SPoRT Image Gallery
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The AMSR-E 89 GHz passive microwave radiometer observes the brightness temperatures associated with Hurricane Bill at 18 UTC, 22 August 2009 as it departs the eastern coast of the United States. This type of observation depicts the convective towers associated with the eye wall, as well as the cyclonic shape of the symmetric rain bands located to the north and south of the storm. The most intense activity appears to be in the southeast quadrant, while northwest of the storm, activity may have been weakened as the cyclone was impacted by wind shear associated with an upper level shortwave departing the northeastern United States.
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Due to a convenient alignment between the A-Train orbital trajectory and the path of Hurricane Bill along the eastern coastline of North America, the CloudSat radar was able to take a look at the structure of the cyclone and passed very near to, or perhaps directly across, the eye of the storm (red line, top image). This overpass occurred at 18 UTC on 22 August 2009 when Hurricane Bill was classified as a Category 1 storm. It is unclear whether CloudSat directly sampled across the eye, but the relative lack of convection near 36 degrees may be associated with the eye. Assuming that CloudSat sampled the eye, it is interesting to note that it depicts a layer of relatively thick, high altitude cloud which may have obscured the location of the center in visible or infrared satellite imagery. CloudSat indicates that some shallower convection may be occurring near the eye center (bottom images).
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SPoRT’s partners at the Spaceflight Meteorology Group (SMG) have an interesting use for MODIS sea surface temperature data. The influence of the Gulf Stream Current is important especially since this warm current borders a tongue of cool water that hugs the eastern Florida shoreline. With a large gradient between the two features, the boundary is a common focal point for cloud and storm development. Depending on the synoptic airflow, storms that develop along this boundary may move ashore at Kennedy Space Center and disrupt operations. To help monitor this, SMG overlays visible satellite data (from GOES or MODIS) with the 1 km MODIS sea surface temperature composite. This image is a combination of the MODIS sea surface temperature composite with the corresponding 1 km MODIS visible imagery. The greens indicate warmer sea surface temperatures, while the blues are cooler. The circled region is the western boundary of the Gulf Stream current, with a developing cumulus field following this boundary.
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Many NASA/SPoRT partners have coastal forecast issues and are impacted by precipitation from offshore storms and tropical cyclones. Outside of the radar coverage it can be difficult to know how much precipitation is occurring with impending tropical convection or cyclones. The AMSR-E instrument provides a rain rate product to aid these situations. Below is an example of the instantaneous AMSR-E rain rate as the instrument performed an overpass of the storm.
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The storm system that struck the Tennessee Valley on 10 April 2009 presented several impressive satellite images. This image is an overlay of 1 km MODIS visible imagery with 1 km MODIS 11 micron infrared imagery (in color). The image combination tool in AWIPS allows for a unique presentation as the visible imagery shows cloud structure, especially with some of the towering cumulonimbus clouds and cirrus shield associated with the severe weather. The infrared imagery shows the coldest cloud tops associated with the strongest storms, shown by the pink region. The image below demonstrates the full power of MODIS. The visible image has a resolution of 250 m. Unlike the more well known GOES imagery, MODIS can only provide a snapshot image as it is aboard a polar orbiting satellite. However, MODIS gives us a preview of future capabilities.
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This series of images from 2101-2110 UTC on 2 April 2009 illustrates what a lightning jump from the North Alabama Lightning Mapping Array (NALMA) total lightning network looks like within AWIPS. SPoRT trains forecasters to look for these jumps, which are rapid surges of source densities, as they are often a precursor of severe weather. This series of images shows the total lightning source density increasing from 20 sources (2102), to 40 sources (2106), and then surging to 145 sources at 2110. This supported radar observations that the storm was intensifying and a severe thunderstorm warning was issued at 2118 UTC, that later produced severe hail and strong winds.
