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CIMSS-NOAA Weekly Report
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ASPB AND CIMSS WEEKLY HIGHLIGHTS FOR THE WEEK ENDING MAY 14, 2004
IN THE PRESS:
ITEMS FOR THE ADMINISTRATOR:
ITEMS FOR THE ASSISTANT ADMINISTRATOR:
ORA and Cooperative Institute Support for NOAA
Homeland Security COOP Drill: On Wednesday May 12, the Office
of Research and Applications (ORA) Advanced Satellite Products Branch
(ASPB) and the Regional and Mesoscale Meteorology Team (RAMMT) and
associated cooperative institutes in Madison, WI and Fort Collins, CO
responded to a request from the NOAA Homeland Security Team for
forecasting fire support in the Western states of California, Nevada,
and Colorado as part of the COOP drill. The response included
summaries of current fire weather conditions and outlook and
MODerate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and Geostationary
Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) derived fire products.
Both satellite imagery and derived products were used to assess the
current situation and predict future fire conditions. A summary
report was faxed to K. Kelly (Office of Satellite Operations) and made
available via anonymous ftp at the Cooperative Institute for
Meteorological Satellite Studies (CIMSS). (E. Prins, E/RA2,
530-271-2256, L. Gumley, CIMSS, 608-265-5358, S. Bachmeier, CIMSS,
608-263-3958 J. Weaver, E/RA2, 970-491-8342, D. Lindsey, CIRA,
970-491-8366)
Third GOES-R Users' Conference: The Third
GOES-R
Users' Conference was held in Broomfield, Colorado, May 10-13, 2004.
There were more than 300 participants, including 15 from other
countries. The conference featured GOES-R informational briefings,
sessions on user readiness, presentations on international
contributions to the global observing system, and sessions focused on
each of the NOAA Mission goals. 60 posters on a wide range of topics
were on display for the duration of the conference. In the final
day of the conference user feedback was solicited in break-out
sessions; the users indicated that the conference had been very useful.
(T. Schmit, E/RA2,
608-263-0291, W. P. Menzel,
E/RA2)
608-263-4930)
Significance:
This meeting focused on user readiness and the GOES-R mission. Each of
the five conference goals were met:
1) Inform users on the status of the GOES-R constellation,
instruments, and operations;
2) Refine potential user applications for data and products from
the GOES-R series;
3) Seek ways to help the user communities prepare for GOES-R;
4) Address user and societal benefits of the GOES-R series as an
integral part of the Global Observing System;
5) Continue to improve communication between NOAA and the GOES
user communities;
NOAA Mission Goals:
Understand climate variability and change to enhance society's ability
to plan and respond.
Serve society's needs for weather and water information.
Protect, restore, and manage the use of coastal and ocean resources
through ecosystem-based management.
Support the Nation's commerce with information for safe, efficient, and
environmentally sound transportation.
NOAA Cross-Cutting Priorities:
Integrated Global Environmental Observation and Data Management System
Environmental Literacy, Outreach, and Education
Sound, Reliable State-of-the-Art Research
International Cooperation and Collaboration
Homeland Security
Organizational Excellence: Leadership, Human Capital, Facilities,
Information Technology, and Administrative Products and Services
Paper on Daytime
Cloud Overlap Detection Published: A paper titled "Daytime cloud
overlap detection from AVHRR and VIIRS" was published in the May issue
of the Journal of Applied Meteorology. The paper by M.
Pavolonis (Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies)
and A. Heidinger, describes two automated algorithms for detecting
cloud overlap using daytime satellite imagery. (M. Pavolonis, CIMSS,
608-263-9597, A. Heidinger, E/RA2, 608-263-6757)
Significance:
The algorithm described in the paper
provides a new NESDIS product. The ability to detect multi-layer
cloud is a critical
capability and enhances our ability to characterize cloudiness from
satellites.
NOAA Mission Goal:
Serve society's needs for weather and
water information.
NOAA Cross-Cutting Priorities:
Sound, Reliable State-of-the-Art
Research
ITEMS FOR THE OFFICE DIRECTOR, ORA:
ITEMS FOR THE DIVISION CHIEF, ARAD
Critique of VISIT lesson on cloud heights and
GOES
retrievals in AWIPS: A new Virtual
Institute for Satellite Integration Training (VISIT) lesson was
presented on May 14, 2004 by D.
