CIMSS-NOAA Weekly Report [ Archive ]

CIMSS-NOAA WEEKLY HIGHLIGHTS FOR THE WEEK ENDING JANUARY 16, 2026

DATA, INFORMATION, AND USE-INSPIRED SCIENCE:

Enhancement to McIDAS-V to Import NASA PACE Data: Through a collaboration between researchers at the Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies (CIMSS) and the Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere (CIRA) VIIRS Imagery Team, the Man computer Interactive Data Access System (McIDAS-V) visualization software was updated to import data from the NASA PACE (Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem) mission. Using the HYDRA2 (Hyperspectral Data Viewer for Development of Research Applications) framework within McIDAS-V, PACE Ocean Color Instrument (OCI) Level-1B reflectance data were loaded, visualized, and analyzed to examine an algal bloom near Argentina’s Atlantic coastline on 09 November 2025. In this case, the OCI 670 nm band is used because it can distinguish between algae and sediment, as algae have lower reflectance than sediment at this wavelength. HYDRA’s hyperspectral capabilities allow users to interactively display individual wavelengths, adjust enhancements and data ranges, and create channel combinations and three-color RGB composites. (D. Santek, CIMSS, 608-263-7410; R. Carp, CIMSS; T. Jasmin, CIMSS)

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Figure: The left panel shows the 670 nm wavelength band, which helps differentiate between sediment and algae. The two probe values show this difference as the algae has a reflectance of 0.02, and the sediment is 0.12. The True Color RGB image (right) uses slightly different wavelengths (red = 630nm, green = 532nm, blue=465nm), providing additional context for the spatial extent and visual appearance of the bloom.

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CIMSS Satellite Blog Updates: The Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies (CIMSS) Satellite Blog was updated with the following posts: "Thundersnow in New Mexico" (Jan. 8), "Episode 40 of the ongoing eruption of Kilauea" (Jan. 12), "Gale Force Winds Over the Great Lakes" (Jan. 14) and "Prescribed burns near the Gulf Coast of Texas and Louisiana" (Jan. 15). (S. Bachmeier, T. Wagner, CIMSS, 608-890-1980)

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Figure: Metop-C ASCAT winds at 0319 UTC on January 14, 2026 -- showing Gale Force winds over Lake Superior.

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Figure: GOES-19 GeoColor RGB image with an overlay of NGFS Fire Detection polygons at 2221 UTC on January 15, 2026 -- showing the thermal signatures and smoke plumes associated with prescribed burns near the Gulf Coast of Texas and Louisiana.

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