CIMSS-NOAA Weekly Report [ Archive ]

CIMSS-NOAA WEEKLY HIGHLIGHTS FOR THE WEEK ENDING MARCH 13, 2026

DATA, INFORMATION, AND USE-INSPIRED SCIENCE:

PEOPLE, AWARDS AND RECOGNITION:

TRAVEL AND MEETINGS:

TRAINING AND EDUCATION:

MEDIA INTERACTIONS AND REQUESTS:

SOCIAL MEDIA AND BLOG Posts:

CIMSS Satellite Blog Updates: The Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies (CIMSS) Satellite Blog (https://cimss.ssec.wisc.edu/satellite-blog/) was updated with the following posts: "Tornadoes responsible for fatalities in Michigan and Oklahoma" (Mar. 6), "Atlanta Hailstorm Grounds Flights, Causes Massive Delays" (Mar. 7), "Severe thunderstorms produce tornadoes and hail as large as 6.00″ in diameter across northern Illinois" (Mar. 10), "Kilauea Volcanic Fountain Creates Ash Clouds, Flight Cancellations" (Mar. 11) and "Tehuano gap wind event" (Mar. 12). (S. Bachmeier, T. Wagner, CIMSS, 608-890-1980)

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Figure: GOES-18 Ash RGB image at 0210 UTC on March 11, 2026 - showing the SO2-rich volcanic cloud (shades of cyan) from an eruption of Kilauea on the Big Island of Hawai`i.

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Figure: True Color RGB images from GOES-18 (left) and GOES-19 (right) at 1820 UTC on March 12, 2026 -- showing the southward transport of dust across the Gulf of Tehuantepec by Tehuano gap winds.

PUBLICATIONS:

Paper Published on Boundary Layer Moisture Retrievals: In this paper titled “Enhancing Atmospheric Boundary Layer Moisture Retrievals by Adding Radiance Measurements Sensitive to Rotational Water Vapor Absorption,” E. Weisz and W. P. Menzel investigate how to improve boundary layer moisture retrievals by adding selected infrared (IR) channels from a low-earth-orbiting hyperspectral sounder, such as the Cross-track Infrared Sounder (CrIS), to the bands of a geostationary satellite imaging instrument such as the Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI). Current geostationary imagers show poor skill in resolving low-level moisture features. Adding radiance information from five online water vapor rotational channels in the window along with adjacent offline channels move the low-level temperature and humidity retrievals, derived from ABI data, closer to those possible with a full capability geostationary hyperspectral sounder. These ten online and offline CrIS channels have differing absorption strengths and weighting functions that suggest sensitivity to moisture changes near the surface between 900 and 700 hPa. This study offers a partial look into the enhanced capability of the next-generation geostationary satellites with hyperspectral IR sounders onboard, providing detailed vertical profiles of temperature and moisture to benefit a variety of applications like weather monitoring and nowcasting operations. The paper published in the Geophysical Research Letters can be found at https://doi.org/10.1029/2025GL121184 (E. Weisz, SSEC/CIMSS, 608-263-4930).  

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Figure: Water vapor mixing ratio [g/kg] and relative humidity [%] below 500 hPa at one selected location at approx. 2000 UTC using the full CrIS spectral channel set measurements (yellow), eight ABI-like IR bands (blue), and eight ABI-like bands plus 10 online and offline CrIS channels (red). ABI-like bands refer to CrIS radiances convolved to the ABI IR bands. From the tornadic event over Nebraska on 5 May 2021.

Publication on a global validation network for water quality products: Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies PI Steve Greb co-authored a recent publication in the Journal of Remote Sensing titled “Advancements in Satellite Observations of Inland and Coastal Waters: Building Towards a Global Validation Network” (DOI:10.3390/rs17244008). This paper was the culmination of work following the NASA ROSES workshop held at the UW-Madison in the summer of 2022. The paper covers current validation efforts, identifies future validation needs, reviews field measurements, instrumentation, radiometry protocols, calibration (implying traceability), global databases, and finally, recommendations on working towards a global validation network. Developing and maintaining trust of water quality products derived from remote sensing through proper validation protocols is critical for the uptake from the end user community. In addition, with web and editing assistance from Leanne Avila (CIMSS), guidance material have now been placed on the GEO AquaWatch website. (Steve Greb, CIMSS, srgreb@wisc.edu) 

OTHER: