IN034-07
Adapting Satellite Soundings for Monitoring the Tropical Cyclones within the Intensity Forecasting EXperiment (IFEX) and JPSS Proving Ground

Tuesday, 15 December 2020: 04:24
Virtual
Rebekah Esmaili1, Nadia Smith1, Jeff T Szkodzinski2, Michael J Folmer3, Jason Dunion4, Jonathan Zawislak5, Emily Berndt6, Erika Duran7, Christopher D Barnet8, Lihang Zhou9 and Mitch Goldberg10, (1)Science and Technology Corporation, Boulder, CO, United States, (2)Science and Technology Corporation, Columbia, MD, United States, (3)Cooperative Institute for Climate and Satellites University of Maryland, College Park, MD, United States, (4)University of Miami and NOAA/AOML/HRD, Miami, FL, United States, (5)University of Miami/CIMAS, NOAA/AOML/Hurricane Research Division, Miami, FL, United States, (6)NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, Earth Science Branch, Huntsville, AL, United States, (7)University of Alabama in Huntsville / NASA SPoRT, Huntsville, United States, (8)Science and Technology Corporation (STC), Columbia, MD, United States, (9)NOAA College Park, College Park, MD, United States, (10)NOAA NESDIS Senior Scientist, Silver Spring, MD, United States
Recorded Presentation
Abstract:
Satellite soundings can supplement dropsondes from operational hurricane flights with large swaths of profiles from several platforms (Suomi NPP, NOAA-20, MetOp series, Aqua), thereby increasing the spatio-temporal availability of observations for Tropical Cyclone (TC) monitoring. Specifically, the NOAA Unique Combined Atmospheric Processing System (NUCAPS) retrieves real-time, model-independent observations of temperature, moisture, and trace gases from infrared and microwave sounders over clear and partly cloudy scenes. To evaluate and optimize NUCAPS for TC-environment monitoring, dropsondes need to be well-timed (< 2 hours) with a satellite overpass to ensure both measurements are sampling the same, potentially rapidly changing air mass. However, operational flights are generally scheduled to support numerical model runs, not verify satellite overpasses. The JPSS Proving Ground and Risk Reduction program (PGRR) has collaborated with the Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML) Intensity Forecasting EXperiment (IFEX) since 2018 to sample a variety of TC environments during planned research flights. This partnership during research flights enables both the evaluation and refinement of the NUCAPS algorithm to better serve TC forecaster communities.

During the 2019 IFEX campaign, 120 soundings were gathered during the development of Hurricane Jerry and Hurricane Lorenzo with more flights planned for the 2020 IFEX campaign. In this presentation, we will show an evaluation of the operational NUCAPS algorithm from past flights, demonstrate visualization strategies for the 2020 campaign, and discuss innovative solutions for improving NUCAPS for the TC community. Furthermore, we will show how direct partnerships across NOAA can help to rapidly develop operational products.

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