Summer 2007
Introducing the CIMSS Satellite Blog
In early June, super cyclone Gonu gathered strength in the Arabian Sea. Find details about this storm in the 05 June 2007 entry of the CIMSS Satellite Blog.
After 10 years, the popular CIMSS GOES Gallery passed the baton to the CIMSS Satellite Blog. The Gallery debuted in 1996 when I started working at CIMSS. As was the original mission of its predecessor, the Blog showcases examples of some of the meteorological satellite images and products that are available to (or created by) scientists and researchers at CIMSS, and serves as a diverse collection of interesting cases that demonstrate the utility of satellite images and products in various aspects of weather analysis and forecasting.
Initially, the GOES Gallery was nothing more than a simple repository for interesting cases to which I might later refer in my ongoing work with the Virtual Institute for Satellite Integration Training (VISIT) program. However, as the GOES Gallery continued to grow, those involved in satellite meteorology training, myself included, began to rely on this resource. The Gallery’s popularity led me to keep it going through the years.
Using blog software to create more professional-looking HTML page layout, I can easily add new images and analyses. Posts are also cross-referenced so users can find quickly find related images and information. Frequent the CIMSS Satellite Blog to learn more about the role of satellite data in meteorology and to see impressive views of Earth from space.
The University of Wisconsin and the atmospheric science community as a whole recently lost a valuable scientist. Tom Zapotocny, long-time SSEC researcher and UW-Madison graduate, passed away on March 6, 2007.
During his time at SSEC, Tom participated in studies to ascertain the benefit of satellite data to numerical weather prediction models. This data impact research extended to a strong collaboration with Jim Jung and other scientists at the Joint Center for Satellite Data Assimilation. Together, Zapotocny and Jung did the initial and significant subsequent work to integrate data from the MODerate-resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MODIS) and the Atmospheric InfraRed Sensor (AIRS) into numerical weather prediction models. The results indicated substantial improvement in NCEP’s Global Forecast System.
Zapotocny worked on developing and improving the global UW Hybrid Model. He also contributed to the combination of the UW Hybrid Model with a chemical modeling system developed at NASA to create the Real-time Air Quality Modeling System.
Colleagues will remember Zapotocny’s dedication to his work and his important scientific contributions to numerical weather prediction and satellite data impact studies.
SSEC welcomes the Environmental Remote Sensing Center
This image of the Madison lakes was created using a variety of digital image processing techniques to enhance three separate Landsat-7 images from different dates in 1999-2000 and combine them into a single composite image. The results provide a dramatic view of an algal bloom that was occurring on Lakes Mendota and Monona in late October 1999.
Integrating studies of the Earth with those of the atmosphere and beyond, the Environmental Remote Sensing Center (ERSC) joined SSEC in January 2007. This union facilitates unique opportunities to study interactions between the Earth and its atmosphere.
The ERSC team uses remote sensing technologies to explore the Earth in various ways, including: mapping tornado damage tracks; monitoring algal blooms in lakes; mapping wetlands; quantifying urban sprawl; assessing agricultural land use; and supporting environmental management, transportation planning, and emergency management.
Supported by NASA, the latest ERSC initiative involves studying and monitoring water levels and biophysical conditions in large lakes around the world with data from a variety of satellite-based instruments.
In addition to research activities, ERSC also engages the public through education and outreach programs. Among these efforts are “WisconsinView,” a remote sensing data distribution and education consortium funded by the U.S. Geological Survey; and the “MapTEACH” geospatial education and outreach project in Alaska, funded through a collaborative grant from the National Science Foundation.
A collaborative pilot study has already resulted in new techniques for displaying real-time weather data in geographic mapping applications. Working together across the disciplines creates new avenues for advancing understanding of our Earth and its systems.
Highlights of recent publications
Zapotocny, Tom H.. Publications of Tom H. Zapotocny. University of Wisconsin-Madison, Space Science and Engineering Center, Schwerdtfeger Library, Madison, WI, 2007, Call Number: UW SSEC Publication No.07.03.Z1
Kossin, J. P.; Knapp, K. R.; Vimont, D. J.; Murnane, R. J. and Harper, B. A.. A globally consistent reanalysis of hurricane variability and trends. Geophysical Research Letters, Volume 34, 2007, Doi: 10.1029/2006GL028836, 2007. Call Number: Reprint # 5287
Upward trends in global hurricane activity have been identified in the existing historical records, but the fidelity of these records is uncertain and this ambiguity has cast broad doubt on the veracity of the trends. To address this issue, we constructed a homogeneous global record of hurricane intensity by applying a new algorithm to a large archive of carefully reanalyzed satellite imagery, and found that previously documented global trends are inflated and potentially spurious. Our findings imply that consideration of increasing tropical sea surface temperature alone is not sufficient for understanding or predicting hurricane variability in our warming climate.
Wang, Fang; Li, Jun; Schmit, Timothy J. and Ackerman, Steven A.. Trade-off studies of a hyperspectral infrared sounder on a geostationary satellite. Applied Optics, Volume 46, Issue 2, 2007, pp.200-209. Call Number: Reprint # 5295
This paper summarizes trade-off studies on spectral coverage, spectral resolution, and signal-to-noise ratio for the hyperspectral infrared sounder on a geostationary satellite. We investigate the effects of spectral coverage, spectral resolution, and signal-to-noise ratio on vertical resolution and retrieval accuracy. With the appropriate spectral coverage, we find that a hyperspectral IR sounder with appropriate signal-to-noise ratio can achieve the required science performance (1 km vertical resolution, 1 K temperature, and 10% relative humidity retrieval accuracy).
Evan, Amato T.; Heidinger, Andrew K. and Knippertz, Peter. Analysis of winter dust activity off the coast of West Africa using a new 24-year over-water advanced very high resolution radiometer satellite dust climatology. Journal of Geophysical Research, Volume 111, 2006, Doi: 10.1029/2005JD006336, 2006. Call Number: Reprint # 5197
In this paper, we describe a new 24-year satellite dust dataset and use it to understand what causes the year-to-year changes in wintertime dust loadings over the tropical North Atlantic. Our results corroborate previous research that found a strong relationship connecting dust activity, the North Atlantic Oscillation, and Sahelian rainfall. We also use satellite observations of ‘greenness’ to suggest that vegetation density across the Sahel is also an important control on dust activity observed over the Atlantic, which has been implied by modeling results but yet observed.
Visit SSEC's Schwerdtfeger Library to find more publications by SSEC/CIMSS scientists.
Paul Menzel
NESDIS Distinguished Career Award “for innovative contributions and international leadership in the field of satellite remote sensing, resulting in improved measurements, applications, and understanding of global weather and climate”
University of Wisconsin-Madison Department of Physics Distinguished Alumni Fellow Award
Tim Schmit
NOAA Bronze Medal “for reducing costs and increasing satellite earth science global data distribution and archiving through world-leading R&D in data compression”
Allen Huang
Named the first Distinguished Scientist in the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Graduate School
Elected by his peers to be co-chair of the International TOVS Working Group
Larry Sromovsky
University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Chancellor’s 2007 Award for Excellence in Research by an Independent Investigator
Suomi Scholarship Winner
Michael Phillips of Fond du Lac High School won the 2007 Verner E. Suomi Scholarship Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Physical Sciences. Phillips hopes to attend either UW-Madison or UW-Platteville and plans to major in Math.
