{"id":3890,"date":"2002-11-03T10:29:48","date_gmt":"2002-11-03T16:29:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ssec.wisc.edu\/news\/?p=3890"},"modified":"2013-07-24T17:06:31","modified_gmt":"2013-07-24T22:06:31","slug":"monthly-news-summary-november-2002","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ssec.wisc.edu\/news\/articles\/3890","title":{"rendered":"Monthly News Summary – November 2002"},"content":{"rendered":"

Antarctica<\/em><\/h2>\n
by Terri Gregory, SSEC Public Information Coordinator<\/em><\/h5>\n

This month\u2019s column includes news coverage and research current in October, future events. Use images freely with credit to the Space Science and Engineering Center, University of Wisconsin\u2013Madison.<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/a>The Office of Legislative and Public Affairs<\/a>\u00a0in the National Science Foundation has published its 2002Polar Press Clips.<\/em>\u00a0The\u00a0Antarctic Meteorological Research Center<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0(SSEC) and the\u00a0Automatic Weather Stations<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0program (SSEC and the\u00a0Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences<\/a>) were included in three press clippings and in three NSF news releases. Most coverage regarded monitoring calving and progress of monster\u00a0icebergs<\/a>\u00a0in the Ross Sea. The\u00a0Press Clips<\/em>\u00a0offers a selection of the many times NSF-funded research is covered throughout the year. The AWS and AMRC are two of many research programs supported by NSF. Also see\u00a0Neutrino News<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Kristan Hutchinson interviewed Linda Keller for the\u00a0Antarctic Sun<\/strong><\/em><\/a>,<\/strong>\u00a0the newspaper for and by Antarctic researchers. Keller, of the Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, works in SSEC\u2019s Antarctic Meteorological Research Center and provided answers about the center\u2019s role in\u00a0monitoring icebergs<\/a>.<\/p>\n

WORT-FM<\/a><\/strong>, public access radio station broadcasting from Madison, Wisconsin, will do a long-range remote when it features Matthew Lazzara on its January 30 science show, broadcast on alternate Thursday evenings at 7:30 p.m. Lazzara will call Dennis Shaffer, host of WORT\u2019s \u201cMaking Contact,\u201d from McMurdo Station in Antarctica. The time \u201con the ice\u201d will be about 2:30 p.m., January 31.<\/p>\n

Nancy Odalen, now an administrator with SSEC\u2019s Antarctic Astronomy and Astrophysics Research Institute (A3RI<\/a>), appeared on Nathan Sandwick\u2019s radio call-in show on WSUM, the UW\u2013Madison student radio station, to talk about Antarctica. Odalen worked for the Center for Astrophysical Research in Antarctica (CARA<\/a>) before joining A3RI. As Director of Finance for CARA she visited the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station three times since 1995. Her last visit was in January 2002.<\/p>\n

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Data and Imagery<\/em><\/h2>\n

\"nov.2002MississippiDelta_20021016_1655_thumb\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The\u00a0MODIS<\/a>\u00a0instrument on board NASA\u2019s Terra satellite captured the Mississippi River Delta on a clear day in October, via direct broadcast at SSEC. You can see New Orleans to the south of Lake Ponchartrain and the bridge across the lake as well as the delta itself and the muddy water in Chandeleur and Breton sounds, east of New Orleans and north of the delta.<\/p>\n

\"nov2002etna2\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The eruption of Italy\u2019s Mt. Etna was captured by MODIS on October 28. Kathy Strabala of SSEC\u2019s MODIS team, who specialize in cloud characteristics, brought in the data from NASA to analyze the ash plume. The brightness temperature differences (BTD) found in the Etna plume were positive, rather than negative as had been found in other volcanic eruptions, suggesting the presence of ice in the plume. Scientists will continue to analyze volcanic eruptions whenever Terra flies over an erupting volcano.<\/p>\n

McIDAS<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0users meet<\/strong>\u2014Users of SSEC\u2019s Man computer Interactive Data Access System, McIDAS, met at UW\u2013Madison in October. Researchers and developers from around the world discussed their special uses of and requirements for the system, in use by meteorological agencies since the early 1970s.<\/p>\n

