1. Current & Future Microwave Constellation
Jeff Hawkins, Kim Richardson, Tom Lee
Organizations:
1Naval Research Laboratory, Monterey, CA
Sponsors:
Office of Naval Research (ONR)
SPAWAR PEO C4I&Space/PMW-120
April 28, 2009
The current and future microwave satellite sensor constellation health is a major factor in global tropical cyclone monitoring capabilities. A suite of sensors is required to provide the temporal and spatial sampling needed to adequately resolve TC structural changes that can not be adequately viewed by standard geostationary visible/IR imagery.
Although microwave imagers/sounders have poorer spatial resolution than vis/IR imagers, their ability to see through non-raining clouds enables satellite analysts to map rainband and eyewall structure that is key in accurately locating storm positions and understanding storm intensity (is the eyewall complete, how cold are the brightness temperatures, how wide is the eyewall, and is the storm undergoing eyewall replacement cycles?).
These slides represent information obtained from many sources, including:
Dr. Paul Chang, Dr. Ralph Ferraro, and Dr. Fuzhong Weng, NOAA,
Dr. Arthur Hou, Dr. Bjorn Lambrigtsen, Dr. Joe Turk and Dr. Eric Smith, NASA
Gene Poe and Steve Swadley, NRL Monterey
Dr. Greg Tripoli, CIMSS
WMO satellite publications
Robbie Hood, NOAA 1 1 1 1

2. Apparent LLCC True LLCC Exposed LLCC Sheared Convection
Multiple examples illustrating the benefits of passive microwave imagery to view through non-raining clouds and isolate eyewalls, rainbands and heavy convection which has strong scattering that lowers brightness temperatures due frozen hydrometeors. Hurricanes Fabian, Isabel and Juan all experienced times when vis/IR imagery were cloud covered and vital position or structural characteristics were not evident without the user of passive microwave data.
NRL created a one stop tropical cyclone (TC) web resource with a focus on providing unique passive microwave products for active global TCs using near real-time SSM/I data. Success led to including TMI data and then AMSU-B in 2002 and AMSR-E in Operational TC users assisted in having this resource being hosted at FNMOC in order to provide users with a 24/7 site and enhanced reliability. Note the NRL R&D web page is very similar to the operational version, thus mitigating users learning a new GUI and navigation menu.
Note the ability of passive microwave imagery to penetrate upper-level clouds and highlight inner-core structure, eyewalls configuration and exposed low-level circulations. These capabilities provide satellite analysts with much needed info to supplement cloud obscured visible and infrared imagery.
Acknowledgments:
NRL TC web team: Jeff Hawkins, Kim Richardson, Tom Lee, Mindy Surratt, Buck Sampson, John Kent (SAIC), Joe Turk (JPL), and Steve Miller (CIRA/CSU)
Special note to the Fleet Numerical Meteorology and Oceanography Center (FNMOC) co-located in Monterey with NRL, for providing the bulk of the microwave imager digital data sets in near real-time.
FNMOC – Jim Vermeulen, Paul McCrone, Yiping Wang, Jeff Tesmer: SSM/I, SSMIS

3. Tropical cyclone microphysics
Ice Crystals
Effective
Level of
hydrometeors
Hail/Graupel
Freezing level
Tropical cyclone structural view including calm eye with descending air and some clouds aloft, strong convective updrafts in the eyewall and upper-level cirrus clouds aloft as the air moves up and out away from the central core. Liquid water drops are created by water vapor rising along the moist adiabats in the lower-levels, rising above the freezing level, creating large frozen hydrometeors (hail/graupel) well aloft and then thinning out to small ice crystals at upper-levels as gravity and reduced vertical velocities cause the larger particles to fall out.
Raindrops

