Gary S. Wade

Application of GOES-8/9 Soundings to Weather Forecasting and Nowcasting

Abstract Since April 1994 a new generation of geostationary sounders has been measuring atmospheric radiances in 18 infrared spectral bands and thus providing the capability for investigating oceanographic and meteorological phenomena that far exceed those available from the previous generation of Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES). Menzel and Purdom foreshadowed many of the anticipated improvements from the GOES-8/9 sounders. This article presents some of the realizations; it details the in-flight performance of the sounder, presents both validated operational as well as routinely available experimental products, and shows the impact on nowcasting and forecasting activities. For the first time operational hourly sounding products over North America and adjacent oceans are now possible with the GOES-8/9 sounders. The GOES-8/9 sounders are making significant contributions by depicting moisture changes for numerical weather prediction models over the continental United States, monitor...

Estimation of Sea Surface Temperatures Using GOES-8/9 Radiance Measurements

Abstract Sea surface temperatures (SSTs) are derived using measurements from the new generation of imaging instruments on the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES). The National Environmental Satellite, Data and Information Service has been producing hourly GOES SST estimates since December 1998. This paper presents the algorithm for cloud detection and atmospheric moisture correction and shows some initial results. Several advantages of GOES SST are evident in comparison with SST from polar orbiting satellites. Frequent sampling by GOES imagers results in a more complete map of SST as clouds move away. Changes in scene temperature over a short period of time help to detect the presence of clouds. The abundance of GOES observations enables stringent screening for cloud-free observations while maintaining good spatial coverage of clear-sky inferences of SST. Diurnal variations of SST over large areas are observed for the first time and their implications for numerical weather prediction...

Validation and use of GOES sounder moisture information

Abstract The Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) sounders have provided quality hourly radiances and derived products over the continental United States and adjacent oceans for more than five years. The products derived from the radiances include temperature and moisture profiles; total precipitable water vapor (TPW); atmospheric stability indices, such as convective available potential energy (CAPE) and lifted index (LI); cloud-top properties; total column ozone; and midlevel motion. This paper focuses on validation and use of moisture profiles derived in clear regions. Validations are made with respect to collocated radiosondes, a microwave radiometer, and parallel runs of the regional Eta Model system. The ground-based microwave radiometer enables comparisons throughout the day, instead of only at conventional radiosonde launch times (0000 and 1200 UTC). The validations show that the sounder products provide unique information about the state of the atmosphere. The GOES sounder moi...

Derived Product Imagery from GOES-8

Abstract Derived product imagery (DPI) is a method of presenting quantitative meteorological information, derived from satellite measurements, as a color-coded image at single-pixel resolution. Its intended use is as animated sequences to observe trends in the displayed quantities, which for the GOES-8 are total precipitable water, lifted index, and surface skin temperature. Those products are produced once per hour, over the continental United States and the Gulf of Mexico. This paper reviews the development of the DPI and details the algorithm used for GOES-8. The quality of the products is discussed, and an example is given. The greatest value of the DPI probably lies in comparing a sequence of the satellite product with a sequence derived from a numerical forecast. In this way, deviation of the forecast from reality is readily exposed.

Combined Atmospheric Sounding/Cloud Imagery—A New Forecasting Tool

Abstract A method for displaying sounding and cloud information in a composite image is described. Examples are shown to illustrate how a forecaster may use a time sequence of these images to monitor changes in atmospheric moisture and stability antecedent to convective weather and at the same time monitor the cloud developments resulting from these atmospheric moisture and stability tendencies. The image products are now being produced in real time at the University of Wisconsin for an assessment of their operational utility as a part of the NOAA Operational VAS Assessment (NOVA) program. It is likely that the sounding/cloud imagery product will be available to all forecast centers in 1986, after the VAS data acquisition and processing system becomes fully operational.

Evidence of an Agricultural Heat Island in the Lower Mississippi River Floodplain

Abstract The Mississippi River floodplain in the states of Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi, and Louisiana presents a readily discernible feature in weather satellite images. This floodplain appears in the spring and early summer as a daytime warm anomaly at infrared (IR) wavelengths and as a bright reflective area at visible wave-lengths. Remnants of this feature can occasionally be identified at nighttime in the IR satellite images. During June the normalized difference vegetation index identifies major contrasts between this intense agricultural region and the surrounding mixed-forest region. This distinction and the homogeneity of the floodplain, with its alluvial soil, contrast with the encircling region, creating an agricultural region containing heat island features. Thirty years of climatological surface station data for the month of June reveal that the surface air temperatures in the floodplain experience less diurnal variation than those in the surrounding regions. This is primarily because nig...

