SeaWiFS Views Hurricane Fabian Gathering Strength 970.2/Gene Feldman, Laboratory for Hydrospheric Processes, SeaWiFS SIMBIOS Project Office In the waning days of August, Hurricane Fabian started to form in the Atlantic Ocean. Collected on September 2, 2003, this SeaWiFS image shows Fabian as it continues to gather strength and continues on a WNW course past the northern Leeward Islands. It may potentially threaten the island of Bermuda later in the week if it turns in a more northerly direction.

SeaWiFS Views Hurricane Fabian Gathering Strength September 2, 2003

AESMIR Preliminary Test Flight Imagery Edward Kim, NASA/GSFC/Microwave Sensors Branch NASA’s new Airborne Earth Science Microwave Imaging Radiometer (AESMIR) conducted its maiden test flights in April/May, Flights were conducted over the Delmarva peninsula at 3 km altitude in the vicinity of Wallops. For these images, AESMIR operated in conical scan mode; the left image is from the aft-looking half scan and the right image is from the forward half scan. Colors indicate relative uncalibrated microwave brightnesses: blue=cold, orange/yellow=warm, red=hot (calibration target looks). Although geolocation is not yet complete, we expect the colors to correspond to: blue (open water), light blue (mud flats/marshes), yellow/orange (dry land), red (calibration). These images are both from the 10 GHz vertical polarization channel. AESMIR is a passive microwave airborne imager designed from the beginning to provide a highly efficient solution for satellite Calibration/Validation and algorithm development applications covering nearly all components of the Water Cycle (snow, soil moisture/land parameters, precip, ocean winds, SST, water vapor, sea ice, etc.). The key to AESMIR’s utility is its coverage of all the standard imaging bands from 6 to 100 GHz using a single scanning package. Also, AESMIR is unique in its capability to simultaneously simulate multiple satellite radiometers (including AMSR-E, Windsat, CMIS, SSMI, SSMI/S, TMI, and GPM’s GMI & LRR for a total of 54 channels ). The microwave radiometers themselves incorporate state-of-the-art technology, including the capability to make fully-polarimetric (4-Stokes) observations—opening up new discovery opportunities. AESMIR is compatible with a variety of airborne platforms including high-altitude platforms—a capability that may open up previously unavailable science opportunities for convection/precip/cloud science and co-flying with synergistic instruments, as well as providing wider swath coverage for all science applications. 8/29/2003

Forward half-scanAft half-scanv Cal cycle v v AESMIR Preliminary Test Flight Imagery E.Kim, NASA/GSFC/9758/29/2003