QuikSCAT Follow-on Mission Concept Study (JPL Publication 08-18, April 2008).
To continue to meet the Nation's need for operational ocean surface vector winds (OSVW) observations beyond QuikSCAT, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) tasked the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) to design and provide costs for a set of QuikSCAT Follow-On mission options. Three scenarios were examined: 1) a QuikSCAT Replacement mission with capabilities equivalent to QuikSCAT, 2) a next-generation Extended Ocean Vector Winds Mission (XOVWM), as recommended in the National Research Council's decadal survey to provide significantly improved all-weather, all-wind, high spatial resolution measurements, and 3) an XOVWM Constellation consisting of two XOVWM observatories to provide improved temporal resolution. In parallel, NOAA asked its users to provide a quantitative assessment of each option's benefit to NOAA. This report presents the JPL design, risk assessment, and cost for each of the three options, together with a summary of the NOAA users' benefit assessment.

Operational Satellite Ocean Surface Vector Winds Project (NOAA, February 2008).
Satellite ocean surface vector wind (OSVW) data has revolutionized operational marine weather warnings, analyses, and forecasting. To maintain the significant improvements in operational weather forecasting and warning capability that have been realized from QuikSCAT OSVW data requires continuity of the OSVW data stream at a level that is equivalent to or better than that provided today by QuikSCAT. This report documents the results of the user impact study conducted to evaluate the impacts of a QuikSCAT equivalent and an advanced next-generation OSVW (XOVWM) follow-on mission on the marine weather warning and forecasting functions of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). A significant result of this study is that the XOVWM mission would greatly enhance the detection and warning capability across a wide range of weather phenomena for nearly all of the National Weather Service's coastal, offshore, high seas, and Great Lakes marine areas of responsibility. An XOVWM capability would yield significant benefits over a QuikSCAT equivalent capability in the forecast and warning program with respect to extratropical cyclones, tropical cyclones, coastal regions, and the Great Lakes. Other information and reports related to the NOAA operational satellite OSVW concept can be downloaded here.

The PO.DAAC would like to announce the availability of an improved GOES SST product. Cloud masking in the previous GOES SST was based on one flag. The new product gives the user more flexibility in that a bayesian approach is applied that associates each pixel with a probability of being cloud free.

As example new product names:

sst1b_2008_020_01 would replace sst1o_2008_20_01.

Product includes new Matlab, as well as updated IDL and FORTRAN read software. Data and software can be accessed through the ftp site at: ftp://podaac.jpl.nasa.gov/sea_surface_temperature/goes/

or through the POET interface at:
http://podaac.jpl.nasa.gov/poet

For more information on the new format please see URL for guide document.
ftp://podaac/pub/sea_surface_temperature/goes/goes10-12/doc/goes_guide_doc.html