Satellite Observations of a Severe Supercell Thunderstorm on 24 July 2000 Made during the GOES-11 Science Test

Abstract This paper utilizes a severe thunderstorm case from 24 July 2000 to demonstrate the relevance of Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) rapid-scan imagery and sounder data in the short-range forecasting and nowcasting time frames. Results show how these data can be employed quickly and effectively during the warning decision-making process. Various aspects of the severe storm environment are identified that could only be diagnosed in this case using satellite data. The data used in this study are unique in that the imager and sounder input both come from one of the newest of the geostationary satellites, GOES-11. The datasets were collected as a part of the satellites 6-week science test. During this test period, continuous 1-min imagery and 30-min sounder data were available. The new satellite has now been placed on standby and will be put in service when either GOES-East or GOES-West fails. Two new high-resolution satellite products are presented that are currently in the dev...

Assimilating GOES Brightness Temperatures. Part I: Upper-Tropospheric Moisture

Abstract Imager channel 3 (at 6.7 μm) on the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) is particularly sensitive to water vapor in the atmosphere. Channel-3 data from both clear and cloudy regions are used in a new assimilation scheme to improve the initial upper-tropospheric moisture fields for modeling and numerical weather prediction purposes. In this assimilation, the navigated and calibrated radiance (brightness temperature) observations from GOES are used in combination with a forward radiative transmittance model and a numerical optimization procedure to produce modifications to the upper-tropospheric moisture field. All modifications are made proportional to the contribution weighting function, which is associated with the forward radiative model. Cloudy regions are given special consideration. When processed by a forward radiative transfer model, the assimilated moisture fields are shown to correlate better with GOES observations both initially and in 24- and 48-h forecasts. Additi...

Many uses of the geostationary operational environmental satellite-10 sounder and imager during a high inclination state

Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES)-10 was the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrations (NOAA) operational GOES-West satellite for approximately eight years until it was retired as an operational satellite due to an ever increasing inclination in its orbit. Since its retirement, GOES-10 has been used for a number of applications, such as, special 1-minute imagery over parts of North America during its move to 60° West longitude, routine imagery of the Southern Hemisphere, the first operational Sounder coverage over South America, initialization of regional numerical weather prediction models, and even temporary recalled as the operational GOES-East satellite during a major GOES-12 anomaly. Products from the GOES-10 Sounder and/or Imager include: imagery, cloud-top parameters, atmospheric stability indices, total precipitable water vapor, motion vector winds, volcanic ash detection, fire detection and characterization, and precipitation. As the mission of GOES-10 has continued beyond its retirement as an official operational US satellite, already lasting more than double its five-year life expectancy, many countries have been afforded the opportunity to benefit from on-going GOES-10 measurements. The purpose of this paper is to summarize the history of GOES-10, especially the unique situation of GOES-10 operating in support of central and South America after its operational use.

Layered Precipitable Water from the Infrared VAS Sounder during a Return-Flow Event over the Gulf of Mexico

Abstract Spatial and temporal changes in the vertical distribution of atmospheric water vapor are investigated during a period following the intrusion of cold continental air over the Gulf of Mexico, during the Gulf of Mexico Experiment (GUFMEX) in February-March 1988. Infrared satellite measurements from the GOES (Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite) VISSR (Visible-Infrared Spin Scan Radiometer) Atmospheric Sounder (VAS) are used to augment the sparse coverage of rawinsonde sites in the vicinity of the Gulf of Mexico. Precipitable water from two vertical layers, surface-850 and 850–250 mb, are estimated from the VAS and compared to those from rawinsonde observations. The accuracy of precipitable-water estimates in each vertical layer is less than that for the total precipitable water. However, improvements in the estimate of precipitable water for each layer are observed with respect to the profiles used in initializing the retrieval process. A consistent horizontal and temporal pattern of ...