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CIMSS-NOAA Weekly Report
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IN THE PRESS:
ITEMS FOR THE ADMINISTRATOR:
ITEMS FOR THE ASSISTANT ADMINISTRATOR:
ITEMS FOR THE OFFICE DIRECTOR, ORA:
ACCOMPLISHMENTS:
GOES Sounder Cloud Top Pressure RUC Model: The operational cloud top pressure retrieval from the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) sounder will be used in the new 20 kilometer Rapid Update Cycle (RUC20) forecast model. The initial 3-dimensional cloud/hydrometeor fields will be updated by combining cloud top pressure data from GOES with the background RUC hydrometeor field. This improves the initial cloud water/ice/rain/snow/graupel fields and the resulting forecast. The Change Notice, issued this week, stated that the new RUC will become operational on April 10. (T. Schreiner, CIMSS, 608-263-6754, T. Schmit, E/RA2, 608-263-0291, R. Aune, 608-262-1071)
Wildfire ABBA Product Monitors the Gavilan Fire in Southern California: At 20:00 UTC (12:00 PM PST) on Sunday, February 10, the Wildfire Automated Biomass Burning Algorithm (ABBA) first detected the Gavilan fire in Southern California as a saturated fire pixel in the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES)-10 data; by 20:15 UTC (12:15 PM PST) the Wildfire ABBA also detected the fire in GOES-8 data as a saturated pixel. The San Diego Union-Tribune reported that the Gavilan wildfire which began near the town of Fallbrook, California on Sunday, extended westward into Camp Pendleton burning over 5000 acres and destroying over 30 homes by Tuesday morning. At around 18:30 UTC (10:30 AM Pacific Standard Time, PST) on Sunday, observers reported some smoldering conditions in the area which rapidly grew into an intense wildfire fanned by Santa Ana winds gusting up to 50 miles per hour. Animations of the GOES-8 and GOES-10 Wildfire ABBA observations of the Gavilan fire can be found on the Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies (CIMSS) GOES gallery at http://cimss.ssec.wisc.edu/goes/misc/20020210/020210.html. (E. Prins, E/RA2, 608-263-6607, C. Schmidt, CIMSS, 608-262-7973)
(Click figure for full view)
Figure caption: GOES-10 Wildfire ABBA product identifies the Gavilan
fire (saturated, yellow pixel) in Southern California at 20:00 UTC on February
10, 2002.
(Click figure for full view)
Figure caption: GOES-8 Wildfire ABBA product identifies the Gavilan
fire (saturated, yellow pixel) in Southern California at 20:15 UTC on February
10, 2002.
ITEMS FOR THE DIVISION CHIEF, ARAD:
ACCOMPLISHMENTS:
Hyperspectral Workshop Attendance: T. Schmit and W. P. Menzel attended the second National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Hyperspectral Workshop on February 12-13, 2002 at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Lincoln Laboratory. T. Schmit gave a presentation on the Advanced Baseline Sounder/Imager (ABS/ABI) and W. P. Menzel gave a presentation on the National Polar Orbiter Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS). The meeting showed many potential benefits of using hyper-spectral data. For example, various "broad-band" images could be built (suited to the application) from the more detailed spectral data. (T. Schmit, E/RA2, 608-263-0291)
GOES-R Sensor Suite Meeting: On February 15, 2002 T. Schmit attended (via a tele-con) a Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES)-R Sensor Suite Concept Study Plan meeting. The meeting was with National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration/Office of Systems Development (NOAA/OSD) and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) personnel. The group will define studies to look at the implementation of measurements/sensor in various orbits and sensor repartitioning. (T. Schmit, E/RA2, 608-263-0291)
Journal Paper Reviewed: J. Key reviewed a paper for the Journal of Applied Meteorology on the nature of warm anomalies ("hot spots") in microwave brightness temperatures over sea ice. (J. Key, E/RA2, 608-263-2605)
VISITORS:
NEXT WEEK:
LOOKING AHEAD:
IN THE PRESS:
ITEMS FOR THE ADMINISTRATOR:
ITEMS FOR THE ASSISTANT ADMINISTRATOR:
ITEMS FOR THE OFFICE DIRECTOR, ORA:
ITEMS FOR THE DIVISION CHIEF, ARAD:
AIRS Science Team Meeting: D. Tobin attended the Atmospheric InfraRed Sounder (AIRS) Science Team Meeting on February 12-14, 2002 in Suitland, Maryland. Dr. Tobin presented the status of evaluation and validation activities at the Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies (CIMSS). These activities include proposed broadband radiance comparisons to Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) imagers. Convolving AIRS high spectral resolution data with GOES spectral response functions represents an enhancement in the accuracy of the current intercalibration technique employed at CIMSS for comparison of geostationary instruments using polar orbiters and should provide a more precise understanding of GOES calibration accuracy. (D. Tobin, CIMSS, 608-265-6281, M. Gunshor , CIMSS, 608-263-1146)
NEXT WEEK:
LOOKING AHEAD: