SPoRT Extensions to Coastal WFOs

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• SPoRT Extensions to Coastal WFOs
• EOS Data and Products to
• Miami and Mobile WFOs
• Motivation Provide unique EOS data to address
  coastal weather forecasting issues
• Issues identified by WFO staff
• marine weather
• sea breeze circulations temperature, clouds,
  precipitation
• off-shore clouds and rain
• Provide near real-time MODIS and AMSR-E products
  to coastal WFOs similar to those products
  provided to other offices

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MODIS / AMSR-E

• MODIS imagery
• orbital track map
• single visible image (250m)
• natural color 3 ch. composite (500m)
• long wave infrared - 11?m (1000m)
• short wave infrared 3.9?m (1000m)
• 11?m - 3.9?m fog product (1000m)
• water vapor - 6.7?m (1000m)

• MODIS products
• cloud top pressure (5km)
• precipitable water (5km)
• lifted index (5km)
• land surface temperature (LST) 1 km
• SST - single time and composite 1km

• AMSR-E products (5km)
• rain rates (instantaneous)
• convective fraction
• SST
• precipitable water
• ocean surface wind speed

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Terra / Aqua Data Availability
MODIS (on the NASA Terra and Aqua polar orbiting
satellites) provides up to 4 passes a day for a
given region Terra nominal 1030am
(d) / 1030pm (a) overpass time Aqua
nominal 130pm (a) / 130am (d) overpass
Orbital tracks - recent past and future orbital
visualizations available in AWIPS Latency - most
MODIS data and products are available on the
Southern Region server within 30 minutes of
collection additional 10-15 minute delay based
on ftp scripts
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MODIS/AMSR-E Data Access in AWIPS

• Data provided in D2D
• access like GOES satellite data
• correspond to WFO coverage areas at highest
  resolution
• Examples

• color composites

• TPW

• SSTs

composite SST

• rain rates

Previews available http//weather.msfc.nasa.gov/sp
ort/sport_observations.html
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Transfer EOS Data to Miami and Mobile WFOs

• Data ingested in real-time from UW / USF Direct
  Broadcast ground stations and processed at MSFC
• EOS products produced by UW/USF
• In-house MSFC products
• EOS data is configured for local WFOs with NASA
  AWIPS system WFO/HUN (Jason Burks)
• Data is staged on Southern Region server
• Individual offices issue ftp requests for EOS
  products and ingested directly into AWIPS for
  application by forecasters
• Miami May 2005
• Mobile June 2005

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Miami WFO

• May 2005 Miami
• Brief local re-configuration for data ingest
• 1-on-1 forecaster training, provided training
  modules
• Same day use of MODIS 1km IR data to monitor
  convective intensity along with radar and in
  radar void regions
• Impact
• cloud cover (esp. _at_ night) for aviation
• cloud streets and subtle convergent lines (high
  resolution visible)
• upper level cold pools in water vapor
• TPW tongues in narrow moisture channels from
  Caribbean
• SST for surface forecasts and in regional model
  forecasts
• For us where a lot of the time the weather comes
  at us from the south where more convectional data
  sources are rather poor and lacking, having this
  data source is INDISPENSABLE and CRITICAL for
  operations, Pablo Santos, SOO (November 2005).

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Mobile WFO

• August 2005 Mobile
• briefed 10 (of 14) forecasters on use of MODIS
  and AMSR-E products, provided training modules
• initial use of MODIS data to monitor fires hot
  spots and visibility reduction because of
  agricultural burning
• AMSR-E products not continuous until September
• operational WRF forecasts
• Impact
• various coastal applications of clouds, sea
  breeze convection, etc.
• yes.  the wrf was very helpful with the track
  (for Katrina), and precipitation forecasts.  the
  MODIS, of course, is limited due to only being
  once per day (but the SST was nice to monitor for
  possible intensification).  The AMSR-E is still
  unavailable.  our forecasters really love having
  these new tools.  i have seen EVERYONE using
  them! Jeffrey Medlin, SOO, (August 30, 2005)

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Next Steps
Additional training remote through VISITview
/ PowerPoint modules Document impact case
examples Transition data and products to
Melbourne and Jacksonville offices Specific
product assessments for FY06