4. NRL TC Web Resource NRL TC Satellite Web Team Scatterometer & CloudSat
Storm Basins & Names
Microwave imager/sounder product suite
Latest 1-km Visible/IR imagery (GEO/LEO)
30 minute MTSAT refresh with AVHRR/OLS as available
Vis/IR imagery suite
Scatterometer & CloudSat
Automated Tropical Cyclone Forecasting (ATCF) System warning graphic
The Naval Research Laboratory’s Tropical Cyclone web page (NRL TC page) provides a wealth of near real-time satellite products covering all “active” tropical storms around the globe as defined by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (Pearl Harbor, HI) and the National Hurricane Center (Miami, FL). The storm positions are updated every 6 hours in the northern hemisphere and 12 hourly in the southern hemisphere unless near Australia.
Special emphasis is placed in microwave imager/sounder capabilities since they provide unique structural views of the TC inner core by seeing through non-raining clouds and thus mitigating cloud obscuration that normally impedes visible and IR imagery.
Acknowledgments:
NRL TC web team: Jeff Hawkins, Kim Richardson, Tom Lee, Mindy Surratt, Buck Sampson, John Kent (SAIC), Joe Turk (JPL), and Steve Miller (CIRA/CSU)
Special note to the Fleet Numerical Meteorology and Oceanography Center (FNMOC) co-located in Monterey with NRL, for providing the bulk of the microwave imager digital data sets in near real-time.
NRL TC Satellite Web Team

5. Special Sensor Microwave/Imager (SSM/I)
Sensor: Passive Microwave Conical Scanner
Spacecraft: DMSP – DOD Polar Orbiter
Launch: August 1987
Heritage: SeaSat Scanning Multi-channel Microwave Radiometer
Channels: 19, 22, 37, 85 GHz
55, 55, 35, km
Swath: km
Enhancements for TC Applications:
1st operational microwave imager,
See through non-raining clouds,
(2) Ocean surface wind speeds,
(3) Rainrates.
Web Links:
AMSR
TMI
SSMI 1 1 1

6. TMI - TRMM Microwave Radiometer
Sensor: Passive Microwave Conical Scanner
Spacecraft: Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission - TRMM
Launch: Nov 27, 1997
Heritage: SSM/I
Channels: 11, 19, 21, 37, 85 GHz
50, 24, 20, 12, km
Swath: km
Enhancements for TC Applications:
Low orbit (~400 km provides great resolution),
Spatial resolution (36 GHz),
Non sun synchronous, samples diurnal cycle,
Sea surface temperature (SST),
High winds closer to intense rain.
Web Links:
AMSR
TMI
SSMI 1 1 1

7. Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer AMSR-E
Sensor: Passive Microwave Conical Scanner
Spacecraft: EOS Aqua, ADEOS-2
Launch: May 2002, Dec 2002
Heritage: TMI, SSM/I
Channels: 6, 10, 18, 23, 36, 89 GHz
50, 50, 25, 25, 15, km
Swath: km (1450 – AMSR)
Enhancements for TC Applications:
Huge 2 m dish provides superb resolution,
Spatial resolution (36 GHz),
(2) Best swath with high resolution,
(3) Sea surface temperatures.
Web Links:
AMSR
TMI
SSMI 1 1 1

8. Resolution, Resolution, Resolution!
TMI, SSM/I and AMSU-B 85/89 GHz
JDH
JDH
Small, intense eye with secondary eyewall developing.
Small inner eye just visible, while secondary eyewall the main feature as reduced resolution.
Inner eye not viewable, secondary eyewall difficult to full identify.

9. WINDSAT Sensor: Passive Microwave Conical Scanner Spacecraft: Coriolis
Launch: (January)
Heritage: SSM/I
Channels: 7, 11, 19, 24, 37, No 85 GHz
~55, 40, 20, 13, 11, km
Swath: km
Enhancements for TC Applications:
Prelude to NPOESS MIS,
Surface wind vectors, non-rain areas,
Spatial resolution (37 GHz),
(4) Sea surface temperature
Web Links:
WindSat was launched in Jan 2003 and represents the first polarimetric radiometer designed to retrieve surface wind vectors and not just scalar wind speeds. The four stokes vectors will be measured and used to create a wind vector solution. Note there is no 85 GHz channel for use in tropical cyclone monitoring, but the much larger antenna (6’ versus < 2’ for SSM/I) provides superb spatial resolution at 37 GHz.
Note that SSTs can be derived using the low frequency channels.
Courtesy: Peter Gaiser, Naval Research Laboratory, DC 1 1 1

10. Special Sensor Microwave Imager Sounder (SSMIS)
Sensor: Passive Microwave Conical Scanner
Spacecraft: DMSP F-16, 17, 18, 19, 20
Launch: May 2003
Heritage: SSM/I, T1, T2
Channels: 19, 22, 37, 91 GHz
~55, 55, 35, 12 km
Swath: km
Enhancements for TC Applications:
Longevity: 5 sensors [ ],
Collocated imager/sounder channels, improved retrievals,
(3) Large swath
Web Links: 1 1 1

