The missions of Group 4 perform measurements of gases and aerosols in the troposphere and in the stratosphere from geostationary orbits (like Meteosat satellites). They may embark high-spectral resolution imaging spectrometers operating at various wavelengths.
Depending on the sensor characteristics, these missions typically serve a huge number of near real time atmospheric applications, including:
Sentinel-4 satellites, under study for GMES, should tackle atmospheric the GMES atmospheric needs.