Photos: Satellite mapping through clouds

Satellite technology able to penetrate thick cloud cover is being used to help prevent future tragedies on the mudflats of Morecambe Bay.

Cockle picking still continues in the Morecambe Bay area, despite the drowning of 23 people in the bay's fast moving tides more than three years ago.

The satellite images are generated using radar and will assist rescue services when responding to emergency calls from anyone trapped on the coastline.

A team from the University of Manchester will begin collecting data to build a model to create maps forecasting how the mudflats change each month.

These maps will be assembled from data beamed by the European Space Agency's Envisat satellite to stations in Italy, Scotland and Sweden.

The teams will then use sophisticated software to convert the images into maps, which will then be analysed and interpreted for changes in the structure and topography of the sand dunes.

Pictured is a satellite image of Morecambe Bay. The darker areas show the hilly regions of the mudflats and the light yellow portions are the flatter areas.

These topography maps will also be given to the bay's emergency services to help them navigate the area.

Photo credit: ESA/Envisat