Sounding Products
Climate Record Products
CLIMCAPS
CLIMCAPS (Community Long-Term Infrared Microwave Combined Atmospheric Product System) was developed to provide continuity across AIRS and CrIS to generate a long-term data record to study the feedbacks and processes of the climate system. CLIMCAPS is used to process satellite soundings in the vertical (e.g., temperature, moisture, and trace gases). Infrared measurements from instruments such as CrIS and IASI and combined with microwave sounders ATMS (Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder) and AMSU (Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit) respectively to retrieve high-resolution soundings under clear to partly cloudy conditions.
Operational Products
Operational sounding products are processed and delivered to the public, weather forecasting, and scientific communitiesy without fail or interruption. NUCAPS is operationally implemented at NOAA OSPO for delivery to NOAA CLASS, NESDIS PDA, and NWS forecast offices in near real-time for every measured track (i.e., global coverage), day and night.
NUCAPS
NUCAPS is the NOAA Unique Combined Atmospheric Processing System
used to process satellite soundings in the vertical (e.g.,
temperature, moisture, and trace gases). The NUCAPS algorithm
is the NOAA operational algorithm for satellite soundings from
hyperspectral infrared sounders such as CrIS (Cross-track
Infrared Sounder) and IASI (Infrared Atmospheric Sounding
Interferometer) and is based on the AIRS Science Team
version 5.9 algorithm. Infrared measurements from instruments
such as CrIS and IASI and combined with microwave sounders
ATMS (Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder) and AMSU
(Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit) respectively to retrieve
high-resolution soundings under clear to partly cloudy conditions.
Gridded NUCAPS
Provides horizontal plan-view and cross-section views of
temperature, moisture, thermodynamically-derived fields,
and ozone-derived products. Operational in AWIPS beginning
with 19.2.1-29. Product descriptions, training, colormaps,
and instructions for display are available on a public
NOAA NWS Vlab webpage.
As NUCAPS Soundings are delivered and ingested in AWIPS, the
data are gridded for display on single levels, layers, or
cross-sections. The data are on a 0.5 degree lat/lon grid
with minimal horizontal interpolation and vertically interpolated
to standard pressure levels. The advantage of gridded fields
is the ability to qualitatively assess spatial gradients and
observe features that are not represented in model analyses.
The team is working on Gridded NUCAPS visualization outside of AWIPS.
Precipitable Water
Precipitable Water represents the water vapor contained in a
vertical column of unit cross-sectional area extending between
any two specified levels. It is commonly expressed in terms of
the height to which that water substance would stand if
completely condensed and collected into the same unit of area
(mm or inches). NUCAPS mixing ratio is used to calculate the
precipitable water, given by:
where ρ is the density of water and g is the acceleration of gravity. Precipitable water fields include the Total Atmosphere, sfc-800 mb, 800-500 mb, and 500-300 mb are available for display in AWIPS. There is a general correlation between high precipitable water and heavy precipitation in storms.
NUCAPS Haines Index
The Haines Index is frequently used to determine the potential
for large fire growth (Werth and Ochoa 1993) where the lapse rate
and dew point depression represent the stability and moisture
of the environment. The pressure levels for the Haines Index
calculation are adjusted based on elevation and chosen to negate
the impact of diurnal surface temperature changes and surface
inversions. The Haines Index is available as a gridded field
in AWIPS and could be plotted with python or other tools.
Ozone Products
Total Ozone,
Ozone Anomaly, and
Tropopause Level to diagnose the potential for tropopause
folding and cyclogenesis as well as hurricane tropical to
extratropical transition. While these products are available on the
SPoRT web-page
(CrIS/ATMS, IASI/AMSU),
they are also included as part of the operational Gridded NUCAPS in AWIPS.
Berndt et al, 2016: Development and Application of Atmospheric Infrared Sounder Ozone Retrieval Products for Operational Meteorology [Available Online]
Total Ozone:
Tropopause Height:
