CIMSS-NOAA Weekly Report
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ASPB AND CIMSS WEEKLY HIGHLIGHTS FOR THE WEEK ENDING NOVEMBER 12, 2005

IN THE PRESS:


Edmund Fitzgerald Weather Simulation in the Press: WIBA radio and WISC-TV, Madison, Wisconsin interviewed Bob Aune about his model simulation of the November 10, 1975 storm that sank the Edmund Fitzgerald in Lake Superior on November 10, 1975. Aune performed the simulation to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the tragedy.  The University of Wisconsin press release is available at http://www.news.wisc.edu/releases/11828.html.  (Jen O'Leary, SSEC, 608-263-3373, Terri Gregory, CIMSS, R.Aune, E/RA2, 608-262-1071, robert.aune@noaa.gov)

ITEMS FOR THE ADMINISTRATOR:

ITEMS FOR THE ASSISTANT ADMINISTRATOR:

Climate and Cryosphere Science Steering Group Meeting: J. Key attended the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP) Climate and Cryosphere (CliC) Science Steering Group meeting November 6-9 in Copenhagen, Denmark.  The meeting was hosted by the Danish Polar Center. Key presented the Integrated Global Observing Strategy (IGOS) Cryosphere Theme, an international effort to identify major issues regarding a common and integrated observational strategy for snow and ice cover, permafrost and seasonally frozen land, glaciers, ice sheets, and ice caps, and solid precipitation (http://stratus.ssec.wisc.edu/igos-cryo). Key also presented CliC's International Polar Year (IPY) project and recent activities of the WCRP Observation and Assimilation Panel. (J. Key, E/RA2, 608-263-2605, jeff.key@noaa.gov)

Significance:
The Group on Earth Observations (GEO) Framework Document, 2004, states that the design approach for the Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS) builds on existing systems and data, as well as existing documentation describing observational needs in these areas.  The IGOS Themes play a primary role in this regard, as indicated in the GEO 2005 10-Year GEOSS implementation plan: "An integrated observation strategy (i.e. one that is coordinated, co-designed and shares data) is both more effective and more efficient than stand-alone strategies. This principle is exemplified by the work of the Integrated Global Observing Strategy Partnership (IGOS-P)".  The IGOS Cryosphere Theme will help define an integrated, coordinated, global observing strategy for the cryosphere.  The GEOSS implementation plan reference document further recommends to ?Support implementation of actions called for in GCOS Implementation Plan and the relevant IGOS-P Theme Reports". Vice Admiral (Ret.) Lautenbacher is a GEO co-chair.

NOAA Mission Goal:
Understand Climate Variability and Change to Enhance Society's Ability to Plan and Respond
Serve Society's Needs for Weather and Water Information
Support the Nation's Commerce with Information for Safe, Efficient, and Environmentally Sound Transportation

NOAA Cross-Cutting Priorities:
Sound, Reliable State-of-the-Art Research
Integrating Global Environmental Observations and Data Management

ITEMS FOR THE OFFICE DIRECTOR, STAR

Grant Awarded for Educational Applications of Science on a Sphere: NOAA's Office of Education awarded a joint grant to Hampton University (HU) and University of Wisconsin–Madison (UW) to develop and implement educational applications of NOAA’s Science on a Sphere (SOS) visualization technology. NOAA’s SOS was installed last June at Nauticus, The National Maritime Center (TNMC), in Norfolk, Virginia. Steve Ackerman, Tom Whittaker and Rick Kohrs met with project partners at the Nauticus Museum to plan education activities.  UW will supply satellite and weather data and develop education modules.  UW data products were displayed on the sphere during the visit. (S. Ackerman, CIMSS, 608-263-3647)

