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<\/p>\nSince the dawn of the satellite era, weather satellites have been an instrumental and mainstay feature of space exploration. Numerous countries and agencies around the world have launched their own sets of sentinels that keep an ever-watchful eye over our continents and oceans.<\/p>\n
To say that weather satellites have had a positive impact on weather forecasting and accuracy would be an understatement. But exactly how is the data used to generate those forecasts gathered by NOAA\u2019s GOES network? And how is that data used by hurricane forecasters and modelers to inform and protect the public during increasingly powerful, active, and record-breaking seasons?<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
As the 2021 Atlantic and Eastern Pacific hurricane seasons wind down from their traditional points of peak activity in September, NASASpaceflight spoke with NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)\/NESDIS (National Environmental Satellite Data Information Service) GOES-R Program Scientist Dr. Daniel Lindsey about the satellites and how their information is used.<\/p>\n
GOES-R, in this case, refers to the series of four most recent GOES (Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite) spacecraft that began with GOES-R and run through the upcoming GOES-T and GOES-U satellites. The actual GOES-R satellite itself, the first in the new series and for which the series is named, became GOES-16 upon reaching orbit.<\/p>\n
The GOES weather satellites are referred to by a letter designation prior to and during launch. They are then renamed with a number once in orbit. The GOES East and GOES West monikers are not specific satellites but rather a location and reference to the region a specific GOES satellite is responsible for monitoring.<\/p>\n
As an example, GOES-S was renamed GOES-17 after reaching orbit and is currently located in the GOES West position.<\/p>\n
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The GOES-R series of weather satellites. (Credit: NOAA)<\/p>\n
\u201c[The GOES-R satellite imagers] collect data in unit of radiances,\u201d said Dr. Lindsey. \u201cThese are the measure of radiation that the satellite itself is detecting. It comes in the form of either visible, which is reflected sunlight off the clouds and off the Earth, or in infrared in the amount of heat that is released by the clouds, the atmosphere, and land or ocean surface.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe infrared radiances are at various wavelengths or spectral channels. The ones that we typically use in the models are what we call the window infrared. That\u2019s around 10 to 11 micrometers.\u201d<\/p>\n
This part of the information for tropical forecasting is gathered by the current GOES-16 and GOES-17 satellites via their Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI) instrument, and the models that are generated and used by forecasters should have a solution that is consistent with what the satellites are seeing.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf it\u2019s not consistent, if say the radiances from the satellite are not what the model is showing you, that means the model should be adjusted. We can go back and change the initial conditions of the model and run it again to try to make it best match what the satellite is telling you,\u201d related Dr. Lindsey. \u201cThat is a simplified description of the process known as data assimilation.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another data path estimated from GOES satellite data relates to atmospheric wind velocities. And this is where the satellites\u2019 positioning in geostationary orbit, and the benefits that bring, are clearly seen.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n