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This is an image of total lightning source densities, shown in AWIPS, as observed by the North Alabama Lightning Mapping Array (NALMA) in Huntsville, Alabama. Unlike tradition cloud-to-ground lightning observations that just show a point of data, total lightning shows the spatial extent of all lightning within a storm. However, the lightning activity is most closely associated with the strength of the storm’s updraft, as it is here where most of the electrical charging occurs. As a result, the greatest source density values are located near the storm’s updraft and displays of source density allow forecasters to quickly assess where the storm cores are located and which cores may be rapidly intensifying as shown be increases in total lightning activity.
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This image is an example of the lightning forecast algorithm, under development by researchers here in Huntsville, Alabama and using data from the North Alabama Lightning Mapping Array (NALMA) for training and verification. Here is a 36 hour forecast, valid at 12Z on 27 April 2011, of the greatest hourly flash densities.
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Much of north and central Alabama were devastated by numerous, powerful tornadoes that swept across the state on 27 April 2011. One of the major tasks after the storms was getting survey crews out to analyze the storm paths and assess the strength of these storms. This helps emergency managers have a broad overview of where the storms hit so that aid can be provided. One product that SPoRT experimented with after the storms was a difference image using 500 m MODIS imagery from both before and after the tornadoes. This difference image clearly shows where the larger tornadoes (EF-2 or greater) tracked across the state. The image here shows the EF-4 Tuscaloosa tornado (center track), along with a major tornado both north and south of Tuscaloosa.
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Lightning does have the ability to reach far beyond its parent thunderstorm, making it important to heed lightning safety rules. One way to visualize this is through using total lightning observation networks that can see both the cloud-to-ground and intra-cloud lightning flashes. This particular observation comes from the Lightning Detection and Ranging (LDAR) network located at the Kennedy Space Center in east Central Florida. This image shows a single lightning flash that originated near the Orlando International Airport at 1923 UTC on 16 August 2010 that then went north over Orlando and then hooked west towards Lake Apopka. The total distance covered was nearly forty miles!
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At 0350 UTC on 25 April 2010, a strong storm was approaching Marion County in southeast Tennessee, which is part of the Morristown, Tennessee National Weather Service Forecast Office’s county warning area. Previous analysis by the forecaster indicated that the storm was not yet severe. However, the image here shows the lightning source densities (lower left) surged to over 200 sources while previous lightning data showed far fewer sources and other observations (radar and probability of severe hail) showed no change at this time. This lightning jump prompted the issuing of a severe thunderstorm warning that ultimately had a 20 minute lead time of severe winds near Jasper, Tennessee at 0410 UTC. The total lightning data helped “tip the scales” on issuing this particular warning.
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This is an example of SPoRT’s new MODIS enhanced sea surface temperature composite displayed in AWIPS. This example was provided by the Mobile, Alabama National Weather Service Forecast Office.
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Traditional GOES imagery can sometimes be difficult to use to distinguish between clouds and snow cover on the ground due to the similarity of the albedo of these features at visible wavelengths. Using the multispectral channels from MODIS, a false color composite can be made that distinguishes between clear ground, snow cover, and clouds. This image demonstrates this capability from a snow storm in the Tennessee River Valley. Here, clouds remain white, clear ground is green to aqua, and snow cover is designated by the various shades of red.
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The Morristown, Tennessee National Weather Service Forecast Office has created an AWIPS display bundle that allows for quick evaluations of North Alabama Lightning Mapping Array (NALMA) data alongside radar data at multiple radar elevation slices with other products. This image is of a supercell that moved across southern Middle Tennessee. The image shows the all-tilts reflectivity (upper left), all-tilts storm relative motion velocity and tornado vortex signature rapid update (upper right), all-tilts velocity with digital mesocyclone data (lower right), and NALMA with 5 minute cloud-to-ground lightning and hail index. A very large NALMA observation (over 200 sources) indicated the presence of large hail, confirmed by a large, three-body scatter spike in the radar images. Additionally, the cloud-to-ground lightning data only showed one lightning strike.
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SPoRT has created a high resolution water temperature product for the Great Lakes region as a subset of the enhanced MODIS/AMSR-E sea surface temperature composite. This example shows significant detail in the surface water temperature structure across sections of each lake on 3 December 2009. This information will have significant impact in lake effect snow situations.
