Notes - Satellite Wind Variables
- The user can select the different wind product types individually (e.g.,
DDIR will retrieve only data for the infrared cloud-drift winds), or can
choose to get all wind product types with the same variable call (DD will
get data for all available product types).
The availability of each product type, and the exact algorithms being used to create them, are a function of the satellite data provider. Currently, MADIS supports two processing streams: GOES operational products (3 hour availability, all types), and GOES experimental products (1 hour availability, no sounder channel products). The GOES experimental products are only available in the FSL database.
For more information on GOES wind products, see:
Daniels, J.M., C. Velden, G.A. Dengel, D.R. Stettner, and W. Bresky, 2003: Status and Development of GOES Wind Products at NOAA/NESDIS. 12th Conference on Satellite Meteorology, Feb 9-13, 2003. This paper is online at: https://ams.confex.com/ams/annual2003/techprogram/paper_53647.htm.
- Wind speed and direction are reported and stored in the database. The user can optionally select u & v wind components and those will be calculated and returned. The QC results from speed and direction will be used In either case, and if one of the map projections has been selected via the MSETDOM call, the winds will be rotated to match the projection.
- Pressure is the vertical coordinate reported in the satellite wind products, and is returned along with the horizontal coordinates (lat/lon) in the MSATWNDSTA call. If a height coordinate is desired, the user can select the HT variable, and the MADIS API will use the U.S. Standard Atmosphere calculation to return a pressure altitude.
- The results of the automated quality control schemes used in the production
of the satellite winds at NESDIS are available via the MADIS API. These
include the CIMMS/NESDIS recursive filter flag (RFF) and the EUMETSAT
quality indicator (QI). There are two forms of the QI, the first provides
the QI results where no background model data has been used in its
determination, and the second gives the results where background model
data has been used. RFF values range from 0 (worst) to 100 (best). Winds
having RFF values less than about 45 are filtered out of the dataset before
being output by NESDIS. QI values range from 0 (worst) to 1 (best).
For more information on the RFF processing see:
Hayden, C.M. and R.J. Purser, 1995: Recursive filter objective analysis of meteorological fields, applications to NESDIS operational processing. J. Appl. Meteor., 34, 3-15.
For more information on the QI processing see:
Holmlund, K., 1998: The utilization of statistical properties of satellite-derived atmospheric motion vectors to derive quality indicators. Wea. Forecasting, 13, 1093-1104.
- Land/sea mask codes:
Value Meaning ----- ------- 0 Land 1 Sea 2 Coast - Level type codes:
Value Meaning ----- ------- 1 Infrared cloud-drift 2 Visible cloud-drift 3 Water vapor motion 5 Sounder channel 11 (7.0 um) water vapor motion 7 Sounder channel 10 (7.4 um) water vapor motion
Notes - Satellite Sounding Variables
- The availability of each product type, and the exact algorithms
being used to create them, are a function of the satellite data
provider. Currently, MADIS provides temperature and moisture
soundings produced by NESDIS from the Advanced TIROS Operational
Vertical Sounder (ATOVS) instrument package flown on the NOAA-KLM
series of polar-orbiting satellites. It is composed of the
Advanced Microwave Sounding Units A and B (AMSU-A, AMSU-B) and is
complemented by the High Resolution Infrared Radiation Sounder (HIRS/3).
There are many references available on the web. For detailed information
see the NOAA KLM User's Guide at:
http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/pod-guide/ncdc/docs/klm/index.htm
- Air temperature is the temperature variable stored in the database. The user can optionally select virtual temperature, which will then be calculated by the MADIS API. The QC results from air temperature will apply. Also note that if virtual temperature cannot be calculated (missing or bad mixing ratio or pressure), and the air temperature passed all QC checks, the air temperature will be returned instead, and a QC data descriptor value of "T" will be assigned.
- Mixing ratio is the moisture variable stored in the FSL database. The user can optionally select dewpoint, specific humidity, dewpoint depression, or absolute humidity, and these values will be calculated by the MADIS API. In all cases, the QC results from the dewpoint temperature (calculated from mixing ratio) will be used (with the FSL database, there's currently no QC in the AWIPS database).
