by Terri Gregory, SSEC Public Information Coordinator<\/em><\/h5>\nDecember 2001<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
This issue of\u00a0<\/em>In the News\u00a0covers November 2001 and includes news not covered in previous issues. Use images freely with credit to the Space Science and Engineering Center, University of Wisconsin\u2013Madison. We\u2019d appreciate a copy or notice when you use something.<\/em><\/p>\nWeather data<\/strong><\/a>\u2014The weather on and around Antarctica, known to its researchers as \u201cthe Ice,\u201d is harder to forecast than practically anywhere else in the world. Knowing when the continent\u2019s fierce winds will rise up or when clouds will blanket it is crucial for pilots bringing in researchers and supplies, by plane or by icebreaker. Data collected by Automatic Weather Stations enable forecasters to know what ground conditions are like. The stations are installed and maintained by UW\u2013Madison researchers directed by pioneering polar meteorologist Charles Stearns. University Communications\u2019 Emily Carlson features the group in her article inWisconsin Week,<\/em>\u00a0November 28. Besides forecasting current weather, AWS data have been used in numerical models and is freely available to scientists around the world.<\/p>\n
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This issue of\u00a0<\/em>In the News\u00a0covers November 2001 and includes news not covered in previous issues. Use images freely with credit to the Space Science and Engineering Center, University of Wisconsin\u2013Madison. We\u2019d appreciate a copy or notice when you use something.<\/em><\/p>\n Weather data<\/strong><\/a>\u2014The weather on and around Antarctica, known to its researchers as \u201cthe Ice,\u201d is harder to forecast than practically anywhere else in the world. Knowing when the continent\u2019s fierce winds will rise up or when clouds will blanket it is crucial for pilots bringing in researchers and supplies, by plane or by icebreaker. Data collected by Automatic Weather Stations enable forecasters to know what ground conditions are like. The stations are installed and maintained by UW\u2013Madison researchers directed by pioneering polar meteorologist Charles Stearns. University Communications\u2019 Emily Carlson features the group in her article inWisconsin Week,<\/em>\u00a0November 28. Besides forecasting current weather, AWS data have been used in numerical models and is freely available to scientists around the world.<\/p>\n
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<\/a><\/td>\n![This animation<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0of the GOES-8 Wildfire ABBA product shows agricultural burning and wildfires from 12:15 to 23:45 UTC on November 14, 2001. Processed fire pixels are identified in red, saturated fire pixels are yellow, and cloud-contaminated fire pixels are in magenta. Fire pixels are labeled in orange for the high possibility of a fire, navy for medium possibility, and light blue for low.\u00a0(C.Schmidt, E.Prins)<\/em><\/p>\nECMWF<\/a><\/p>\nThe polar wind<\/strong><\/a>\u2014According to N. Bormann of the European Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting, the ECMWF is \u201cquite happy with the results\u201d of their initial evaluation of a 10-day data set of polar region winds derived from MODerate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer measurements. The ECMWF, located in Reading, England, is also \u201crather impressed about the quality of the winds,\u201d developed by Jeff Key (team leader, NOAA group at SSEC), and Chris Velden and Dave Santek (SSEC\/CIMSS).<\/p>\nMore GOES-12 test results<\/strong><\/a>\u2014Scientists have found that imaging instruments on GOES-10 and GOES-12 agree, when their brightness temperatures are compared. Mat Gunshor (SSEC\/CIMSS) compared the imagers at the mid-point between satellites (0N, 112.5W) on November 6, 2001 at 0900 UTC when the two satellites shared the same schedule. He found good agreement in bands 2 (4 microns), 3 (6.7\/6.5 microns), and 4 (11 microns) when spectral responses are taken into account. The comparison was made by calculating the brightness temperature for each of the bands on both instruments with a radiative transfer model under the same conditions, then subtracting them from the averaged measured brightness temperatures for a tropical location. Brightness temperature differences (GOES-12 minus GOES-10) were very small: -0.4 K, 0.1 K, and -0.2 K in bands 2, 3, and 4 respectively, good news for scientists who want instruments that are measuring the same thing to agree.<\/p>\nImagery comparisons<\/a><\/p>\nWeighting functions<\/a><\/p>\nScott Bachmeier (SSEC\/CIMSS) showed the improved spatial resolution of water vapor imagery from GOES-12 by comparing it with imagery from GOES-10 and GOES-8. The GOES-12 water vapor band can detect features as small as 4 km; GOES-8 and 11 have 8 km detectors. Image differences are also due to where the satellite is stationed above the equator (viewing geometry) and what layer it tends to look in the atmosphere (weighting function). However, water vapor boundaries appear smoother on GOES-12 and small-scale features such as mountain waves are better resolved. This will improve meteorological analyses of these features and will result in better feature tracking for retrievals of wind measurements.<\/p>\nJolene Feltz and Elaine Prins compared brightness temperatures (GOES-12 3.9 micron channel) of active fires with those observed with GOES-8 in Brazil and GOES-10 in California. GOES-12 has a similar saturation temperature (~336 K) to both GOES-8 and GOES-11, but saturates at a much higher temperature than does GOES-10 (~321.5 K). It seems that GOES-12 will perform as well as GOES-8 and much better than GOES-10 in both fire detection and characterization.