Advances in Geosynchronous Observations of the Earth and Atmosphere

UW-Madison

Paul MenzelNESDIS Center for Satellite Applications and Research

With considerable help fromcolleagues at

Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies (CIMSS)Madison, WI

Early days of ATS and SMSMultispectral with VASAn Operational Sounder

Planning GOES-R40 years in Geostationary Orbit

May 2006

Early images of clouds from the polar orbiting TIROS in 1960

Introduction of Geostationary Satellites

On 6 December 1966the Applications Technology Satellite (ATS-1)

was launched.

ATS-1's spin scan cloud camera (Suomi and Parent 1968) provided full disk visible images of the earth and its cloud cover every 20 minutes. The spin scan camera on ATS-1 occurred because of an extraordinary effort by Verner Suomi and Homer Newell, when the satellite was already well into its fabrication.

“the clouds moved - not the satellite” Verner Suomi

11 Dec 66

ATS-1 picture showing plumes and streamers drifting eastward from a couple of large convective cloud systems

Ted Fujita

15 Mar 67

ATS-1 in Dec 1966 was soon followed by a color version,

ATS-3 in Nov 1967

ATS-1 (B/W)

ATS-3 (color)

ATS-3

Suomi, Parent, and Fujita

create first colormovie of planet

Earth with ATS-III pictures

18 November 1967

Phillips, SSEC Library, 2005

The success of ATS led to NASA's SynchronousMeteorological Satellite (SMS) in 1974,an operational prototype dedicated to meteorology.

SMS-1&2 and subsequent NOAA GOES provided:

– Multi-spectral imagery at 1 km spatial resolution in the visible and 7 km in the infrared window channel;

– Weather Facsimile (WEFAX) providing low resolution GOES images and conventional weather maps to users with low cost receiving stations;

– Data Collection System (DCS) relaying data from remote platforms to a central processing facility.

• In 1977, the European Space Agency (ESA) launched Meteosat providing 2.5 km visible imagery and 5 km infrared window and water vapor imager. The water vapor imagery changed how we view the earth.

Three GOES and one Meteosat were used in the 1979 First Global Atmospheric Research Program (GARP) Experiment to define atmospheric circulations.

Meteosat Water Vapor Image from 1978

• By 1980, the GOES evolved to the Visible Infrared Spin Scan Radiometer (VISSR) Atmospheric Sounder (VAS) expanding the multispectral measurement capability to atmospheric temperature and moisture sounding (Smith et al. 1981).

GOES VAS12 Infrared Channels (1 Visible Channel)

Filter Wheel Radiometer

Transparent Operation of VAS

• Venetian blinding (1/3 time share with operational imager)

• Sounding demonstration, not operational (cancelled in RISOP)

• Noisy (spin budget reduced for CONUS coverage)

Nowcasting with VAS

Hourly Total-Totals Index (degree Centigrade) on 20

July 1981 showed locations of subsequent severe convective storms.

Thunderstorms (TRW) which were observed

between 20 and 23 GMT are also shown.

Smith et al

• In April 1994, the GOES was launched on a three axis stable platform (enabling better signal to noise in the measurements) and expanded to separate imaging and sounding instruments (allowing operational soundings for the first time).

GOES-8/12

First visible image from GOES-8

Images of hurricanes help with intensity and track forecasts

Wade, ORA & CIMSS

Cloud drift winds possible ten years ago

High Density Winds associated with Hurricane Bonnie

Velden, CIMSS

IR window cloud temps used to estimate rainfall amounts: example from Hurricane Mitch where 2 ft fell in one day

Scofield, ORA

GOES provides accurate SST estimates with good coverage

Wu, ORA

Diurnal changes of 2 to 3 C seen in GOES SST measurements

Multispectral Detection of Volcanic Ash with GOES-8

Ellrod, ORA

25

Fires and smoke detected in GOES-8 imagery on 9 May 1998 at 15:45 UTC

FFire detection product (bottom) ire detection product (bottom) and visible imagery showing and visible imagery showing smoke (right)smoke (right)

Prins, CIMSS

GOES-12 Sounder – Brightness Temperature (Radiances) – 12 bands

Resulting hail from 13 April 2006 in Madison, WI

Hole in Menzel gutter caused by hail on 13 Apr 06

View from ground

View from space Hourly LI indicates instability 5 hours before

OK tornado 3 May 99

530 CDT (2330 UTC)

1800 UTC

2300 UTC

GOES axis of high LI indicates subsequent storm track 24 Jul 2000

Atmospheric Instability

NWS Forecaster responses (Summer of 1999) to: "Rate the usefulness of LI, CAPE & CINH (changes in time/axes/gradients in the hourly product) for location/timing of thunderstorms." There were 248 valid weather cases.- Significant Positive Impact (30%)- Slight Positive Impact (49%)- No Discernible Impact (19%)- Slight Negative Impact (2%)- Significant Negative Impact (0)

Figure from the National Weather Service, Office of Services

Hourly coverage from two GOES-Sounders * radiances 4 to 15 um* clear sky temperature and moisture profiles* cloud amount and height* motion from moisture and cloud features

Raob coverage 2x/day* all weather temperature and moisture profiles* wind profiles along ascent path

