{"id":3224,"date":"2007-03-11T13:30:07","date_gmt":"2007-03-11T18:30:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ssec.wisc.edu\/news\/?p=3224"},"modified":"2013-06-18T15:00:59","modified_gmt":"2013-06-18T20:00:59","slug":"monthly-news-summary-march-2007","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ssec.wisc.edu\/news\/articles\/3224","title":{"rendered":"Monthly News Summary – March 2007"},"content":{"rendered":"

New evidence for increase in Atlantic hurricane activity<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"march2007_katrina\"<\/a><\/p>\n

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A team of atmospheric scientists led by CIMSS \u2019s James Kossin recently improved the consistency of the hurricane record for the last two decades. Looking at the revised dataset, they uncovered evidence to support the theory that global warming has had an impact on hurricanes in the Atlantic Ocean. The trend does not hold up in the other oceans across the globe.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

A recent study provides scientific evidence that hurricanes have become stronger and more frequent in the Atlantic Ocean over the last two decades. The increasing trend, however, does not hold true for the world\u2019s other oceans.<\/em><\/p>\n

Scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported the finding in the journal\u00a0Geophysical Research Letters<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe debate is not about scientific methods, but instead centers around the quality of hurricane data,\u201d says lead author\u00a0James Kossin<\/strong>, a research scientist at UW-Madison\u2019s Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies. \u201cSo we thought, \u201cLet\u2019s take the first step toward resolving this debate.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Once the NCDC researchers recalibrated the hurricane figures, Kossin took a fresh look at how the new numbers on hurricane strength correlate with records on warming ocean temperatures, a side effect of global warming.<\/p>\n

“While we can see a correlation between global warming and hurricane strength, we still need to understand exactly why the Atlantic is reacting to warmer temperatures in this way, and that is much more difficult to do,” says Kossin. \u201cWe need to be creating models and simulations to understand what is really happening here. From here on, that is what we should be thinking about.\u201d<\/p>\n

—\u00a0Paroma Basu, UW-Madison Communications<\/em><\/p>\n

Read the full UW news release<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Several media outlets picked up the story, including the\u00a0Badger Herald<\/a><\/em>, one of UW-Madison\u2019s student newspapers. The\u00a0Associated Press also distributed an article<\/a>\u00a0about tropical cyclones that mentioned Kossin\u2019s work. This article appeared in over 100 media outlets across the globe.<\/p>\n

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<\/div>\n

<\/a>Satellites\u2019 skewed view of the clouds<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"march2007_clouds\"<\/a><\/p>\n

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As the number of satellites observing Earth increased, they began to cover smaller areas with a narrower focus. According to a research team led by CIMSS\u2019s Amato Evan, the change in viewing angle caused clouds viewed by satellites to appear smaller. This satellite image shows clouds over the midwest on March 15.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The large decrease in the amount of clouds covering the Earth likely results from a change in satellites\u2019 perspective, according to research by CIMSS\u2019s\u00a0Amato Evan<\/strong>,Andy Heidinger<\/strong>(NOAA at CIMSS) and another UW-Madison atmospheric scientist, Dan Vimont.<\/p>\n

Scientists noticed decreasing global cloud cover in a record compiled over several decades by the International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project (ISCCP)\u2014a trend linked to global warming and climate change. Evan and his team reported evidence against this trend in a paper published in\u00a0Geophysical Research Letters\u00a0<\/em>for March 2007.<\/p>\n

Evan and his team observed that global cloud cover decreased abruptly when the number and positions of weather satellites changed. According to Evan, the increased number of satellites in the 1980s and 1990s meant that each satellite could narrow its field of view, allowing satellites to look straight down at a smaller area instead of at an angle. The change in viewing angle causes clouds to appear smaller.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not getting less cloudy on Earth,\u201d a\u00a0Nature<\/a><\/em>\u00a0online article<\/a>\u00a0quotes Evan. \u201cIt looks like it is [from the ISCCP data] but it\u2019s not.\u201d<\/p>\n

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<\/div>\n

<\/a>Tribute to Suomi<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"jan2007_ats1\"<\/a><\/p>\n

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Verner Suomi (seated) and Robert Parent (standing behind Suomi) look at early photos from their Spin Scan Cloudcover Camera, which flew on ATS-I, the first geostationary satellite. Known as the \u201cFather of Satellite Meteorology,\u201d Suomi changed the way we observe and understand the weather.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