James Kelly of the Meteorological Systems Section in Australia\u2019s\u00a0Bureau of Meteorology Research Centre<\/a>\u00a0showed how more than two dozen sites, in Australia, Fiji, and Malaysia, and the Australian Navy use satellite data to forecast the area\u2019s unique weather. Marine weather forecasting is a special concern for the country, surrounded as it is by ocean.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"nov.2002abom-image-big\"<\/a><\/td>\n\n
This geostationary weather satellite image of Australia and the ocean around it shows wind measurements at various levels in the atmosphere.<\/h5>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Matthew Lazzara, of SSEC\u2019s\u00a0Antarctic Meteorological Research Center<\/a>, told how he uses McIDAS to produce composites of Antarctic weather from a variety of satellite data, under the sponsorship of the National Science Foundation. The AMRC also produces other products, such as meteorograms, using McIDAS.<\/p>\n

Fred Mosher, of the National Weather Service\u2019s\u00a0Aviation Weather Center<\/a>, demonstrated problems in compositing, or combining, satellite images over large areas, such as oceans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"nov.2002AWC-comp-ltl\"<\/a><\/td>\n\n
A composite of two geostationary weather satellite images using the minimum brightness of the two images. This eliminates colder (limb darkening) elements near the edge of the earth. This technique also requires both satellites to show the cloud in the same location<\/h5>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Marianne K\u00f6nig of\u00a0Eumetsat<\/a>\u00a0introduced the group to the new geostationary satellite, Meteosat Second Generation (MSG). The MSG\u2019s main instrument, a radiometer, has more channels than previously, and takes images at higher resolution and more often. The new satellite gives Europe and Africa improved Nowcasting (current forecasts), better identification of low clouds and fog, more precise sea surface temperatures, higher data-collection capacity for climate monitoring and other science, and even a search and rescue package for emergencies.<\/p>\n

NASA\u2019s\u00a0Langley Research Center<\/a>\u00a0uses McIDAS and satellite imagery to help calibrate satellite instruments they develop. They also use McIDAS in a variety of atmospheric research including contrail and cloud property investigations.<\/p>\n

NOAA\u2019s\u00a0Satellite Analysis Branch<\/a>\u00a0(SAB) has used McIDAS since the VAS Data Utilization System was installed in the 1980s. According to Tom Renkevens, the SAB provides \u201chigh quality, real-time global satellite-derived products, interpretive analyses, and other information,\u201d which \u201csupport domestic and international meteorological warnings and forecasts, numerical weather models, climate analyses and other initiatives\u201d within the Federal government. McIDAS enables them to provide satellite imagery and products through the National Weather Service and the Web to the general public.<\/p>\n

Tom Yoksas told how Unidata has progressed from its grassroots beginnings in 1983 to a nationwide network of users in more than 160 departments and research organizations in North American universities. Data products and software are delivered primarily over the Internet now. The NSF continues to fund Unidata development.<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

Neutrino News<\/em><\/h2>\n

<\/a>AMANDA<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0IceCube<\/a>,<\/strong>\u00a0SSEC\u2019s two neutrino telescope projects at the South Pole, are included in the NSF 2002\u00a0Polar Press Clips<\/em>\u00a0(see\u00a0Antarctica<\/a>). Both the\u00a0Milwaukee Journal Sentinel<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0Wired<\/em>\u00a0magazine featured the unusual neutrino telescopes embedded in the south polar ice.<\/p>\n

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Tropical Cyclones<\/em><\/h2>\n

The American Geophysical Union<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0announces Volume 55 in its Special Publications Series,\u00a0Hurricane! Coping With Disaster<\/em>, edited by Robert Simpson, Richard Anthes, Michael Garstang and Joanne Simpson. The book is hot off the presses the first week of November. Chris Velden, Joanne Simpson, W. Timothy Liu, Jeff Hawkins, Kurt Brueske, and Richard Anthes wrote chapter 11, \u201cThe Burgeoning Role of Weather Satellites.\u201d The book can be ordered on the AGU Web site.<\/p>\n

Wisconsin Week<\/em>, October 9, featured SSEC\u2019s\u00a0hurricane research<\/a>\u00a0and monitoring activities. SSEC\u2019s Liam Gumley provided the MODIS image of Tropical Storm Isidore. The CIMSS Tropical Cyclones group shares techniques and satellite imagery with the National Hurricane Center throughout the year, but especially during hurricane season, which officially ends on December 1. According to researchers at the Tropical Prediction Center, \u201cthe latest observed hurricane was on December 31, 1954, the second \u2018Alice\u2019 of that year which persisted as a hurricane until January 5, 1955. . . . The latest hurricane to strike the United States was late on November 30, 1925 near Tampa, Florida.\u201d<\/p>\n

