{"id":3531,"date":"2005-08-19T11:15:02","date_gmt":"2005-08-19T16:15:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ssec.wisc.edu\/news\/?p=3531"},"modified":"2013-07-24T16:16:57","modified_gmt":"2013-07-24T21:16:57","slug":"monthly-news-summary-august-2005","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ssec.wisc.edu\/news\/articles\/3531","title":{"rendered":"Monthly News Summary- August 2005"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Silver Symposium – CIMSS Turns 25<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
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The Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies celebrated its 25th anniversary in mid-July.<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

by Terri Gregory<\/em><\/p>\n

The mood was congratulatory, appropriate for an institution that has survived and prospered for 25 years and also serves as a role model for other institutes like it. The Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies (CIMSS) celebrated\u00a0its 25th anniversary in mid-July with a three-day symposium<\/a>. This science symposium featured looks back and forward as well as appraisals of the present, both of CIMSS and satellite meteorology on the broader scale. A host of prominent invited speakers and a poster session addressed these issues as well, both from a national perspective and an international perspective.<\/p>\n

Past CIMSS directors\u00a0William L. Smith, Sr<\/a><\/strong>.<\/a>;\u00a0W. Paul Menzel<\/a><\/strong>; andDonald R. Johnson<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0put past achievements in unique personal historical perspectives, while current director\u00a0Steven Ackerman<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>told how CIMSS is doing now. Moderator of the opening session\u00a0John Roberts<\/strong>\u00a0peppered his introductions with stories of each director, all the more vivid for his personal experience with them. Roberts is the Space Science and Engineering Center\u2019s executive director for administration; SSEC is the CIMSS parent organization within the University of Wisconsin\u2013Madison.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
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Presenters like NASA Goddard’s Mike King discussed various achievements, collaborations, and information exchanges that fill CIMSS\u2019s last 25 years. Many also mentioned ongoing projects and voiced hopes for the institute\u2019s future.<\/em><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

In July 1980, UW\u2013Madison and\u00a0NOAA<\/a>entered into an agreement to cooperate on research in satellite meteorology, founding the Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies within the Space Science and Engineering Center.\u00a0Verner E. Suomi<\/a>, acknowledged internationally as the father of weather satellites, had encouraged a group of federal researchers under the direction of Bill Smith to visit Madison and collaborate with researchers here. Arriving in 1977, it didn\u2019t take long for the organizations and people involved to realize that the effort was producing good research and should be made permanent.<\/p>\n

Fast forward to 2005 and a well-established organization continues to produce innovative and useful research. Most CIMSS research now becomes products that are used in routine weather forecasting by theNational Weather Service<\/a>\u00a0and other agencies around the world.\u00a0Captain Caroline Bower<\/a>, for example, of the\u00a0Joint Typhoon Warning Center<\/a>, explained how she uses techniques produced in\u00a0CIMSS\u2019s Tropical Cyclones<\/a>group in her typhoon forecasts.<\/p>\n

Over the years, CIMSS has become a magnet for scientists around the world who want to enhance their research with satellite data or learn more about satellite meteorology in general. A lively, productive collaboration has ensued. Some of the researchers involved with CIMSS over the years talked about their research now and how it has been enhanced by their CIMSS involvement. Those include\u00a0Johannes Schmetz<\/a>\u00a0of\u00a0EUMETSAT<\/a>, Europe\u2019s agency that develops weather satellites and data. Schmetz told how EUMETSAT\u2019s SSEC connection helped make possible water vapor data from METEOSAT (European geostationary weather satellite).<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
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CIMSS has become a magnet for scientists around the world who want to enhance their research with satellite data or learn more about satellite meteorology in general.<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Throughout the U.S., governmental organizations, including cooperative institutes at universities, utilize weather satellite data in atmospheric studies and forecasts. Some of those who have worked closely with SSEC and CIMSS were represented in a \u201cNational\u201d session.Thomas Vonder Haar<\/a>, director of\u00a0Colorado State University\u2019s Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere<\/a>, told the history of satellite meteorology since the 1980s and CIMSS\u2019s role in it. Jason Dunion, who developed with Chris Velden the Saharan Air Layer theory of wind tracking, talked about that and other tropical cyclone products produced from satellite data. Dunion is now with the Hurricane Research Division in NOAA\u2019s\u00a0Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Five researchers with a strong background in satellite meteorology presented their hopes and ideas for the future in a panel discussion.\u00a0Graeme Kelly<\/a>,ECMWF<\/a>, focused on instrumentation, including\u00a0hyperspectral sounders<\/a>, an area of expertise for CIMSS and SSEC. Scientists at this CIMSS symposium clearly believe the future of satellite meteorology lies in continuing to develop this area.<\/p>\n