An\u00a0online podcast<\/a>recently honored SSEC\u2019s co-founder, Professor Verner Suomi. Known as the \u201cFather of Satellite Meteorology,\u201d Suomi changed the way we see the weather.<\/p>\n

WeatherBrains, a weekly webcast for weather lovers, included a\u00a0tribute to Suomi in the February 19 episode<\/a>. The story featured interviews with SSEC\u2019s Director\u00a0Hank Revercomb<\/strong>,\u00a0Paul Menzel<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0Tom Achtor<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\u201c[Suomi] was one of the very first people that saw the potential for satellite remote sensing of the planet,\u201d Menzel says.<\/p>\n

Reporter David Black explained the concept of Suomi and colleague Robert Parent\u2019s spin-scan cloud camera, and how the camera inspired a revolution in meteorology.<\/p>\n

Black also mentioned that Suomi and Parent created SSEC to be \u201ca think tank \u2026an invention hotbed.\u201d Black also mentioned SSEC\u2019s plans to build an atmospheric and space science museum in Suomi\u2019s honor.<\/p>\n

Revercomb says that he remembers Suomi as a man \u201cwho was always thinking [and] looking for new approaches to new things.\u201d<\/p>\n

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<\/a>Weather in Madison<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"march2007_winterwx1\"<\/a><\/p>\n

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According to Scott Bachmeier, the cold air of late January and early February mixed with the relatively warm waters of the Great Lakes to produce lake-effect snow. This satellite image clearly depicts the snow blanketing the midwest.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

This year Madisonians have experienced a winter of extremes: unusually warm weather followed by unusually cold weather and topped off with a record-breaking blizzard. A couple of SSEC\u2019s fonts of weather trivia,\u00a0Scott Bachmeier<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0Scott Lindstrom<\/strong>, provided a running commentary of this winter\u2019s record-setting weather.<\/p>\n

From December 9 to January 8, Bachmeier noted, Madison had 31 consecutive days with temperatures reaching or exceeding 32 degrees. According to Bachmeier, this string breaks the previous record of 29 days, which occurred during the winter of 1889-90.<\/p>\n

As winter wore on, Lindstrom noticed quite a different trend. For 20 days, from January 28 through February 16, temperatures in Madison did not exceed 23 degrees. Only six similar cold streaks have occurred since the city starting keeping weather records in 1869.<\/p>\n

In late February, almost 16 inches of snow blanketed Madison over three days. Lindstrom reported that this storm is the first on record during which more than four inches of snow fell on three consecutive days. Lindstrom also noted that the snow had a high percentage of water, making it heavier that the typical Madison snowfall. Lindstrom explained the heavy snow in\u00a0an article for the\u00a0Wisconsin State Journal<\/em>\u00a0on February 26<\/a>.<\/p>\n

David Medaris of\u00a0Isthmus<\/em>, a local newspaper, posted Lindstrom and Bachmeier\u2019s observations on the paper\u2019s website in\u00a0an entry on February 22<\/a>and\u00a0an entry on February 26<\/a>. The\u00a0Capital Times<\/em>\u00a0mentioned the blizzard record in\u00a0an article printed on February 27<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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<\/a>Data and Imagery<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"march2007_paw\"<\/a><\/p>\n

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SSEC\u2019s PDA Animated Weather (PAW) service now includes products for South Africa.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

PAW adds South Africa products<\/strong>\u2014SSEC\u2019s popular\u00a0PDA Animated Weather service<\/a>, known as PAW, recently expanded to include\u00a0products for southern Africa<\/a>.<\/p>\n

After creator\u00a0Russ Dengel\u00a0<\/strong>demonstrated the PAW service for Philip Frost, visiting scientist from South Africa\u2019s\u00a0Meraka Institute<\/a>, Frost asked Dengel if he could add southern Africa to the PAW\u2019s coverage. Based on Frost\u2019s interests, Dengel initially included satellite images and data to identify locations of wild fires. Dengel also added information about the path of a hurricane as it loomed off the continent\u2019s coast.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur interest is to develop and distribute tools that can provide information to the general public,\u201d Frost said in an internal news release from the Meraka Institute. The release commented on SSEC\u2019s \u201cdedication, innovation and willingness to share this technology.\u201d<\/p>\n

