The European Space Agency (ESA) has launched a satellite to provide the first global maps of water and moisture distribution.
The Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) mission was launched early today from Plesetsk cosmodrome in northern Russia.
SMOS will map both sea surface salinity and soil moisture to survey the water cycle between oceans, the atmosphere and land.
"Since these exchanges – most of which occur in remote areas – directly affect the weather, they are of paramount importance to meteorologists," said Volker Liebig, ESA’s director of Earth Observation Programmes.
"Moreover, salinity is one of the drivers for the Thermohaline Circulation, the large network of currents that steers heat exchanges within the oceans on a global scale, and its survey has long been awaited by climatologists who try to predict the long-term effects of today’s climate change."
SMOS is the second satellite under ESA's Earth Explorer programme after the Gravity and Steady-state Ocean Circulation Explorer launched in March.
Future missions will measure the thickness of the ice sheets, study atmospheric dynamics and measure the weakening of the earth's magnetic field.
Jean-Jacques Dordain, ESA's director-general, said: "We are extremely pleased with this double 'lucky strike' that will provide Europe with new tools to better understand our planet and climate change, as well as new technology breakthroughs that will enhance the competitiveness of European industry on the world-wide market, thus contributing to the global economy."