11. MicroWave Radiation Imager (MWRI) – FY-3A/B
Sensor: Passive Microwave Conical Scanner
Spacecraft: FY-3A, 3B (China)
Launch: May 2008, 2010
Heritage: SSM/I-like
Channels: , 18.7, 23.8, 36.5, 89, 150 GHz
~80, , 45, , 15, ? km
Swath: km
Enhancements for TC Applications:
(1) Sequence of four (4) launches, continuity,
Data latency good, seven stations (Svalbard),
Currently experiencing technical issues
Some test data sets available in the US
Web Links: 1 1 1

12. MADRAS – Mega Tropiques
Sensor: Passive Microwave Conical Scanner
Spacecraft: Mega-Tropiques (France-India)
Launch: Early 2010
Heritage: TMI
Channels: , 23.8, 36.5, 89, 157 GHz
~40, 40, 40, 10, 6 km
Swath: km
Enhancements for TC Applications:
(1) Tropical inclination (20 deg),
Good TC coverage while in tropical belt,
Data latency, additional stations in the works
Web Links: 1 1 1

13. Global Precipitation Mission - GPM
Sensor: Passive Microwave Conical Scanner/Precipitation Radar
Spacecraft: GPM
Launch: Core (July 2013), Low inclination (Nov, 2014)
Heritage: TRMM TMI-PR
GPM Microwave Imager (GMI)
Channels: , 18.7, 22.8, 36.5, 89, 165.5, GHz
~26, 15, 12, 11, 6, , km
Swath: 885 km (GMI), km ( GHz radar)
Enhancements for TC Applications:
(1) Tropical (40 deg) and higher inclination (65 deg, non sun sync),
Superb TC coverage while in tropical belt,
Dual frequency radar (enhanced rainrates, especially < 10 mm/hr)
Reference standard for other microwave imagers
TRMM ++
Web Links:
Courtesy: Hou 1 1 1

14. Global Precipitation Mission - GPM
Passive microwave data from SSM/I is composited over the lifespan of Hurricane Isabel to monitor rainband and inner core structural changes as viewed by the 85 GHz ice scattering channel’s brightness temperatures.
Acknowledgements: NRL- Monterey: Jeff Hawkins, Marla Helveston; Anteon Corporation
Courtesy: Hou

15. Current (10-Satellite) Constellation Revisit Time
8-satellites
SSMI
DMSP F-13/14/15
AMSR-E
Aqua
AMSU-B
NOAA-15/16/17
TMI
TRMM
10-satellites
Coriolis
Windsat
SSMIS
F-16
10+
Satellite swath demonstration for passive microwave sensors now flying. Real ephemeris data is used for a typical day, adding WindSat and SSMIS sensor swath to illustrate potential that should be realized by Fall Note that areas covered by white show very recent data, light grey is 3-6 hours and black is data too old to use for TC recon.
Acknowledgments: Joe Turk NRL-MRY
Revisit Scale: White= 0 hours Black= 6+ hours (shaded boxes represent 15-minute coverage)

16. Passive Microwave Imagery Hurricane Isabel 85 GHz Montage
Passive microwave data from SSM/I is composited over the lifespan of Hurricane Isabel to monitor rainband and inner core structural changes as viewed by the 85 GHz ice scattering channel’s brightness temperatures.
Acknowledgements: NRL- Monterey: Jeff Hawkins, Marla Helveston; Anteon Corporation
Hurricane Isabel 85 GHz Montage

17. Passive Microwave Imager Missions
DMSP SSM/I
TRMM
TMI
AMSR-E
WINDSAT
DMSP
SSMIS
FY-3
MWRI
Megha Tropiques
MADRAS
GCOM
AMSR2/3
GPM-Core
GMI
NPOESS
MIS
YEAR 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 ? 16
Summary of passive microwave imager sensors launched, in operations now and slated for future launch. All future satellites are tentatively listed until actual launch occurs. Launch dates are subject to change at anytime and might be delayed for multiple years as has happened recently with SSMIS.
TRMM Nov 1997
AMSR-E Aug 2005
F-16 Oct 2003
F-17 Nov 2006
F-18 Nov 2009 F F
FY-3A May 2008
WindSat Jan 2003
GCOM/W Early 2012
GCOM/w Jan 2016
Acknowledgments: NOAA/NESDIS, NASA/JPL, CSU-CIRA, WMO-CGMS
Projected extended mission
Primary mission
April 2009
Hawkins-Hou-Ferraro
Future
Launches

