Identify and interpret fields and derived products
Jason Apke presents a method to derive winds from satellite data and shows some example applications.
The new Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES)-R Series Advanced Baseline Imager and similar instruments represent a substantial improvement in the spatial, spectral, temporal, and radiometric resolution of operational space-based imagery for atmospheric sciences. The enhanced resolutions enable the objective derivation of fine-scale brightness motion, or so-called "optical flow" (OF), over a variety of meteorological phenomena with techniques that address the weaknesses of current generation cloud and feature tracking algorithms. The techniques even allow for precise dense OF derivation, or motion retrieval at every image pixel, which has a variety of applications that will be invaluable to satellite remote sensing-based forecasting and research in the future. These applications include Atmospheric Motion Vector fields, temporal brightness interpolation, feature extrapolation, image stereoscopy, and semi-Lagrangian brightness temperature field derivation. As motion is an observable that provides unique context on features observed with an image, OF fields further offer significant new predictors to a variety of objective machine learning and decision-making tools now in development. This presentation will go into detail on how some of these new dense OF techniques are derived and highlight efforts to produce and validate new products. Demonstrations of novel RGBs and their uses for operational forecasting will be overviewed, such as blends of derived speed for inferring shear and cloud-top cooling for inferring vertical growth with clouds in visible satellite imagery. Efforts to validate wind products will also be shown which highlight the strengths and weaknesses of dense OF derivation for satellite remote sensing purposes. Examples of future applications and research will also be covered, including a look into the future of OF derivation with an example 6-sec GOES-17 dataset.
Mary Forsythe presents the impact of satellite winds on the performance of NWP models (ECMWF).
Satellite-derived winds are an important part of the global observing system. Atmospheric motion vectors, derived from tracking clouds in satellite imagery, and ocean surface winds from scatterometers have been routinely assimilated in global and regional NWP models for many years. More recently, wind profiles have become available from the Aeolus Doppler Wind Lidar. The talk will focus on how we use these datasets, their impact in global NWP models and some thoughts for the future.
Ad Stöffelen provides an overview on current wind products and services.
Never before so many ocean wind sensing satellites were available for application in meteorology, oceanography and climate. These satellite ocean winds are continually improved in quality and service. An overview will be provided of the current products and services, with particular focus on their earth coverage, timeliness, quality and on coastal and extreme winds. Furthermore, relevant aspects for application in nowcasting, ocean forcing, climate and NWP data assimilation will be highlighted.
Anu-Maija Sundström gives an overview presentation on AC SAF products and on long-range transport events.
AC SAF provides various satellite observations on atmospheric composition, that are relevant for assessing air quality and climate. In this talk an overview of the AC SAF products is given by introducing practical examples of recent major air quality episodes. The focus will be on long range transport events that are highly affected by prevailing wind conditions.
Régis Borde gives an overview on the actual wind products extracted from polar satellites over the world.
Derivation of wind products from polar orbiting satellites has been developed in the 2000’s to populate the high latitude regions where no observation could be obtained from geostationary satellites. Taking advantage of a wider variety of instruments available at Low Earth Orbit, several types of wind information are now produced operationally, and not limited to Polar Regions anymore.
This presentation will give an overview of the actual wind products extracted from polar satellites over the world, and then focus on the EUMETSAT activities which includes the operational production from imagers, the recent development of 3D winds from Hyperspectral instruments, and the preparation of the future Doppler Wind Lidar mission.
Polly Schmederer presents an evaluation of the EXIM product.
With the latest version of EXIM, new NWCSAF products were added to the list of sub-products and a new extrapolation feature, the so-called CTTH filter, was introduced. The CTTH filter allows extrapolating pixels using atmospheric motion vectors (AMVs) stemming from the same userdefined layer. This talk presents the value gained by extrapolating the new sub-products with EXIM and the impact CTTH-filter has on the extrapolation of the various sub-products.
Alexander Jann presents the NWC SAF product EXIM, its functionalities and the algorithm.
Extrapolated Imagery (EXIM) is one of EUMETSAT's NWCSAF/GEO products. EXIM kinematically extrapolates satellite imagery and selected NWCSAF products by up to a lead time of 1 hour.
The software developer gives an overview over EXIM's functionalities, the algorithm, challenges faced, and recent developments introduced in the latest version, which is currently under review for being released.
Javier Garcia Pereida presents the NWC SAF product High Resolution Winds and shows application examples.
The NWCSAF/HRW-High Resolution Winds product provides a detailed calculation of Atmospheric Motion Vectors and Trajectories locally and in real time by its users. In this moment, it is able to do this in all regions of the Earth with 5 MSG/Himawari/GOES-R geostationary satellites and 12 NOAA/SNPP/Metop/EOS polar satellites (inside NWC/GEO v2021 and NWC/PPS v2021 software packages).
It is useful in Nowcasting applications, for watch and warning of dangerous wind situations, and monitoring of the general atmospheric flow, small scale circulation and wind singularities. It can also be assimilated in NWP Models and Climate applications, with special interest in its global applicability. In this session, examples will be provided considering all these possibilities.
Lukas Tüchler presents a method to detect downdrafts from thunderstorms out of Doppler-radar data.
Convective downdrafts are one of the major thunderstorm hazards which lead to frequent damage. But the prediction of these events is a challenge for the forecasters. Can radar data help in the warning of severe convective wind? Some prediction methods to estimate the potential downdraft wind speed from radar data are discussed.
Wilfried Jacobs discusses summer convection seen in Doppler-radar wind products.
Only summer convection will be discussed. In the first part, basics of the Doppler-products‘ interpretation will be outlined (radial wind components, folding, convergences, divergences, rotations (meso-cyclones) and gusts estimation). Especially, the interpretation of PPI-products (plan position indicator) will be discussed, also in respect to fronts and temperature advection. The second part deals with instructive examples and a short overview of automatically derived nowcasting products at DWD.
Kathrin Baumann-Stanzer discusses the pros and cons of wind measurements principles and gives a historical overview.
First efforts to observe the wind profile within the lowest kilometres above ground go back to the 1920s. The development of radio transmission led, among other things, to an upswing in the area of radiosondes and captive balloons. The invention of ground-based remote sensing made it possible to monitor continuously the wind profile without costly deployment of personnel. The advantages and disadvantages of measurement principles are discussed based on selected examples from measurement campaigns.
Ad Stoffelen gives a presentation on scatterometer winds, backscattering theory and current scatterometer instruments.
Winds over sea are essential for marine forecasting and used in nowcasting and numerical weather prediction (NWP) to aid, among others, in off-shore activities (e.g., energy sector), transport and recreation, particularly to secure safety of life and property. Winds over sea are observed by satellites and available from NWP model forecasts. Most satellite winds over sea are provided by scatterometers these days; they provide swath fields of both wind speed and wind direction from polar satellites. More satellite winds are becoming available through a global virtual constellation of scatterometers. Currently, winds from MetOp-A, MetOp-B and the Indian OceanSat-2 are operationally available and provide good day coverage. Moreover, winds from the Chinese HY2A satellite are being tested with good results at KNMI and further scatterometer launches are being approved. The lecture will briefly comment on these developments, but mainly focuses on what scatterometer winds really represent, how good they are for marine forecasting and what aspects need attention when applying these winds in your routine operations.