CIMSS-NOAA Weekly Report [ Archive ]

ASPB AND CIMSS WEEKLY HIGHLIGHTS FOR THE WEEK ENDING DECEMBER 15, 2017

IN THE PRESS:

ITEMS FOR THE ADMINISTRATOR:

ITEMS FOR THE ASSISTANT ADMINISTRATOR:

ITEMS FOR THE OFFICE DIRECTOR, STAR:

Seventh WMO Polar Space Task Group Meeting, Innsbruck: The 7th session of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Polar Space Task Group (PSTG) was held at ENVEO IT (Environmental Earth Observation Information Technology) in Innsbruck, Austria, 12-13 December 2017. The PSTG Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) Coordination Working Group meeting was held on 14 December. Jeff Key, the PSTG Vice Chair, and Sean Helfrich (STAR) participated remotely due to travel constraints. Key and Helfrich are PSTG's NOAA representatives. The PSTG was established for the purpose of space agency planning, processing, and archiving of satellite products covering, or relevant to, the polar regions. All major space agencies have representatives on the PSTG. Key gave a presentation on recent accomplishments of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Global Cryosphere Watch (GCW). Helfrich and Key provided a brief on VIIRS, GOES-16 Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI), Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer 2 (AMSR2), Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder (ATMS), and Sentinel 1 snow and ice product development and applications in NESDIS. The brief also contained an update on the NESDIS contributions to the Year of Polar Predictions (YOPP). (J. Key, E/RA2, 608-263-2605, jkey@ssec.wisc.edu)

CIMSS/SSEC and ASPB assist in the early check-out of GOES-16 ABI at 75W: The GOES-R Algorithm Working Group (AWG) Imagery team, with help from several others, assisted in the early check-out of the GOES-16 Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI) following the satellite's drift maneuver to the operational slot at 75 West longitude. ABI test data (Level-1b and Level-2 Cloud and Moisture Imagery Product (CMIP) files) from December 12 and 13 were obtained, and the team provided feedback that GOES-16 ABI data were meeting the pre-drift expectations for imagery quality, both qualitatively and quantitatively. Full disk, CONUS, and mesoscale scans were checked for all 16 bands using multiple visualization packages and analysis tools, including McIDAS (Man computer Interactive Data Access System)-X, McIDAS-V, SIFT (Satellite Information Familiarization Tool), AWIPS, Glance, and Matlab. Routine flow of ABI data re-started on December 14, 2017, with the expectation that GOES-16 would become operational as GOES-East by December 20, 2017. (M. Gunshor, CIMSS, 608-263-1146; W. Straka III, CIMSS; T. Schmit, E/RA2, 608-263-0291, tim.j.schmit@noaa.gov)

  (Click image to enlarge)

Figure caption: GOES-16 natural color image from the 75W position. 

ITEMS FOR THE DIVISION CHIEF, CoRP:

GOES-16 Resumed Sending Data at 75.2 W, Ready to Soon Become GOES-East: The Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies (CIMSS) Satellite Blog was updated with a post showing examples of Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES)-16 imagery with the satellite now on station at 75.2º W longitude (http://cimss.ssec.wisc.edu/goes/blog/archives/26333). At this new location, NOAA will soon declare GOES-16 to be the operational GOES-East satellite, replacing GOES-13 which had been serving that role since April 2010. (S. Bachmeier, CIMSS, 608-263-3958, S. Lindstrom, CIMSS, 608-263-4429, T. Schmit, E/RA2, 608-263-0291, tim.j.schmit@noaa.gov)

  (Click image to enlarge)

Figure caption: GOES-16 Full Disk Water Vapor (6.9 µm) image at 1630 UTC on 14 December 2017.

CIMSS, SSEC, and AOS Participation in Annual AGU Meeting: The annual meeting of the American Geophysical Union (AGU) - the largest Earth and space science meeting in the world - was held in New Orleans, Louisiana, 11-15 December 2017. More than 40 scientists from the University of Wisconsin-Madison Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies (CIMSS), the Space Science Engineering Center (SSEC), and the Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences (AOS) Department attended. There were 15 CIMSS/SSEC/AOS oral presentations and 23 posters. (J. Key, E/RA2, 608-263-2605, jkey@ssec.wisc.edu)

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