ASPB and CIMSS Weekly Report
[ Archive ]

ASPB AND CIMSS WEEKLY HIGHLIGHTS FOR THE WEEK ENDING JUNE 28, 2009

IN THE PRESS:

ITEMS FOR THE ADMINISTRATOR:

ITEMS FOR THE ASSISTANT ADMINISTRATOR:

ITEMS FOR THE OFFICE DIRECTOR, STAR:

NAS Panel Workshop (Climate, Energy, and National Security): The National Academy of Sciences (NAS), through the National Research Council (NRC), has established a series of activities to help connect the national intelligence communities to scientific research communities engaged in climate change sciences, environmental sciences, energy science, and disaster research. The purpose is to: (1) further scientific understanding of global climate change and other environmental and disaster related phenomena with added focus on sustainability issues, (2) recommend key measurements, indicators, and metrics that can increase scientific understanding of these topics, and (3) provide information and capability relevant to assessing possible implications for U.S. national security. Scientists involved in this enterprise are participating in scientific and technical activities, one of which is the NRC Committee on Climate, Energy, and National Security (including its supporting topical panels). The panel on 'Atmosphere' met this past week in San Francisco to begin the process of drafting a report on recommendations to the above issues. Chris Velden, Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies (CIMSS), is part of the Atmosphere panel. (C. Velden, CIMSS, 608-262-9168)

ITEMS FOR THE DIVISION CHIEF, CoRP:

GOES Sounder Product Improvements Noted: Amidst routine monitoring of interesting current weather at the Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies (CIMSS), specifically the chances for severe convection across Iowa and southern Wisconsin on the afternoon of 23 June 2009, it was noted how recent developments in retrieval processing of Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) Sounder data influenced the discussion. Due to ongoing research through the GOES Improved Measurement and Product Assurance Plan (GIMPAP), a new version of the retrieval algorithm (known as Li(2008)), which has been developed and implemented at CIMSS, continues to be assessed and compared with the previous (and current operational) algorithm (known as Ma(1999)). Very extreme, and unreasonable, values of moisture and instability are often evident in portions of the Ma(1999) Derived Product Imagery (DPI), such as around cloud regions; such deficiencies are much mitigated within the Li(2008) DPI. Furthermore, on 23 June 2009, the Ma(1999) DPI showed extreme instability across southern Wisconsin and southern Iowa, while the Li(2008) DPI showed much less instability across southern Wisconsin, which was much more in agreement with only one solitary, weak severe event being reported in Wisconsin. (G. S. Wade, E/RA2, 608-263-4743, gary.s.wade@noaa.gov; Z. Li, SSEC, 608-890-1982, zhenglong.li@ssec.wisc.edu; S. Bachmeier, SSEC, 608-263-3958, scott.bachmeier@ssec.wisc.edu)

(Click image to enlarge)

Figure caption: GOES Sounder DPI of Lifted Index (LI) on left, and of Convectively Available Potential Energy (CAPE) on right; where results on top are from the Ma et al (1999) algorithm version, and on bottom, from the Li et al (2008) version, for 20 UTC on 23 Jun 2009.

CIMSS VISIT Activities: The Virtual Institute for Satellite Integration Training (VISIT) distance learning lessons "Basic Satellite Principles" (http://rammb.cira.colostate.edu/visit/basic.html), "Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Products in Advanced Weather Interactive Processing System (AWIPS)" (http://cimss.ssec.wisc.edu/goes/visit/modis.html), and "Interpreting Satellite Signatures" (http://rammb.cira.colostate.edu/visit/sat_signatures.html) were led by staff from the Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies (CIMSS) on June 23 and 24, 2009. National Weather Service (NWS) forecast offices in Shreveport, Louisiana, Raleigh, North Carolina, and Midland, Texas participated in the VISIT lessons. (S. Bachmeier, CIMSS, 608-263-3958, S. Lindstrom, CIMSS, 608-263-4425)

VISITORS:

NEXT WEEK:

LOOKING AHEAD:

Archived Weeklies Page Submit a report item