Transcript AIRS Products for the National Weather Service Brad Zavodsky

AIRS Products for the National Weather
Service
Brad Zavodsky
SPoRT Science Advisory Committee: June 12, 2007
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transitioning unique NASA data and research technologies to the NWS
Overview
Relevance to SPoRT: Taking real-time AIRS L2 profile data and
creating useful tools to assist NWS forecasters improve 0 – 24h
forecasts
♦ AIRS
Instrument Review
♦
SPoRT/SOO workshop and AIRS Science Team collaborations
♦
Current Work
• Point Location Skew-Ts
• Gridded AIRS product for WFO
• Boundary Layer Height
♦
Summary/Future Plans
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transitioning unique NASA data and research technologies to the NWS
AIRS Instrument Review
♦ Aboard Aqua
polar orbiter with
early afternoon equator crossing
♦
2378 spectral channels from 3.7 to
15.4 μm) (650 – 2675 cm-1)
♦
3 x 3 footprints (golfball; L1B:
15km; L2: 50 km spatial resolution)
♦
L2 products have:
• V4 (current version) 0.9-1.3K global
ocean and land (in 1 km layers); <15%
RH (in 2 km layers)
• quality indicators (QIs) based on how
deep the sounding goes in the
atmosphere
• V5 (available S07) will have
improved accuracy (WV profile and
over non-frozen land) and level-bylevel error estimates for better QIs
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transitioning unique NASA data and research technologies to the NWS
Outcome of SPoRT/SOO Workshop and AIRS Science Team Visit
♦ AIRS
L2 products beneficial because they provide upper air
information in spatial and temporal data voids
♦
Feedback from SPoRT/SOO workshop determined that AIRS L2
products could help solve specific forecast problems:
• atmospheric destabilization leading to convective storms
• diagnoses of 4D moisture variability in the mesoscale (particularly
ahead of developing weather)
• improved 0 – 24 hr prediction of sensible weather elements
• fog, smoke, and low cloud detection (boundary layer)
♦
Visit by AIRS Science Team members from JPL to discuss
operational use of AIRS with WFO yielded three potential products:
• L2 soundings at specific points (used as RAOBS)
• L3 gridded product (generated from L2 profiles; used as model)
• Boundary layer height product
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transitioning unique NASA data and research technologies to the NWS
Current Work: AIRS Skew-Ts at Point Locations
00Z RAOB
12Z RAOB
AIRS
AIRS
♦
Provide WFO
sounding information for
nearest high-quality
AIRS sounding
♦
Overlay AIRS and
RAOB data at RAOB
locations (e.g. BNA)
♦
Produce just AIRS
profiles at latitude/
longitude for locations
lacking RAOB (e.g.
HUN)
♦
Sample AIRS/RAOB overlain
Skew-T for Nashville, TN (BNA)
Sample AIRS Skew-T for
Huntsville, AL (HUN) (no available
RAOB)
Introduce into AWIPS
as RAOB data
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transitioning unique NASA data and research technologies to the NWS
Current Work: Gridded AIRS Product for WFO
AWIPS display of AIRS 1000 hPa T
AWIPS display of AIRS 1000 hPa Td
Let’s look at how
AWIPS displays a
cross section of
AIRS data
♦
“Proof of concept” prototype using V4 standard AIRS profiles and Cressman analysis
♦
Produces smooth, realistic looking field of temperatures and dew points with no
discontinuities from land to water
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transitioning unique NASA data and research technologies to the NWS
Current Work: Gridded AIRS Product for WFO (cnt’d)
AWIPS display of AIRS T cross section
♦
AWIPS display of AIRS Td cross section
Easily generates vertical cross sections
♦ Able
to create point soundings with calculated indices (e.g. CAPE, LCL, etc.) at any
location there are data
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transitioning unique NASA data and research technologies to the NWS
Current Work: Boundary Layer Height Product
AIRS
MIPS
♦
Important to validate AIRS lower layers in
order to use product (assist JPL in this task)
♦
Same lower
atmosphere
structure
Comparison between UAH MPR data
collocated in space and time
♦
Preliminary results indicate AIRS and MPR
show similar structure of lower atmosphere—
should lead to similar boundary layer height
♦
Product for WFO would convey boundary
layer height on a pixel-by-pixel basis
• forecasters could view plan view of boundary
layer or cross section (similar viewing to
gridded product)
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transitioning unique NASA data and research technologies to the NWS
Summary
♦ AIRS
profiles are a valuable asset to the operational community by
providing upper air information in spatial and temporal data voids
♦
The SPoRT/SOO workshop and meetings with members of the
AIRS Science Team helped identify three possible products that could
assist forecasters with specific forecasting problems
• L2 soundings at specific points
• L3 gridded product
• Boundary Layer height product
♦
Continued collaboration with the AIRS Science Team and NWS will
help determine best possible products for operational use
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transitioning unique NASA data and research technologies to the NWS
Future Work
♦
Eagerly awaiting implementation of V5 AIRS algorithm sometime this
summer—working closely with JPL and University of Wisconsin to get
AIRS V5 on direct broadcast as quickly as possible
♦ Add AIRS
point soundings as an additional RAOB type in AWIPS
♦ Adapt
the prototype gridded product to use V5 support product and get
further assistance from JPL in producing a regional, gridded product in
near-real-time (perhaps a new L3 product in V6 release)
• Produce files in real-time and transfer to WFOs for forecaster use
♦ Assist
JPL with validation of AIRS boundary layer using UAH MIPS,
which could lead to a boundary layer height product for WFOs
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transitioning unique NASA data and research technologies to the NWS