- Land/sea mask codes:
Value Meaning ----- ------- 0 Land 1 Sea 2 Coast - Satellite that provided the data codes:
Value Meaning ----- ------- 206 NOAA-15 207 NOAA-16 209 NOAA-18 - Day/Night Qualifier codes:
Value Meaning ----- ------- 0 Day 1 Night - Superadiabatic Indicator codes:
Value Meaning ----- ------- 0 Not superadiabatic 1 Superadiabatic - Satellite Processing Technique Used codes:
Value Meaning ----- ------- 8 Cloudy path 16 Partly cloudy path 32 Clear path 64 Automated statistical regression 128 Processing technique not defined - Terrain Type codes:
Value Meaning ----- ------- 0 Sea ice 1 Snow on land - Cloud Amount codes:
Value Meaning ----- ------- 0 okta -- 0 (Clear) 1 okta or less, but not zero -- 1/10 or less, but not zero 2 oktas -- 2/10 - 3/10 3 oktas -- 4/10 4 oktas -- 5/10 5 oktas -- 6/10 6 oktas -- 7/10 - 8/10 7 oktas or more, but not 8 oktas -- 9/10 or more, but not 10/10 8 oktas -- 10/10 (Overcast) 9 Sky obscured by fog and/or other meteorological phenomena 10 Sky partially obscured by fog and/or other meteorological phenomena 11 Scattered 12 Broken 13 Few 14 Reserved 15 Cloud cover is Indiscernible for reasons other than fog or other meteorological phenomena, or observation is not made
Notes - Satellite Radiance Variables
- The availability and meaning of each product type are a function
of the satellite data provider. Currently, MADIS provides radiances
(also called brightness temperatures) from the NOAA Polar Orbital
Environmental Satellites (POES). The brightness temperatures are
from the Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit A (AMSU-A) and the High
Resolution Infrared Radiation Sounders (HIRS/3 and HIRS/4).
There are many references available on the web. For detailed
information see the NOAA KLM User's Guide at:
http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/pod-guide/ncdc/docs/klm/index.htm
- The variable names for the brightness temperatures include the desired
channel number (TB01 through TB35), specified with a leading zero, if
necessary (e.g., TB01).
The different channels represent different frequency bands in which
data are aqcuired. Channels 1-20 are the HIRS channels. See the
following URL for the characteristics and specifications of the
HIRS channels:
http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/pod-guide/ncdc/docs/klm/html/c3/sec3-2.htm" Channels 21-35 are the AMSU-A channels 1-15. See this URL for the AMSU-A characteristics and specifications:
http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/pod-guide/ncdc/docs/klm/html/c3/sec3-3.htm
- Land/sea mask codes:
Value Meaning ----- ------- 0 Land 1 Sea 2 Coast - Satellite that provided the data codes:
Value Meaning ----- ------- 206 NOAA-15 207 NOAA-16 209 NOAA-18 - Day/Night Qualifier codes:
Value Meaning ----- ------- 0 Day 1 Night - Terrain Type codes:
Value Meaning ----- ------- 0 Sea ice 1 Snow on land - Cloud Amount codes:
Value Meaning ----- ------- 0 okta -- 0 (Clear) 1 okta or less, but not zero -- 1/10 or less, but not zero 2 oktas -- 2/10 - 3/10 3 oktas -- 4/10 4 oktas -- 5/10 5 oktas -- 6/10 6 oktas -- 7/10 - 8/10 7 oktas or more, but not 8 oktas -- 9/10 or more, but not 10/10 8 oktas -- 10/10 (Overcast) 9 Sky obscured by fog and/or other meteorological phenomena 10 Sky partially obscured by fog and/or other meteorological phenomena 11 Scattered 12 Broken 13 Few 14 Reserved 15 Cloud cover is Indiscernible for reasons other than fog or other meteorological phenomena, or observation is not made
Last updated 20 March 2017