Slides and movies from presenters are available on the symposium\u00a0Web site<\/a>.Maria Vasys<\/strong>\u00a0and others organized the symposium.<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/span>Data and Imagery<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"aug.2005tire_fire\"<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
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Its dark color gave the plume from the tire fire a distinct appearance. In satellite imagery, smoke plumes usually appear as a lighter gray. Click the image for a larger version.<\/em><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Burned Rubber: When Tires Ignite<\/strong>\u2014<\/em>by Jennifer O’Leary<\/em><\/p>\n

Although smoke from July 19tire fire near Watertown<\/a>\u00a0was visible from the roof of their home in the Atmospheric, Oceanic and Space Sciences building, researchers from the UW-Madison\u00a0Space Science and Engineering Center<\/a>took advantage of satellite technology to look at the fire from space. These images graced the pages of newspapers as well as the airwaves to illustrate stories about the fire.<\/p>\n

The fire broke out around 10 a.m. on July 19 at a tire recycling facility just outside of Watertown. The smoke created from close to a million burning tires reached heights of 5,000 – 6,000 feet.<\/p>\n

On that Tuesday morning,\u00a0Chris Schmidt<\/strong>\u00a0(CIMSS) used a fire monitoring satellite tool, known as the\u00a0Wildfire Automated Biomass Burning<\/a>\u00a0Algorithm, to quickly\u00a0identify the plume<\/a>. Schmidt also called on the services of the fabled \u201cSSEC roof cam\u201d (i.e. a digital camera) as he snapped some shots from atop of the building<\/p>\n

Kathy Strabala<\/strong>\u00a0(CIMSS) used SSEC\u2019s direct broadcast facility to bring in data from NASA \u2019s\u00a0MODerate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer<\/a>, which gathers observations from 36 regions on the electromagnetic spectrum. TheSSEC Spotlight<\/a>\u00a0currently features one of these satellite images. TheWisconsin State Journal<\/a><\/em>\u00a0also used one to accompany an article that ran on July 23 with credit to UW-Madison.<\/p>\n

At their request,\u00a0Dave Stettner\u00a0<\/strong>(CIMSS) and\u00a0Scott Bachmeier\u00a0<\/strong>(CIMSS) provided the local CBS affiliate with a satellite image. The station used the image as a lead into a tire fire story, their top story of that July 20 broadcast. They also featured the image with\u00a0the online version of the story<\/a>. The station credited CIMSS for the image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
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Two classic atmospheric science textbooks feature this figure prepared by Dave Tobin and Allen Huang.<\/em><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Textbook imagery\u2014<\/strong>The second edition of Professors Wallace and Hobbs\u2019 textbook,Atmospheric Sciences: An Introductory Survey<\/em>, will include a figure prepared by\u00a0Dave Tobin<\/strong>\u00a0(CIMSS) andAllen Huang\u00a0<\/strong>(CIMSS). The figure uses high spectral resolution observations made by the\u00a0Scanning-HIS<\/a>. Another classic textbook, K. N. Liou\u2019s\u00a0An Introduction to Atmospheric Radiation<\/em>, also uses this figure.<\/p>\n

Scaled down weather products\u2014Russ Dengel\u00a0<\/strong>(McIDAS Team) recently created a\u00a0Web site with weather products<\/a>\u00a0modified for high-end PDA’s and Web phones. Dengel scaled the images down to accommodate smaller display screens.<\/p>\n

User-friendly GOES<\/strong>\u2014Following a recent request, Bill Bellon (SSEC) shifted some imagery on the\u00a0GOES real-time Web page<\/a>. Now, users will see GOES-East and a close-range image of Wisconsin followed by GOES-West.<\/p>\n

