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Secretary’s Weekly Report – National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

NESDIS – STAR

Division/Program: CICS

Submitted by: Hugo Berbery, Deputy Director, 301-405-0323

Prepared by: Debra Baker, 301-405-5397

Date of Submission: 8/18/2017

• SCSB at the STAR JPSS Annual Science Meeting The STAR JPSS Annual Science Meeting was held this week, August 14–18, at NCWCP. Huan Meng and Ralph Ferraro chaired sessions. Scott Rudlosky held an “open house” for the Proving Ground Training Center. Tom Smith gave a presentation on the NOAA Optimum Interpolation Sea Surface Temperature (OI SST ) analysis and possible improvements.

The daily 0.25° analysis (shown above) was developed over ten years ago by a team including Smith, and is run operationally at NCEI. Changes needed for the analysis include updating satellite data inputs to use STAR ACSPO data and upgrading its processing. In addition, higher-resolution analyses can also be explored using the system with improved Advanced Clear-Sky Processor for Oceans (ACSPO) Sea Surface Temperature data. Importance: The annual STAR JPSS meeting allows algorithm developers and users an opportunity to exchange information and improve the NESDIS JPSS product suite. POC: T. Smith

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• CICS-MD at the STAR JPSS Annual Science Meeting: Many of the speakers at the STAR JPSS Annual Science Meeting were from CICS-MD, including:

o Zhanqing Li (KEYNOTE SPEAKER) on Use of Multiple Satellite Products in Assessing NOAA Current and Future Global Forecast Models;

o Xi Shao on VIIRS radiometric performance improvements in operations;

o Hu (Tiger) Yang on Suomi NPP ATMS Status and J1 ATMS Cal/Val Readiness; o Xiaolei Zou on ATMS Surface Channels' Striping Noise Mitigation; o Yong Chen on CrIS SDR Overview; o Likun Wang on Improving Data Quality and Utilization of JPSS CrIS Using VIIRS o Chunhui Pan on NOAA Calibration Plans for J1 o Chris Grassotti on MiRS: Recent Validation, Future Enhancements, and Plans for J1; o Patrick Meyers on Precipitation EDR; o Xiaozhen Xiong on Recent Improvements in NUCAPS CH4 retrievals using CrIS FSR data; o Andy Harris on STAR Update: Geo-Polar Blended SSTs; o Youhua Tang on Full-chemistry “Vog” (Volcanic Fog) Forecasting over Hawaii; o Eric Vermote on Surface Reflectance; o Jingfeng Huang on From IDPS to EPS: The Entangling Snow Screening and the VIIRS Smog

AOD Retrievals; and o Daniel Tong on A New Dust Classification Method for IMPROVE Dataset for Validation of

VIIRS Dust Detection.

There were also posters from CICS-MD Scientists Bin Zhang, Evan Ellicott, Jun Dong, Dongdong Wang, Yan Bai, Yalei You, Yuling Liu, Isaac Moradi, Hu Yang, Zhuo Wang and Xi Shao, as well as CICS-MD intern Carlos Perez Diaz. The poster session was held at ESSIC on Tuesday evening. ESSIC also hosted two of the conference sessions. Importance: Participation in NOAA Science Meetings by NESDIS CI scientists is a good opportunity to share scientific knowledge and develop interdisciplinary insights. POC: H. Yang

• Satellite Snowfall Rate Feature Article Submitted :

SCSB Scientists Ralph Ferraro and Huan Meng and CICS-MD Scientists Michael Folmer, Jun Dong, Cezar Kongoli, and Nai-Yu Wang (NESDIS/STAR) have just submitted a new article to AGU Eos on insights gained by forecasters using the NOAA satellite-derived snowfall product.

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The paper summarizes, in a more general scientific flavor, the progress and use of the operational NESDIS snowfall rate (SFR) product by NWS forecasters. It also provides a few examples as well as the SFR performance. If accepted, the paper will provide the broad AGU community with information on this exciting satellite product! Ferraro, Ralph, Huan Meng, Bradley Zavodsky, Sheldon Kusselson, Deirdre Kann, Brian Guyer, Aaron Jacobs, Sarah Perfater, Michael Folmer, Jun Dong, Cezar Kongoli, Banghua Banghua Yan, Nai-Yu Wang, and Limin Zhao, Satellite Derived Snowfall Rates Provide Insight for Weather Forecasters, EOS, doi:10.1002/2017ES005537 submitted. Importance: The SFR product enhances satellite rainfall products and contributes to NOAA's mission goal "Weather Ready Nation." POC : Ferraro and Meng

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• The Climate Shift in the North Atlantic Ocean CICS-MD Scientists Alexey Mishonov and James Reagan analyze the multi-decadal variability of the North Atlantic Ocean in their new publication in Geophysical Research Letters. Using a new NOAA high-resolution ocean climatology, they looked at trends in Ocean Heat Content (OHC).

The figure above shows the volumetric density of the OHC climate shifts between two 30 year climates of 1985–2012 and 1955–1984 (in J/m3) in (a) 0–300 m, (b) 0–700 m, (c) 300–700 m, and (d) 700–2000 m layers. (The boxes 1 to 4 indicate four regions discussed in more detail in the article.) Ocean heat increased in all but the subpolar gyre north of the Gulf Stream Extension. The largest heat gain was southeast of the Gulf Stream between 300 and 700 m depths. They hypothesized that this may have been caused by the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation slowdown in conjunction with the “heaving” of warm subtropical water. Seidov, Dan, Alexey Mishonov, James Reagan and Rost Parsons, 2017: Multidecadal variability and climate shift in the North Atlantic Ocean, Geophys. Res. Lett., 44, 4985–4993, http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/2017GL073644. Importance: More research is still needed for better understanding of how oceanic heat is accumulated and redistributed on decadal and longer timescales. POC: A. Mishonov & J. Reagan

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• Land Surface Temperature from GOES-16: We have a new article just posted on the website from CICS-MD Scientist Peng Yu on the new land surface temperature products from the Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI) on GOES-16.

To see the full article (and the animation), go to http://cicsmd.umd.edu/goes-16-abi-land-surface-temperature-/ .

Importance: Land surface Temperature is one of the key parameters in the weather and climate system controlling surface heat and water exchange between the land and the atmosphere. POC: P. Yu