<\/p>\nData Center<\/a><\/p>\nGOES-9 testing<\/strong>\u2014NOAA\u2019s National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service asked SSEC\u2019s Data Center to process images from the GOES-9 imager and sounder instruments (one image for each instrument) when this satellite recently came out of storage. Data sets were made available via SSEC\u2019s Man computer Interactive Data Access System\u2019s (McIDAS) Abstract Distributive Data Environment. The images showed that visible data have high frequency noise, although this can be minimized by smoothing the data. As was seen before GOES-9 was put into storage, sounder data show temperature oscillations in the longest wave channels.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\nBroadcast<\/em><\/h1>\nAlmanac<\/a><\/p>\nWeather Guys<\/strong><\/a>\u2014Steve Ackerman and Jonathan Martin appeared on Wisconsin Public Radio on November 26. Steve Ackerman explained the varying colors in sun rises and sun sets. The show quickly focused on the validity of folk sayings, as Ackerman and Martin gave the scientific underpinnings of some. \u201cRed sky in the morning, sailors take warning, \u2026\u201d works, meteorologically, as do those referring to mackerel skies. Storms generally do arise within 48 hours after a mackerel sky, as noted by an astute caller. Morning fogs can freeze dogs. The Guys appear next on December 31.<\/p>\nTokyo-based Weathernews Inc.,<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0\u201cthe biggest weather forecast company in the world,\u201d will use imagery from CIMSS\u2019 Tropical Cyclones Web pages in their television broadcasts. According to meteorological consultant Masako Konishi, the Weathernews on TV has 2.4 million viewers. The Web site \u201cis the biggest in Japan and has a million viewers per day.\u201d Weathernews is networked around the world and the Chico, CA office uses McIDAS in their forecast operations.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\nIn Print<\/em><\/h1>\nEarth Observer<\/em>(pdf)<\/a><\/p>\nTerra Cloud Mask<\/strong><\/a>\u2014NASA\u2019s\u00a0Earth Observer<\/em>\u00a0newsletter (July\/August 2001) covered the Terra Cloud Mask Workshop held in Madison in May. Paul Menzel (NOAA scientist stationed at SSEC) and Steve Ackerman (CIMSS director) reported that an international group of 55 scientists met to \u201cdiscuss the status of the cloud detection for \u2026 [Terra satellite] instruments and to plan comparison studies.\u201d Terra instrument scientists summarized modifications made to cloud detection algorithms after the satellite was launched and discussed possible future modifications. Focus groups addressed discussion points\u2014a night-time (infrared) cloud mask, instrument performance issues, ancillary data, and validation efforts and comparison strategies. Meeting results and further discussions are being shared at instrument science team meetings.<\/p>\nThe WIYN Observatory<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0on Kitt Peak celebrated its fifth year of operations in October, as noted in\u00a0Wisconsin Week<\/em>\u00a0(November 7). The modern telescope at the heart of the complex was designed and built and is owned and operated by a consortium made up of the National Optical Astronomy Observatories and several universities including UW\u2013Madison. SSEC developed and installed the telescope\u2019s control system which, in part, makes it capable of being remotely controlled. The telescope has \u201cbecome recognized internationally for its superb image quality, its unique instrumental capabilities and its operational efficiency,\u201d said UW\u2013Madison professor Robert Mathieu, WIYN Board of Directors president.<\/p>\nUnidata<\/a><\/p>\nMcIDAS release<\/strong><\/a>\u2014Tom Yoksas, of Unidata\u2019s Program Center, enthusiastically reports (Unidata Newsletter,<\/em>\u00a0Summer\/Fall 2001) that version 7.8 of McIDAS-X is ready for download. Yoksas focused on two new elements of this latest release of the venerable software system, used around the world to access and analyze weather satellite data. The McIDAS Graphical User Interface has been revised, and now \u201cprovides all the functionality found in the Function Key Menu interface it replaces.\u201d Yoksas also mentioned a graphical interface to McIDAS startup that allows users to \u201cspecify a number of attributes of their sessions.\u201d Unidata is funded by the National Science Foundation to enable \u201cuniversity researchers and educators to acquire and use atmospheric and related data.\u201d SSEC\u2019s McIDAS is one of two computer packages made available for this purpose.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\nHonors and Outreach<\/em><\/h1>\nOSSE<\/a><\/p>\nSpeakers<\/strong><\/a>\u2014Sanjay Limaye, SSEC scientist and director of the Office of Space Science Education, is among dozens of university employees recognized for speaking for UW\u2013Madison\u2019s Speakers\u2019 Bureau. All 90 were listed in\u00a0Wisconsin Week,<\/em>\u00a0October 10. Many other SSEC employees speak before groups, arranged through SSEC\u2019sPublic Information Office<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" On and In The Ice by Terri Gregory, SSEC Public Information Coordinator December 2001 This issue of\u00a0In the News\u00a0covers November 2001 and includes news not covered in previous issues. Use images freely with credit to the Space Science and Engineering Center, University of Wisconsin\u2013Madison. 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