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The Nashville, Tennessee National Weather Service Forecast Office described the importance of having the correct color curve with this SPoRT ADAS surface analysis in AWIPS. The image shows the 20Z analysis for 17 November 2009, along with METAR observations. By creating a local color curve and not using the default setting, each color now represents a 2 degree increment of temperature that clearly highlights the temperature gradient from the front.
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A slow moving upper level trough moved through the Houston, Texas National Weather Service Forecast Office area. This brought widespread rainfall and a swath of heavy rains across Southeast Texas and led to a rise in several local rivers and generated minor to moderate flooding. With the exodus of the trough the skies cleared and a MODIS pass afforded us with an excellent view of the region. This 1 km MODIS natural color composite, from 1710 UTC on 31 October 2009, gives an excellent view of the region. The image shows the sediment plumes from the elevated flow out the mouth of the Colorado, Brazos, Trinity, and Sabine rivers.
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One product SPoRT is providing to the GOES-R Proving Ground is the MODIS-GOES hybrid. The resolution of MODIS is similar to the future Advanced Baseline Imager instrument. However, MODIS is a polar orbiting instrument and cannot provide observations in a continuous, looping format like GOES. To address this, SPoRT takes existing GOES data and replaces the portions of the GOES image where MODIS data are available. The result allows the high-resolution MODIS data to be included in an animated loop. The image here from 20 September 2009 shows the 11 micron infrared hybrid product. The MODIS data are to the left of the dashed blue line at 1 km, while the GOES data are to the right at 4 km and shown over the Four Corners region of the southwestern United States.
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The 1 km MODIS fog product (also known as spectral difference) can be overlaid with high resolution topographic images in AWIPS. This image shows fog in the valleys and near bodies of water across eastern Tennessee and southwest Virginia. The high resolution of MODIS allowed forecasters to see fog develop in the complex terrain of this region along the Big South Fork of the Cumberland River, the Powell River, Clinch River and Holston River on 8 September 2009. Without the 1 km resolution of MODIS, the extent of the dense fog would have been virtually impossible to detect and while the fog was not widespread enough for a dense fog advisory, a nowcast describing the fog was issued.
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The AMSR-E instrument captured this image of the instantaneous rain rate of Hurricane Bill as it headed north along the U.S. East Coast. The image also allows for the observation of the rain structure withing the storm. This was observed on 22 August 2009.
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The Tennessee Valley region of north Alabama and southern middle Tennessee received widespread snowfall on Christmas Day 2010, marking the heaviest–and in some cases the first–snowfall on record for Christmas Day. Near freezing temperatures and “wraparound” snow fall kept a snow pack that persisted several days. This MODIS false color image from 1633 UTC on 27 December 2010 shows the regions of snow pack (red), versus clear ground (green), and cloud cover (white). This product aided in monitoring the melting of the snow pack after the event.
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A record cold event hit Florida in mid-December 2010 with low temperatures dropping into the 20s for consecutive nights across portions of east Central Florida. Additionally, the air was extremely dry as surface dewpoints fell into the single digits or below zero Fahrenheit! This 1 km MODIS true color image comes from the Melbourne, Florida National Weather Service Forecast Office at 1846 UTC on 14 December 2010. This image displays high resolution detail of the turbidity of the near shore Atlantic waters and also along the West Florida shelf. The image also shows a hint of the west wall of the Gulf Stream Current. In addition, the open and closed stratocumulus were well depicted over the warmer waters of the Atlantic and Gulf, while the plume of cloud-free drying air can be seen reaching the north coast of Cuba.
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This is an example of the SPoRT ADAS surface analysis product from 30 November 2010. The display shows the surface temperature field along with the wind barbs and demonstrates the ADAS analysis’ high resolution and ability to resolve terrain features in the east. This product, along with other tools, aided forecasters in deciding to include only a slight chance of snow and sleet in the forecast, which verified later that day.
