed

• Increased wavelength

• Increased size

Answer explanation

Increased resolution of Meteosat-12. For previous generation satellites, a feature in a storm had to be at least 1km across to be detected. The new spacecraft will track features as small as 500m in diameter.

How small of a feature can Meteosat-12 detect?

• 500m in diameter

• 1km in diameter

• 100m in diameter

• 10km in diameter

Answer explanation

increased resolution of Meteosat-12. For previous generation satellites, a feature in a storm had to be at least 1km across to be detected. The new spacecraft will track features as small as 500m in diameter.

What does "overshooting top" refer to?

• A part of a thunderstorm's cloud development

• A point where climate change becomes irreversible

• A satellite tracking feature

• A wildfire characteristic

Answer explanation

'overshooting top' is a part of a thunderstorm's cloud development where you might see very strong updrafts and downdrafts.

How many wavelengths of light does Meteosat-12 use?

• 16

• 12

• 20

• 10

Answer explanation

It also views the planet in more wavelengths of light. Sixteen instead of the previously available 12. 

What is the expected rate of full pictures returned by Meteosat-12?

• One every 10 minutes

• One every 5 minutes

• One every hour

• One every 2 minutes

Answer explanation

It will return a full picture of the weather systems racing across Earth's surface at a rate of one every 10 minutes, five minutes faster than has been the case up to now.

What is the cost of the overall Meteosat-12 system?

• €4.3bn (£3.7bn)

• €1bn (£0.9bn)

• €10bn (£8.6bn)

• €2bn (£1.7bn)

Answer explanation

The overall cost is expected to be about €4.3bn (£3.7bn).