Star Trek: Enterprise<\/strong><\/a><\/em>, the TV show, will use hurricane imagery as a basis to construct storms for other solar systems in galaxies far, far away. Computer artist Jim Van Over said that a future script \u201ccalls for a satellite view of a storm crossing the surface of a planet.\u201d Tim Olander, of the Tropical Cyclones group, sent Van Over a series of storm movies made over the years. Star Trek\u2019s storm will be loosely based on an amalgam of several and will not be recognizable, Van Over said.<\/p>\n

During hurricane season, the\u00a0Tropical Cyclones<\/a>\u00a0group hears from a great many people who depend on their Web site. Rebecca Lear of the Office of Beach Management for the City of\u00a0Virginia Beach<\/a>, Virginia noted that \u201cit\u2019s a matter of when and not if a major storm impacts our area and it\u2019s folks like you that give us our heads up.\u201d The Tropical Cyclones Web site experienced half a million hits on Wednesday, October 2 from folks like Rebecca.<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

Weather Experts<\/em><\/h2>\n

SSEC researcher Don Wylie talked about\u00a0El Ni\u00f1o<\/strong>\u00a0with a WNWC Radio (Madison, Wisconsin) news reporter on October 4. They focused on the effects this El Ni\u00f1o might have on Wisconsin weather. Mostly, this winter will be almost as cold as is normal in Wisconsin.<\/p>\n

Weather Guys<\/strong>\u00a0Steve Ackerman (CIMSS and AOS) and Jonathan Martin (AOS) appeared on Larry Meiller\u2019s WHA Radio call-in show on Monday, October 28. Their devoted and eclectic radio audience asked about a variety of issues. The Guys are next on WHA on November 25, the last Monday of the month. Listen in from 11:45 to 12:30 central time. In south and central Wisconsin, you can listen at 970 AM and 90.7 FM, or listen from anywhere on the\u00a0Web<\/a>.<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

Weather Research<\/em><\/h2>\n

Better rain forecasts<\/strong>\u2014Experiments with the Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Studies (CIMSS<\/a>) Regional Assimilation System (CRAS<\/a>), a weather forecast model that uses satellite data in its calculations, show a more accurate precipitation forecast when GOES water vapor and cloud top pressure are included over water as well as land. The Eta Data Assimilation System (EDAS), used by the National Centers for Environmental Prediction to forecast U.S. weather, does not use GOES water vapor or cloud information over the Gulf of Mexico, and failed to show rain that fell over Tennessee and Kentucky from Tropical Storm Isidore when it moved ashore. The CRAS forecast was more in line with what River Forecast Center rain gauges actually measured.<\/p>\n

Dave Santek and Chris Velden (CIMSS) and Jeff Key (NOAA team leader at SSEC) are now producing information on winds around the poles in nearly real time. The Goddard Institute for Space Studies sends data from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument on the Terra satellite from a computer in the Office of Satellite Data Processing and Distribution via the Internet to CIMSS, where software automatically estimates wind speed, direction and height for both polar regions. According to Santek, wind information is made available to the scientific community \u201cas soon as the data are available, about 2\u20134 hours after acquisition. For global data from a polar satellite, that\u2019s pretty quick!\u201d<\/p>\n

Papers<\/strong>\u2014\u201cValidation of TOVS Path-P data during SHEBA\u201d was published in theJournal of Geophysical Research<\/em>\u00a0(107(C10), 8041, doi:10.1029\/2000JC000453). The authors are A. Schweiger and R. Lindsay (University of Washington), J. Francis (Rutgers), J. Key (NOAA, at SSEC), J. Intrieri (NOAA), and M. Shupe (Science and Technology Corporation). The paper evaluates the accuracy of sounding and cloud retrievals using the TIROS Operational Vertical Sounder in the context of measurements made during the year-long Surface HEat Budget of the Arctic (SHEBA) field experiment.<\/p>\n

\u201cAntarctic cloud radiative forcing at the surface estimated from the AVHRR Polar Pathfinder and ISCCP D1 data sets, 1985\u20131993,\u201d by Michael Pavolonis (CIMSS) and Jeff Key (NOAA), was accepted by the\u00a0Journal of Applied Meteorology<\/em>\u00a0for publication in a future issue. The paper describes the radiative effect of clouds on the surface of Antarctica as determined from two satellite data sets. The authors showed that on a monthly time scale, clouds over the interior of the continent warm the surface at all times of the year.<\/p>\n

CIMSS, NOAA and SSEC scientists will present several papers at the 2003 AMS Annual Meeting in Long Beach, California, in February 2003. Among them are these to be given at the 12th Conference on Satellite Meteorology and Oceanography.<\/p>\n