18. Advanced SCATterometer (ASCAT)
Sensor: Microwave radar
Spacecraft: MetOp-1, 2, 3
Launch: , 2010, 2015
Heritage: ERS-1, 2
Channel: GHz, C-band.
Swath: Two 520 km swaths, with 700 km hole.
Enhancements for TC Applications:
Only long term operational scatterometer series,
C-band, less rain contamination, larger footprint,
25 and 50-km wind vector products, good for gale force winds,
Gap in swath center is a major drawback.
Web Links: 1 1 1

19. Dual Frequency Scatterometer (DFS – GCOM)
Sensor: Microwave radar
Spacecraft: GCOM – Global Change Observation Mission
Launch:
Heritage: QuikSCAT
Channel: 5.4 & 13.4 GHz (C & Ku band)
Swath: km
Enhancements for TC Applications:
Dual frequency/pol mitigates many rain issues,
Maintains QuikSCAT’s huge swath,
40% better than QuikSCAT, clear sky > 20m/s
Extends usable winds to ~ 90 kt
Web Links: 1 1 1

20. EXtended Ocean Surface Vector Wind Mission (XOVWM)
Sensor: Microwave radar
Spacecraft: XOVWM
Launch: ?
Heritage: QuikSCAT/DFS
Channel: 5.4 & 13.4 GHz (C & Ku band)
Swath: km
Enhancements for TC Applications:
Dual frequency/pol and radiometer mitigates rain issues,
Maintains QuikSCAT’s huge swath,
Spatial resolution (5-km) to resolve wind gradients, coasts,
Extends usable winds to ~ 90 kt
Web Links: 1 1 1

21. EXtended Ocean Surface Vector Wind Mission (XOVWM)
Paul Chang, NESDIS
Goal: Satisfy NOAA's operational OSVW requirements
Performance Advancements:
Higher spatial resolution (5 km)
Full wind speed range,
Coastal coverage km of land
All - weather
Simulated “truth”
Simulated XOVWM
Simulated QuikSCAT

22. Scatterometer & Surface Wind Vector Missions
ERS-2 AMI
QuikSCAT
SeaWinds
ADEOS-2
Windsat
METOP
ASCAT
Oceansat-2
HY-2
GCOM-DFS
NPOESS-MIS
XOVWM
YEAR 96 97 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
WindSat Jan 2003
MetOp ASCAT Oct 2006
HY-2A,B,C,D 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019
GCOM-DFS
NPOESS MIS C2 2016
XOVWM ?
Primary mission
Future
April 2009
Chang, Hawkins
Projected extended mission
Uncertain

23. GeoSTAR/PATH: A Future Hurricane Observing System Bjorn Lambrigtsen, JPL [14B.3]
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
California Institute of Technology
Pasadena, California
GeoSTAR
“GeoSTAR” concept: AMSU-equivalent performance from GEO
Temperature, moisture soundings, TPW, rainrate
“PATH” GEO/MW mission is identified in NRC Decadal Survey
Observational focus on hurricanes & severe storms
East Pacific Hurricanes
North Atlantic Hurricanes
Great Plains MCS
Florida
Diurnal
Storms
Tornados
North
American
Monsoon
Northeast
Winter Storms
&
Extratropical
Cyclones
Weather forecasting
- Improve regional NWP; severe storms
Hurricane diagnostics
- Quintessential hurricane sensor
Rain
- Complements GPM
Tropospheric wind profiling
- NWP, transport applications
Climate research
- Hydrology cycle, climate variability

24. Goal: Geostationary Radar Sensor Performance Advancements
NEXRAD In Space (NIS)
Smith/Tripoli 17B.6
Goal: Geostationary Radar Sensor
Performance Advancements
First GEO radar sensor: Ka band (35 GHz)
28 m deployable antenna: 12km footprint (nadir)
Swath = 2600 km radius
One 3-D full scan image/hour

25. Hurricane Imaging Radiometer
NASA
Now - SFMR
C-band (4-7 GHz) frequencies
Synthetic thinned array radiometer (STAR)
Push broom imager
Single polarization for ocean wind speed
Dual polarization for ocean vector wind
SST and rainrate info
HIRAD Description
Future - HIRAD
Optimal HIRAD Development Timeline
U. of Alabama/Huntsville
NASA
NOAA
U. of Michigan
U. of Central Florida