Simulation Commemorates 30th Anniversary of the Edmund Fitzgerald Tragedy: R. Aune (NESDIS at the Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Studies, CIMSS) used the CIMSS Regional Assimilation System (CRAS) model to produce a simulation of the November 10, 1975 storm that sank the Edmund Fitzgerald.  The simulation, a 60-hour forecast from 00UTC, November 9, 1975, proved to be a challenge for the CRAS model that was developed and configured to use observations from satellites.  For this simulation the CRAS used gridded data sets from the Reanalysis Project of the National Centers for Environmental Studies (NCEP) and National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), along with radiosonde and surface observations. Visualizations of the simulation (http://cimss.ssec.wisc.edu/model/cras61_EF/cras61_EF.html) will be used to teach fundamental winter storm dynamics in Prof. Steve Ackerman's basic meteorology course at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. (R.Aune, E/RA2, 608-262-1071, robert.aune@noaa.gov)

ITEMS FOR THE DIVISION CHIEF, CoRP

New GOES High Density Winds VISIT Lesson: An updated version of the "GOES High Density Winds" Virtual Institute for Satellite Integration Training (VISIT) lesson was completed and added to the VISIT training calendar. Five National Weather Service forecast offices participated in the initial distance learning lesson, which was conducted on November 7. (S. Bachmeier, CIMSS, 608-263-3958)

High School Students Complete 2005 Science Research Internship at CIMSS:  Two Madison area high school students, Bryce Lampe and Adeyinka Lesi, completed an 8 week summer internship at the Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Studies (CIMSS) by presenting their results of  'Modeling Satellite Tracers with a Simple Barotropic Model' at a Madison Area School Disrict event.  Eighteen students from Madison area high schools were teamed up with advisors from various departments at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, for eight weeks last summer to experience first hand the process of conducting basic and applied research.  Bryce and Adeyinka, under the direction of R. Aune, used a simple 2-dimensional barotropic model to track 6.7 micron and 13.3 micron brightness temperatures from the GOES-12 imager at different pressure levels in the atmosphere.  They were able to accurately track brightness temperatures for three hour periods, as long as clouds were not present. (R.Aune, E/RA2, 608-262-1071, robert.aune@noaa.gov)

Extended Abstract on Intercalibration Submitted to AMS: An extended abstract titled "Intercalibration of the newest geostationary imagers via high spectral resolution AIRS data" was submitted for the 14th Satellite Meteorology and Oceanography Conference to be held January 30-February 02, 2006 in Atlanta, Georgia as part of the Annual American Meteorological Society (AMS) meeting.  Atmospheric InfraRed Sounder (AIRS) data are highly calibrated, high-spectral resolution data which greatly improve comparisons to broadband imagers such as Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) and Meteosat over prior methods of intercalibration.  This manuscript expands upon prior comparisons between the world's geostationary imagers and AIRS and also brings the imager on Japan's Multifunctional Transport Satellite (MTSAT)-1R into the fold with recent comparisons of that Imager which show that GOES-9, -10, -12, Meteosat-8, and MTSAT-1R are all well calibrated in most infrared channels.  MTSAT-1R is scheduled to replace GOES-9 over the West Pacific in November, 2005. (M. Gunshor, CIMSS, 608-263-1146, T. Schmit, E/RA2, 608-263-0291, tim.j.schmit@noaa.gov)


Polar DAAC Advisory Group Meeting: J. Key participated via telecon in the Polar DAAC Advisory Group (PoDAG) meeting November 3-4.   The meeting was held at the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC).  PoDAG is a scientific advisory group for the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC), which is a National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Distributed Active Archive Center (DAAC).  The group advises NSIDC on data issues relevant to the polar regions.  Key is a member of PoDAG. (J. Key, E/RA2, 608-263-2605, jeff.key@noaa.gov)

Other Meetings and Telecons:
(None)

VISITORS:

NEXT WEEK:

Several members of the Advanced Satellite Products Branch (ASPB) will particpate in the kick-off of GOES-R Algorithm Working Group (AWG) Application Team (AT) Workshop on November 16-18, 2005 in Falls Church, VA. ASPB serves as AT members, chairs, and speakers or on the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC).  ASPB members involved are A. Heidinger, J. Key, M. Pavolonis and T. Schmit.

LOOKING AHEAD:

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