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This is an example of the MODIS “Nighttime Microphysics” red-green-blue (RGB) composite image displayed in N-AWIPS. The product is derived from MODIS using guidelines developed by EUMETSAT. In this particular image the combination of multiple channels better discriminates fog in the Southeast (blue) from low clouds streaming off the Great Lakes (yellow-greens). This offers more detail than the standard MODIS spectral difference (or fog) product that would show both of these regions as yellow.
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An example of the MODIS “Air Mass” red-green-blue (RGB) composite product developed using guidelines from EUMETSAT. By using multiple spectral bands, certain air mass characteristics can be delineated that would otherwise go undetected in single channel imagery. Here, the colorful RGB composite identifies warm and cool air masses contrasting on opposite sides of two frontal boundaries associated with midlatitude cyclones traversing the northeastern United States. Physically, the red channel identifies moisture at the mid and upper levels, green identifies ozone rich (polar) and ozone poor (subtropical) regions, while blue depicts upper level moisture.
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SPoRT is collaborating with the Huntsville National Weather Service Forecast Office to develop software plugins to visualize data in AWIPS II. The first success is displayed here using data from the North Alabama Lightning Mapping Array (NALMA) total lightning observations. This shows the source density product in the AWIPS II CAVE display system.
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SPoRT is working towards ingesting and displaying satellite-based fire and smoke detections in AWIPS II. This visible image shows a smoke plume in southeastern Idaho, at 2345Z on 13 July 2010. The orange dots represent fire/hotspot detections while the polygons represent smoke detections (red=”heavy” smoke, yellow=”medium” smoke, and green=”light” smoke). This image has been displayed in the National Weather Service’s new decision support tool, AWIPS II.
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Very windy and dry conditions developed across New Mexico on 29 April 2010. The MODIS 1km visible satellite image captured at 2008Z on the 29th shows a thick white dust plume over northwest Otero County surging northeast toward Lincoln County. The dust plume thins out as it continues to the northeast across northern Chaves and southeastern De Baca Counties. Surface observations 60 miles northeast of White Sands at the Sierra Blanca Regional Airport reported visibilities below 3 SM between 1835Z and 0115Z. The visibility was as low as 3/4 SM a few hours after a peak wind gust of 67 knots. Surface observations more than 200 miles northeast of White Sands at Clovis, NM reported visibilities of 1 ½ SM at 2235Z with peak wind gusts of 50 knots.
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The descending orbit of NASA Terra satellite tracked across the southeastern corner of Louisiana, providing near-nadir coverage from MODIS coinciding with relatively clear skies in the Gulf of Mexico. In this image from 17 May 2010 at 1634 UTC, oil from the Deepwater Horizon accident is seen as an arc of milky white and gray, extending from the Mississippi River delta southeastward into the central Gulf of Mexico.
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This is a 1 km resolution MODIS true color composite from 25 April 2010 sent to SPoRT from the Mobile, Alabama National Weather Service Forecast Office. This image shows the oil slick from the Deepwater Horizon accident, which is the whitish feature southeast of the Mississippi River delta and south of Mobile Bay. This image was passed to various emergency managers tracking the slick in order to protect Gulf beaches. The image also shows an increased amount of dirt flowing out of the rivers and flowing into the bays and Gulf of Mexico.
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High resolution water temperature of the Great Lakes as observed in the enhanced MODIS / AMSR-E SST product for December 3, 2009 at 0700 UTC. Forecasters use this information in a diagnostic mode and prognostically (in weather forecast models) to improve the prediction of clouds and precipitation in the Great Lakes region. This will have significant impact in Lake effect snow situations.
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While reviewing the SPoRT products with a forecaster, we came across this MODIS spectral difference image at 1 km resolution. Typically, this product is used for fog detection. However, on the night of November 9th, 2009, the high contrails of aircraft were evident. Although not useful in a forecast sense, this highlights the great resolution of MODIS and what we will eventually see with the Advanced Baseline Imager on GOES-R.
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After a slow moving upper level trough moved through the area bringing widespread rainfall and a swath of heavy rains, the rivers across Southeast Texas rose leading to minor to moderate flooding. With the exodus of the trough the skies cleared and a MODIS pass afforded us with an excellent view of the region. Of note on Saturday were the sediment plumes from the elevated flow out the mouth of the Colorado, Brazos, Trinity, and Sabine rivers. (Credit for this image goes to the Houston WFO!)
