Volcanic Ash Detection (netCDF) - MSG - Indian Ocean

The ash detection is based on a reversed split window technique, supported by tests in the other IR channels and two VIS channels. The product is disseminated in netCDF classic format, that contains as main parameters the ash mass loading and the mean ash particle size. Note that the netCDF files have been compressed with bzip2 and before uncompressing them, the 103 bytes LRIT header must first be removed. After decompression, any reader compatible with netCDF classic format (also known as netCDF-3), written with netCDF library version 4.1.1, can be used to read the data. The navigation data is not supplied within the netCDF product but can be found in the online resources.

From 1 June 2022, Meteosat-9 at 45.5° E is the prime satellite for the IODC service, replacing Meteosat-8 (located at 41.5° E while in operation).