Stephanie L. Haines

Spatial and Temporal Varying Thresholds for Cloud Detection in GOES Imagery

A new cloud detection technique has been developed and applied to GOES-12 Imager data. The bispectral composite threshold (BCT) technique uses only the 11- and 3.9- channels, and composite imagery generated from these channels, in a four-step cloud detection procedure to produce a binary cloud mask at single-pixel resolution. An innovative aspect of this algorithm is the use of 20-day composites of the 11- and the 11-3.9- channel difference imagery to represent spatially and temporally varying clear-sky thresholds for the bispectral cloud tests. The BCT cloud detection technique has been validated against a ldquotruthrdquo data set generated by the manual determination of the sky conditions from available satellite imagery for four seasons during 2003-2004. The day-and-night algorithm has been shown to determine the correct sky conditions 87.6% of the time (on average) over the eastern two-thirds of the U.S. and surroundings oceans. The incorrectly determined conditions arose from missing clouds 8.9% of the time or from overdetermining clouds 3.5% of the time. Nearly 82% of the misses came in the presence of low clouds. Only small variations in algorithm performance occurred between day-night, land-ocean, and between seasons. The algorithm performed best in the warmer seasons (90.9% correct during the summer versus 81.8% correct in the winter season) and during the day, when the solar illumination provides enhanced surface atmospheric cloud contrast in the infrared channels, and least well during the winter season. The algorithm was found to slightly underdetermine clouds at night and during times of low sun angle and tends to be cloud conservative during the day, particularly in the summertime.

A MODIS Sea Surface Temperature Composite for Regional Applications

Sea surface temperature (SST) is an important input for regional and global weather modeling, but timely high- resolution SST data from either in situ or satellite sources are limited. A regional near-real-time aqua moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS) 1-km-resolution SST composite has been developed by the NASA Short-term Prediction and Research Transition (SPoRT) program to provide continuous high-resolution SST fields twice daily for regional weather applications. The SPoRT Aqua MODIS SST composite is inter- compared to both half-degree-resolution real-time global (RTG) SST analysis and a 6-km-resolution geostationary operational environmental satellite 12 (GOES) Imager SST analysis and validated against buoy data for the month of May 2004. The SPoRT MODIS composite provides more accurate and detailed spatial information than the RTG-SST or GOES products during this period. Compared to limited buoy data, the daytime MODIS composites for May 2004 were found to have an average cool bias of -0.09degC, and the nighttime composites an average cool bias of -0.29degC, with both day and night composites having correlation values of approximately 0.90. A comparison of the MODIS SST composite to the more recent and higher resolution 12th-degree RTG-SST analysis and the 20th-degree resolution operational sea surface temperature and sea ice analysis indicated that the SPoRT MODIS composite provides additional spatial and diurnal cycle information on a regional scale.

Detection of Storm Damage Tracks with EOS Data

Abstract The damage surveys conducted by the NWS in the aftermath of a reported tornadic event are used to document the location of the tornado ground damage track (pathlength and width) and an estimation of the tornado intensity. This study explores the possibility of using near-real-time medium and high spatial resolution satellite imagery from the NASA Earth Observing System satellites to provide additional information for the surveys. Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and Advanced Space-borne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) data were used to study the damage tracks from three tornadic storms: the La Plata, Maryland, storm of 28 April 2002 and the Ellsinore and Marquand, Missouri, storms of 24 April 2002. These storms varied in intensity and occurred over regions with significantly different land cover. It was found that, depending on the nature of the land cover, tornado damage tracks from intense storms (F1 or greater) and hail storms may be evident in ASTER, La...