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This image, produced by Matt Smith and Kevin Fuell from 20 September 2009, shows the 11 micron infrared hybrid product. The MODIS and GOES imagery are separated by the blue, dashed line. The bottom and right sides show the lower resolution (4 km) GOES IR image alongside the high resolution (1 km) MODIS IR data over the Four Corners region of the southwest United States.
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Various MODIS channels can be combined into Red/Green/Blue (RGB) composites. This compositing technique is used to enhance different features in the atmosphere with different colors. In this example, the MODIS RGB composite is optimized for dust detection. This image is centered over Oklahoma and Texas from 15 April 2011 at 1924 UTC. The dust plume easily stands out in shades of pink over west Texas and the Oklahoma panhandle. Additionally, the thin white strips oriented from northwest to southeast in central Texas are smoke plumes from wildfires.
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The MODIS-GOES Hybrid imagery allows for much better detail of cloud structures (besides other non-cloud features), especially during the warm season when large-scale cloud cover is less likely. However, even during times of widespread cloud cover, added detail can be displayed and thus be more apparent to the user. Two images are presented here. The first is the standard GOES IR image (left) at 0815 UTC from 15 April 2011. Note that there are no green pixels and the coldest temperature is -71°C. However, when the MODIS data are inserted to create the Hybrid IR image (right) for roughly the same time, a wide area of green pixels of different shadings appear, ranging from -72 to -78°C. The higher MODIS resolution allows one to detect additional features that can be important in determining changes in intensity of convection.
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The Huntsville National Weather Service’s decision support tool (AWIPS D2D) is now configured to successfully process and display output from the NASA SPoRT Land Information System (LIS). The data being viewed thus far is a 1-kilometer version centered on the state of Alabama to support the Birmingham National Weather Service’s convective initiation project. This sample image shows both the line contour and color display of the 1 km resolution surface soil temperature.
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SPoRT’s AWIPS II team in collaboration with our partners at the Huntsville National Weather Service are preparing SPoRT data for the next generation of the Weather Service’s decision support software. One such success is a plug-in to display total lightning data. This example image shows the source density product from the North Alabama Lightning Mapping Array (NALMA) overlaid on the radar data from the Hytop, AL doppler radar. Note the intense lightning activity in the center cell, whereas some other strong radar signatures have no lightning observed. (Image from 24 October 2010)
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On 13 January 2011, a combination of snow cover and broken clouds over the southern Appalachian region made it difficult to distinguish where the clouds were located using visible satellite alone. The top image shows the 1 km MODIS visible image (1539 UTC). It is very difficult to tell what is cloud cover and what is snow cover. However, compare this to the 1 km MODIS false color composite image at the same time. Here, the clouds (white) are easily distinguished from the snow cover (red), thanks to the different radiative properties of the clouds and snow. This particular observation added short-term confidence to WFO Morristown’s 18Z TAF ceiling forecast.
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The Albuquerque, New Mexico National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office has been using the MODIS-GOES hybrid products. The hybrid inserts the high-resolution MODIS data, when available, into a standard GOES image. This allows end users to loop the high-resolution data as GOES provides the observations when MODIS is unavailable. This particular image is a water vapor hybrid from 1731 UTC on 4 January 2011. The high-resolution MODIS data in this hybrid image clearly shows a mountain wave over southern Colorado and northern New Mexico. Additionally, what appear to be aircraft contrails can be seen in the southwest United States and northern Mexico.
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The AMSR-E instrument aboard the Aqua satellite uses microwave observations to estimate the convective percent of storms. This observation was made in the early hours of 10 December 2008 of the line of storms that swept through the Southeast bringing heavy rains and several tornadoes. The reds indicate the strongest thunderstorms.
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The AMSR-E instrument uses microwave observations to peer through cloud cover and estimate rainfall rates. This images comes from the early morning hours of 10 December 2008 as a strong line of storms swept through the Southeast delivering large rainfall totals. The heaviest rains are concentrated along the front, particularly in west-central Alabama and east-central Mississippi.