Saharan dust and Atlantic hurricanes<\/strong>\u2014The February 7 issue of theWisconsin Engineer<\/a><\/em>\u00a0published a story<\/a>\u00a0about\u00a0Amato Evan\u00a0<\/strong>and\u00a0Andy Heidinger<\/strong>\u2019s research on the effects of dust from the Sahara on hurricanes in the Atlantic Ocean.\u00a0The\u00a0Herald Tribune<\/em>, a newspaper in Florida, ran a similar story<\/a>. \u201cThere might be kind of a threshold where you pump enough dust over the ocean and you are really going to kill the hurricanes,\u201d the article quotes Evan.<\/p>\n

In October,\u00a0Geophysical Research Letters<\/em>\u00a0published Evan and Heidinger\u2019s paper discussing the correlation between the intensity of dust storms in the Sahara Desert and the intensity of hurricanes in the Atlantic.<\/p>\n

\"march.2007_berg\"<\/a><\/p>\n

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Scientists with AMRC noticed that three pieces had broken off of one of the icebergs in the Ross Sea. One of these pieces was large enough to receive a name.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Iceberg discovery<\/strong>\u2014During the week of March 6, the\u00a0Earth Observer<\/em>, an online newsletter from NASA, featured an image of a recently formed iceberg in Antarctica<\/a>. Scientists with SSEC\u2019s\u00a0Antarctic Meteorological Research Center<\/a>\u00a0(AMRC) spotted this iceberg on February 1. At a little over 11 miles in length, this iceberg is big enough to receive a name\u2014B-15S.<\/p>\n

Comments on future polar-orbiting satellite system<\/strong>\u00a0\u2014The\u00a0Antarctic Sun<\/a><\/em>\u00a0interviewedAMRC<\/a>\u2019s\u00a0Matthew Lazzara<\/strong>\u00a0about the upcoming National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS) for an article published on February 4. Lazzara commented on the benefits of NPOESS to Antarctica\u2019s McMurdo Station. \u201cThe big benefit of NPOESS [to McMurdo] will be this communication capability that\u2019s added to the station,\u201d the article quotes Lazzara. The article also mentions AMRC\u2019s research and theAutomatic Weather Station program<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Mars warming<\/strong>\u00a0\u2014Amato Evan\u00a0<\/strong>commented on a controversial theory in\u00a0a recent article in\u00a0National Geographic<\/em><\/a>. The article is about a Russian scientist who implicates natural rather than anthropogenic causes in global warming by linking warming trends on Mars with those on Earth. \u201cThe idea just isn\u2019t supported by the theory or by the observations,\u201d said Evan.<\/p>\n

Back to top<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/a>Also of Note<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"march2007_russruss\"<\/a><\/p>\n

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Russ Dengel (right) presented Senator Russ Feingold (left) with a MODIS image of Wisconsin at the Senator\u2019s birthday celebration on March 4.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Birthday present for a senator<\/strong>\u2014At Wisconsin Senator Russ Feingold\u2019s birthday party in Madison on March 4,\u00a0Russ Dengel\u00a0<\/strong>gave Feingold a high resolution satellite image of Wisconsin created using data processed at SSEC. According to Dengel, Feingold said he would \u201cfind a prominent place in the office for it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Recently published papers<\/strong>\u00a0\u2014SSEC scientists contributed to two papers featured in the\u00a0research highlights sections of NASA\u2019s\u00a0Earth Observer<\/em><\/a>.Iliana Genkova\u00a0<\/strong>was the primary author for \u201cCloud-Top Height Comparisons from ASTER, MISR and MODIS for Trade Wind Cumuli.\u201dBryan Baum<\/strong>,\u00a0Mike Pavolonis<\/strong>\u00a0(NOAA at SSEC),\u00a0Andy Heidinger<\/strong>(NOAA at SSEC) and\u00a0Rich Frey<\/strong>\u00a0all contributed to \u201cComparison of MISR and MODIS Cloud Top Heights in the Presence of Cloud Overlap.\u201d Both papers appeared in the March 2007 edition of\u00a0Remote Sensing of Environment<\/em>, an interdisciplinary journal published by Elsevier.<\/p>\n

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In the News – March 2007<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":3232,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3224","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-monthly-summary"],"acf":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ssec.wisc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3224","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ssec.wisc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ssec.wisc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ssec.wisc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ssec.wisc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3224"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.ssec.wisc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3224\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3461,"href":"https:\/\/www.ssec.wisc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3224\/revisions\/3461"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ssec.wisc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3232"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ssec.wisc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3224"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ssec.wisc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3224"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ssec.wisc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3224"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}