CIMSS-NOAA Weekly Report
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ASPB AND CIMSS WEEKLY HIGHLIGHTS FOR THE WEEK ENDING JANUARY 26, 2007

IN THE PRESS:

ITEMS FOR THE ADMINISTRATOR:

ITEMS FOR THE ASSISTANT ADMINISTRATOR:

ITEMS FOR THE OFFICE DIRECTOR, STAR:

Meeting with NOAA Central Library Chief: During the Annual American Meteorological Society (AMS) Meeting in San Antonio, TX, Steve Ackerman and Jean Phillips (Space Science and Engineering Center (SSEC) head Librarian) met with Doria Grimes, Chief of the NOAA Central Library and discussed potential collaborations and capabilities. Future collaborations were identified and will be further explored in the coming year.  (S. Ackerman, CIMSS, 608-263-3647)

Intercalibration Meeting:  Dave Tobin and Mat Gunshor of the Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies (CIMSS) attended the first Global Space-Based Inter-Calibration System (GSICS) meeting of the GSICS Research Working Group (GRWG-I) January 22-23, 2007, at the NOAA Science Center in Camp Springs, Maryland.  Tobin and Gunshor presented summaries of intercalibration work done at CIMSS over the past decade covering a wide-range of satellite-to-satellite intercalibration, aircraft-based validation, and ground-based validation of satellite instrument calibration.  Recommendations were made to the international GSICS council on how to proceed with coordinated efforts to intercalibrate the world's geostationary imagers using polar-orbiting high spectral resolution instruments such as the Atmospheric InfraRed Sounder (AIRS) onboard Aqua and eventually the Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer (IASI) onboard MetOp-A.  (M. Gunshor, CIMSS, 608-263-1146; D. Tobin, CIMSS)

ITEMS FOR THE DIVISION CHIEF, CoRP:

MODIS Imagery in AWIPS Proves Useful: Training on the use of direct broadcast MODIS imagery in AWIPS, given recently by scientists from the Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies (CIMSS) at the NWS office in Sullivan, Wisconsin, appears to have been successful.  One example used in the training was the MODIS 1 km band 7 imagery (2.1 micron), in which snow and ice surfaces appear dark compared to water (liquid phase) clouds.  As a result of their training, one of the Sullivan meteorologists used a band 7 image to determine that one numerical weather prediction model was performing better than another in the timing of cloud clearing from the state.  This convinced the forecaster which model would be most helpful in preparing the 24 hour forecast. The weather discussion issued by the forecaster is included below. (K. Strabala, CIMSS, 608-263-8752)

 AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
 NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN WI
 324 PM CST TUE JAN 23 2007

 .DISCUSSION...FORECAST FOCUS REMAINS ON PCPN CHANCES WITH SERIES OF
 DISTURBANCES IN NW FLOW PATTERN.

 IN THE SHORT TERM...WATER VAPOR IMAGERY SHOWING DISTINCT SHRT WAVE
 AT 20Z JUST NORTH OF LAKE ERIE. SFC TROF REFLECTION OF THIS WAVE
 DROPPING THRU CWA ATTM WITH A FEW BANDS OF FLURRIES WHICH SHOULD
 EXIT SRN CWA BY 00Z.

 BACK EDGE OF LO STRATUS DECK...WHICH SHOWS VERY WELL IN MODIS 1KM
 SNOW/ICE IMAGE AT 1915Z...TIMED TO CLEAR MSN AROUND 06Z AND MKE BY
 09Z. RUC APPEARS TO HAVE BEST HANDLE ON THIS TREND...WITH CLOUDS
 HOLDING TEMPS UP FOR THE EVENING...THEN FALLING OFF RAPIDLY
 OVERNIGHT WITH CLEARING SKIES AND FRESH SNOW COVER REACHING MOS LOWS
 BY SUNRISE.

  (Click image to enlarge)

Figure caption: MODIS band 7 (near infrared) image from 1915 UTC over Wisconsin on 23 Jaunary 2007.  A standard visible image would show both the cloud deck and the background, which is snow covered, to be white. 

Middle School Presentation on Weather Prediction: R. Aune and R. Holz (Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies) visited the Sennett Middle School in Madison, Wisconsin, and gave presentations on observing the atmosphere and predicting its behavior. The presentations proved to be challenging since the school follows the "House" program that includes a multi-grade structure in each classroom; in this case grades six through eight. The lecture emphasized the role of satellites in observing the atmosphere and predicting hazardous weather. (R. Aune, E/RA2, 608-262-1071, robert.aune@noaa.gov; R. Holz, CIMSS, 608-263-2566)

Moisture Evolution with Geostationary Imager:  Evolution of column water vapor can be monitored by geostationary imager infrared (IR) data with high spatial and temporal resolutions.  SEVIRI (Spinning Enhanced Visible and Infra-Red Imager) data from Meteosat-8  has been used to demonstrate the evolution.  The loop below shows the column water vapor (mm) in the 300-700 hPa layer derived from SEVIRI IR spectral bands.  Loops of total precipitable water (TPW) and column water vapor from three layers (900 hPa - surface, 700 - 900 hPa, and 300 - 700 hPa) were sent to Dr. Johannes Schmetz, Head of Meteorological Division at EUMETSAT for collaboration on geostationary imager data process and applications. (J. Li, CIMSS, 608-262-3755)

  (Click image to enlarge animation)

Figure Caption: Animation of the column water vapor (mm) for the layer 300-700 hPa derived from SEVIRI IR spectral bands.

ABI Conference Abstract Submitted: An abstract entitled "The ABI (Advanced Baseline Imager) on Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES)-R" was submitted for the Joint 2007 EUropean organization for the exploitation of METeorological SATellites (EUMETSAT) Meteorological Satellite Conference and the 15th American Meteorological Society (AMS) Satellite Meteorology and Oceanography Conference to be held in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 24-28 September 2007. The authors are Timothy J. Schmit, James J. Gurka, Mathew M. Gunshor, Jun Li, and W. Paul Menzel. Note that abstracts for this conference have a hard deadline of January 31. (T. Schmit, E/RA2, 608-263-0291, tim.j.schmit@noaa.gov)

Other Meetings and Telecons:

None.

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