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This MODIS false color composite is used to distinguish between cloud cover (white), clear ground (green), and snow cover (red). This image from 8 March 2008 shows the extent of snow cover from Arkansas, most of Tennessee, and into Kentucky and shows that northern Alabama did not accumulate any snowfall.
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This land surface temperature was produced by a nighttime MODIS overpass. The black areas over land indicate cloud cover. The Mississippi River can be seen clearly in the western portion of the image.
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The North Alabama Lightning Mapping Array (NALMA) is used by several NWS Offices, including the one here in Huntsville, AL. While these data are most used for warning decision making, the NALMA also demonstrates the dangers of lightning. This image from 1 June 2008 shows a thunderstorm in northwest Madison County. A single flash of lightning originated here and completely crossed the county to the southeast, extending nearly 24 miles from the core of the thunderstorm.
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This MODIS false color composite combines reflected solar radiation from visible and near-infrared channels to distinguish between cloud cover (white), clear ground (green), and snow cover (shades of red). This image from 12 December 2008 shows snow through northwest Alabama and central Tennessee. Snow was even on the ground in Louisiana. Additionally, breaks in the clouds show that snow had accumulated in Kentucky as well.
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These AMSR-E SST plots show cooling in the wake of Hurricane Gustav. The top image (Aug. 28, 2008) shows the gulf at 85°F. The middle image (Sep. 1, 2008) shows a sharp drop in temperature to 80°F.
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Tropical Storm Fay during August 2008 affected many areas of the southeastern U.S. with prodigious rainfall amounts in excess of 500 mm, especially from eastern Florida to southwestern Georgia. A high-resolution simulation of the NASA Land Information System (LIS) depicts the dramatic increase in volumetric soil moisture in the root-zone layer (40-100 cm) in the 8 days from 18 to 26 August 2008. This event certainly helped alleviate the multi-year drought over portions of the southeastern U.S.
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The SPoRT MODIS Sea Surface Temperature (SST) product provides local mesoscale models with superior detail of the ocean gradients around Florida. The operational Real-Time Global SST from 1 March 2007 (upper-left) depicts a relatively smooth field while the SPoRT MODIS product (upper-right) shows exquisite details of the warm Gulf Stream and cooler shelf waters near the Bahamas and the Florida west coast. Differences of 2-3°C are common (bottom).
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The SPoRT ADAS is a surface analysis product provided to our Huntsville WFO partner. It combines a 2-hr RUC forecast with surface observations to produce an hourly analysis. This particular image is a 2-m temperature analysis depicting a strong cold front approaching the Tennessee Valley.
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MODIS has the capability to differentiate snow on the ground from clouds using multispectral imaging. The bright red regions identify significant snow on the ground. In particular, the topographic map on the right shows the location of the Cascade and Sierra Nevada mountain ranges. These regions can be clearly seen as snow covered in the MODIS image.
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The Enhanced Convective Forecast (ECF) product (single hour pictured here) is a joint collaboration between SPoRT, ENSCO, Inc., and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The objective is to demonstrate improved convective weather forecast capabilities for air traffic route planning over the New York region in the 2 to 12 hour time range.
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SPoRT provides several high resolution products from the MODIS instrument. Two of these are combined here; the shortwave infrared and natural color composite. This case from 20 November 2008 highlights the utility in locating fires Alabama by observing the smoke plumes (color composite) and finding hot spots, in black, (shortwave) associated with the plumes or locations where no plumes are present. This assists in air quality forecasts and incident meteorology.
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This is a 24-hour summary of North Alabama Lightning Mapping Array activity across the Huntsville National Weather Service's County Warning Area for the Super Tuesday tornadoes on 6 February 2008. By looking at the lightning activity alone, once can see the specific tracks of the supercell thunderstorms (oriented from southwest to northeast) that crossed the region. Many of the tornadoes occurred as the lightning activity increased, shown by the brighter colors on the plot. This lightning jump is often used for helping issue tornado warnings.