Imager information\u2014<\/strong>SSEC recently began to receive imagery from both Japan\u2019s and China\u2019s new geostationary weather satellite imagers. Initial calibrations indicate that the imagers are accurate. Further tests will add confidence to the data from these instruments, which will help SSEC make global observations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
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GOES-11 rapid-scan imagery now streams out of SSEC. This image isolates the area in Costa Rica where NASA Tropical Cloud Systems Processes mission is underway.<\/em><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Data Center success\u2014<\/strong>Through efforts of the\u00a0SSEC Data Center<\/a>,GOES-11 rapid-scan now streams out of<\/a>SSEC<\/a>. This successful incorporation of imagery proved itself useful already as CIMSS researchers continue to providescience support<\/a>\u00a0for a NASA field experiment out of Costa Rica. From this experiment, the\u00a0Tropical Cloud Systems and Processes mission<\/a>, researchers hope to learn more about certain characteristics of tropical cyclones. According to\u00a0Chris Velden<\/strong>\u00a0(CIMSS), the rapid-scan feed has received \u201cmany positive comments from the scientific community.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/a>Weather Research<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Post-launch calibration\u2014<\/strong>In May 2005, a\u00a0new Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer<\/a>\u00a0(AVHRR) launched aboard\u00a0NOAA-18<\/a>. After the launch,\u00a0Andy Heidinger<\/strong>\u00a0(NOAA at SSEC) used new methods to calibrate the instrument. These methods involve MODIS data and show expected results for light and dark pixels in the reflectance channels. This calibration indicates the need for slight alterations to the pre-launch values set for channels one and two.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
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This image shows the Western United States on July 28. The Biomass Burning Team uses the\u00a0Wildfire Automated Biomass Burning Algorithm<\/a>\u00a0to generate fire data.<\/em><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Monitoring fires around the globe\u2014<\/strong>A team within theIntegrated Global Observing Strategy Partnership<\/a>\u00a0plans to update global observations to include specific fire monitoring components. Researchers withCIMSS\u2019s Biomass Burning Team<\/a>\u00a0provided input regarding the use of geostationary weather satellites for non-weather purposes and hope to demonstrate the possibility of a global geostationary fire monitoring system by 2007. The Biomass Burning Team consists of\u00a0Chris Schmidt\u00a0<\/strong>(CIMSS),\u00a0Joleen Feltz<\/strong>(CIMSS), and\u00a0Elaine Prins<\/strong>\u00a0(CIMSS).<\/p>\n

<\/a>Meetings and Experiments<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

SPIE 50th annual meeting\u2014<\/strong>SSEC and CIMSS played a significant role in the\u00a050th annual meeting of the International Society for Optical Engineering<\/a>(SPIE). SSEC\/CIMSS researchers participated in many aspects of the meeting.\u00a0Allen Huang<\/strong>\u00a0(CIMSS) acted as a conference chair, and\u00a0Bormin Huang<\/strong>\u00a0(CIMSS),\u00a0Tim Schmit<\/strong>\u00a0(NOAA at SSEC),\u00a0Bill Smith, Jr.<\/strong>\u00a0(LaRC) and\u00a0Chris Velden<\/strong>\u00a0(CIMSS) sat on the program committee.\u00a0Hank Revercomb<\/strong>\u00a0(SSEC) participated in the special panel, Three-Pillar Partnership in Remote Sensing: The Roles of Government, Industry and Academia.\u00a0Jun Li\u00a0<\/strong>(CIMSS) was a section chair for the GOES land applications session. On top of these roles, the conference featured many papers and posters from SSEC and CIMSS researchers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
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photo courtesy of Tim Schmit<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

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CIMSS hosted the Cooperative Research Program Symposium on Calibration and Validation in mid-July.<\/em><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Calibration and Validation Workshop\u2014<\/strong>With the Advanced Satellite Products Branch (NOAA\u2019s research group at SSEC), CIMSS hosted the\u00a0Cooperative Research Program (CoRP) Symposium on Calibration and Validation<\/a>\u00a0in mid-July, with\u00a0Jeff Key<\/strong>\u00a0(ASPB at SSEC) and\u00a0Maria Vasys<\/strong>\u00a0(CIMSS) as organizers. The CoRP symposium is one of a series of meetings intended to survey current activities regarding calibration and validation (cal\/val) of satellite instruments. According to organizers, this meeting series is also meant to<\/p>\n