GOES sounders provide regional coverage every hour

GOES Sounder derived T(p) & Q(p) in 3-4 km layersco-located GOES & balloon temperature & moisture soundings:

GOES (black) smoothes the atmospheric profile compared to radiosonde (red)

Oct 2001 forecast impact (%) for T, u, v, RH fields after 24-hrs of Eta model integration

May 9, 1994

April 1, 2003

GOES-8Nine YearsOperational Service

In 2002, EUMETSAT

launched SEVIRI

with 12 Channels

Kerkmann, EUMETSAT

MSG sees volcanic ash and SO2 and ash inhibiting downwind convection

Evolution to GOES-R

Advanced Baseline Imager Hyperspectral Environmental Sounder

Lightning MapperCoastal Water Imager

Space Environment Sensors• Multispectral full disk imaging at 0.5 to 2 km every 10 minutes for

clouds, aerosols, atmospheric motion• High spectral resolution (~0.5 cm-1) resolution for temperature and

moisture soundings with greatly improved vertical resolution and boundary layer penetration.

• Coastal Waters Imaging with more frequent views of U.S. coastal ocean resolving rapid changes due to tides and coastal currents

• Lightning Mapper tracking discharge in clouds and enhancing sever wx characterization

• Space Sensors measuring solar input

Spectral bands on the Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI)

“0.64m” “0.86m” “1.38m”

“1.61m” “2.26m” “3.9m” “6.19m”

“6.95m” “7.34m”

“0.47m”

“8.5m” “9.61m”

“10.35m” “11.2m” “12.3m” “13.3m”

Bands on the GOES-12 Imager

“0.64m” “0.86m” “1.38m”

“1.61m” “2.26m” “3.9m” “6.19m”

“6.95m” “7.34m”

“0.47m”

“8.5m” “9.61m”

“10.35m” “11.2m” “12.3m” “13.3m”

Applications of the spectral bands on the Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI)

“0.64m” “0.86m” “1.38m”

“1.61m” “2.26m” “3.9m” “6.19m”

“6.95m” “7.34m”

“0.47m”

“8.5m” “9.61m”

“10.35m” “11.2m” “12.3m” “13.3m”

Aerosols Vegetation Cirrus Clouds

Snow

Upper-level SO2

Fires

Total Ozone

Low-levelMoisture

Surfacefeatures

Cloud height

Cloud phase

Particle size

Heritage

Heritage

Mid-level H2O winds

Upper-level H2O winds

Evolution to GOES-R

Advanced Baseline Imager Hyperspectral Environmental Sounder

Lightning MapperCoastal Water Imager

Space Environment Sensors• Multispectral full disk imaging at 0.5 to 2 km every 10 minutes for

clouds, aerosols, atmospheric motion• High spectral resolution (~0.5 cm-1) resolution for temperature and

moisture soundings with greatly improved vertical resolution and boundary layer penetration.

• Coastal Waters Imaging with more frequent views of U.S. coastal ocean resolving rapid changes due to tides and coastal currents

• Lightning Mapper tracking discharge in clouds and enhancing sever wx characterization

• Space Sensors measuring solar output

Atmospheric transmittance inH2O sensitive region of spectrum

Spectral change of 0.5 cm-1 causes BT changes > 10 C

AIRS BT[1386.11] – BT[1386.66]

Spectral sensitivityof AIRS Data

Improved Moisture ProfilesImproved Moisture Profiles

Alt

itu

de

(km

)

Relative H

um

idity (%

)

Distance (75 km)

Andros Is. Bahamas, 12 Sep 98

NASTRaob

Significant Findings from GOES-R Sounder OSSE Geo-Increased Spectral Resolution Sounder (Geo-I) sees into Boundary Layer (BL) providing low level (850 RH) moisture information; Geo-Broadband Radiometer (Geo-R) only offers information above BL (700 RH)

OSSE 12 hr assimilation followed by 12 hr forecast

Soundings + Winds 850hPa RH Validation

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GEO-R

GEO-I

Soundings + Winds 700hPa RH Validation

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S1 S

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GEO-R

GEO-I

LEO VS. GEO 850hPa RH Validation

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Hour

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GEO-I

Significant Findings from GOES-R Sounder OSSE Two polar orbiting interferometers (Leo) do not provide the temporal coverage to sustain forecast improvement out to 12 hours. Only the hourly Geo-Increased Spectral Resolution Sounder (Geo-I) observations depict moisture changes well enough for forecast benefit.

OSSE 12 hr assimilation followed by 12 hr forecast

40 years on the geostationary road

GIFTS (2009?)

time

SMS (1974)

ATS (1966)

VAS (1980)

Meteosat (1977)

GOES Sounder (1994)

HES (2016)

MTG (2015)

SEVIRI on MSG (2002)

JAMI (2004)

SummaryThe geostationary remote sensing capability has had many positive consequences: – it has saved thousands of lives and millions of dollars from the ravages of storms; – it has made meteorological satellite data routinely available to nations around the

globe; – and, in conjunction with improvements in numerical weather prediction, it has

helped to improve forecast skill significantly.

NOAA is evolving its geostationary remote sensing capabilities:– faster imagers with more spectral bands complemented by – high spectral resolution sounders.

The creative mind of Verner Suomi enabled geostationary weather observations - that technology has become the cornerstone of worldwide remote sensing today.