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Here is an example of the resolution available from the MODIS instrument. Each image is centered on Huntsville, AL and shows the land surface temperature. The left image comes from the GOES satellite and is highly pixelated due to a low resolution. The primary GOES advantage is that it updated more rapidly than MODIS. Meanwhile, the right MODIS image shows the temperature gradient produced by the Tennessee River (west to east from the left-center part) and the effects of the higher terrain in the east.
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SPoRT has partnered with CIRA to transition their total precipitable water (TPW) product to the NWS. TPW is a measure of the amount of water in an entire column in the atmosphere, including near the surface which most conventional water vapor imagery misses, assisting in flood prediction. The image above comes from 19 August 2008 as Tropical Storm Fay crossed south Florida. The purple region to the east of Florida has the greatest water content as was associated with the part of the storm that dumped record rainfall in Melbourne, Florida.
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The 1 km Spectral Difference is a MODIS product provided to SPoRT's National Weather Service partners. This tool provides forecasters with a snapshot of where fog may be located. The grey indicates clear skies, blue as cirrus clouds, and the yellow indicates fog.
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This is a 500 m resolution, natural color composite MODIS image. Here a large cumulus cloud field is seen across much of South Florida. Lake Okeechobee stands out near the central part of the image.
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Hurricane Ivan is shown in this MODIS natural color composite from 15 September 2004.
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The SPoRT generated AMSR-E Rain Rate product shows how passive microwave data can be used to observe and monitor weather events outside the range of conventional ground-based radars. This image is of Hurricane Katrina the day before making landfall on the Louisiana and Mississippi Gulf Coasts. Images like this and others are sent in near-real-time to the Southern Region NWS Forecast Offices.
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The real-time output from the Lightning Mapping Array (LMA) is used to assist with forecasting the initiation of cloud-to-ground lightning (CG). In this case, the LMA indicated cloud-to-cloud lightning 5 to 6 minutes before the initial ground strikes were reported.
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SPoRT develops the relationships between infrared satellite imagery and lightning source counts in order to improve nowcasting for future lightning occurrence. This case is from July 6, 2004, and demonstrates how the future CI map predicts cloud development an hour ahead of time.
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NWS forecasters use output from the North Alabama Lightning Mapping Array (NALMA) in conjunction with Doppler Radar imagery to assist with warning decision making. Illustrated here is a case from May 6, 2003.
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This image shows the response of the low-level atmospheric flow to changes in sea surface temperature (SST). SST differences (in Kelvin) are shown at left, averaged from May 9-19, 2004. 10-m wind convergence differences, shown at right, averaged during the nighttime hours of 05-11 UTC, indicate that the winds slowed down and converged as they moved from the warm Gulf Stream to the cooler coastal waters (see region circled in yellow). This convergence forced vertical atmospheric motion, which encouraged cloud formation.
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The MODIS instrument has several methods for detecting snow cover. The first and most obvious is the Natural Color Composite on the left. However, with the naked eye it can be difficult to differentiate between snow cover and cloud cover. An alternate method is the Snow/Ice Composite, at middle. Compare its results to the EOS Snow Map, at right. Each produces a more accurate and readable picture of the extent of snow cover on the ground. (January 29, 2004, 1620 UTC)
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This view of Hurricane Isabel from space was taken on September 18, 2003, at 11:50 am EDT. The heart of Isabel is just making landfall. Red-, green-, and blue-filtered images were combined to create a true-color view of this dangerous storm.
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Tornado damage can be detected by MODIS 250-m visible and color composite images, as shown here in the southeast Missouri storms of April 24, 2002.
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MODIS can detect clouds in greater resolution than the GOES alternative, as shown in this image taken over North Alabama. Click this image for the full comparison. The top MODIS image is in 250-m resolution, while the bottom GOES image is in 1-km resolution.
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Daily sea surface temperature (SST) data provides valuable ocean thermal structure for coastal weather forecasting and data assimilation. The increased spatial resolution and calibration accuracy of MODIS provides for increased monitoring over that of GOES.