Bikos and D. Lindsey (Cooperative Institute for Research in the
Atmosphere
(CIRA)) as a beta test with ten remote user sites.
G.
Wade and R. Aune contributed to discussion during
the lesson, entitled “Interactive Cloud Height Algorithm and GOES
Sounder Point
Retrievals in AWIPS”, as well as with significant written comments and
suggestions. Although individual
atmospheric profiles derived from the Geostationary Operational
Environmental
Satellite (GOES) Sounder are now available within the National Weather
Service
(NWS) Advanced Weather Interactive Processing System (AWIPS), the most
appropriate and effective use of the Sounder data remains through
depiction of
the trends and patterns evident in the vertically integrated parameters
shown
as Derived Product Imagery (DPI). S.
Bachmeier, S. Lindstrom, and A. Schreiner (Cooperative Institute for
Meteorological Satellite Studies (CIMSS)) also participated in
evaluation of
the beta test. (G.S. Wade, E/RA2,
608-263-4743; R.M. Aune, E/RA2, 608-262-1071)
Participation in the AMS Hurricane Conference:
Several members
of the Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies
(CIMSS) Tropical Cyclone Group (CTCG) attended the American
Meteorological Society (AMS) Hurricane conference
held in Miami. Ten papers were presented with various CTCG
scientists as authors,
seven of those as lead presentations. Topics included the CIMSS
Advanced Objective Dvorak Technique and Advanced Microwave Sounding
Unit (AMSU) methods for estimating tropical cyclone (TC)
intensity, new image morphing tools for creating seamless animations of
infrequent scans, satellite observations of mesoscale vortices,
satellite presentations of the Saharan Air Layer and the impact on TC
intensity, and the role of THORPEX in adaptive observing of TCs. There
was also a special session chaired by C. Velden on "30 years of the
Dvorak Technique". This session was well attended and received high
praise. It will be summarized in a forthcoming special paper for the
Bulletin of the AMS. (C.
Velden, CIMSS,
608-262-9168)
GOES-12 Imager Cloud
Product. As of 19Z May 12, 2004 the Geostationary Operational
Environmental Satellite (GOES) -12 Imager Cloud Product is being
produced
using the 101 level Pressure layered Fast Algorithm for AtmoSpheric
Transmittance (PFAAST) model. This replaces the 42 level PFAAST model.
It
is expected that the increased vertical resolution transmittance model
will allow for better vertical resolution of cloud heights in addition
to
the already improved horizontal resolution (4 km vs 10 km), greater
total
coverage (full disc vs Continental United States) and potentially finer
temporal resolution (15 min vs 1 hour) of the GOES Imager versus the
GOES
Sounder. These products are being generated hourly at the Cooperative
Institute for Meteorological Satellite
Studies (CIMSS) and can be viewed at http://cimss.ssec.wisc.edu/goes/realtime/aniimgctp_g12_conus.html.
(J. Jung, CIMSS, 301-763-8204, T. Schreiner,
CIMSS,
608-263-6754, T. Schmit,
E/RA2,
608-263-0291)
Invited Seminar presented at Colorado State
University: A. Heidinger presented results to the Department
of Atmospheric at Colorado State University (CSU) on a recent
multi-layer multi-year cloud climatology developed using data from
the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR). While
at CSU, A. Heidinger also visited with Professor Graeme Stephens's
research group.
(A. Heidinger, E/RA2,
608-263-6757)
ASPT Well Represented at GOES-R Users Conference:
The Advanced Satellite Products Team (ASPT) and the Cooperative
Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies (CIMSS) were well
represented at the third GOES Users' Conference, held near Boulder,
Colorado, May 10-13, 2004. The combined participation of the federal
and CIMSS personnel from Madison, Wisconsin included 9 oral
presentations and 23 posters on a wide range of topics. The
presentations by T. Schmit were on the Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI),
Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES)-R Data
Distribution and a summary of all 60 posters. A. Heidinger and T.
Schmit were leads on the posters titled "Using GOES-R data to Diagnose
Numerical Weather Models" and "Using GOES-R to help fulfill NOAA's
Mission Goals", respectively.
(T. Schmit, E/RA2,
608-263-0291)
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