Australian Bureau of Meteorology Satellite Data Use and Exchange

1. Australian Bureau of Meteorology Satellite Data Use and Exchange Country Report for Australia Gary Weymouth

2. Acknowledgements • David Griersmith, Anthony Rea, Chris Tingwell, John LeMarshall, SpBOS staff including Mike Willmott, Ian Grant, Mike Kenny

3. Services provided by the Australian Bureau of Meteorology • weather forecasts and warnings (and tsunamis) • climate and hydrological information • in support of aviation, shipping, defence, industry and the general public, to enhance economic and social well-being

4. Main Satellite Activities ABoM • Local and indirect reception, processing and archive of satellite data • e.g.NOAA, MTSAT-1R, FY-1D, FY-2C,D, Terra/Aqua, ?Metop. • e.g. GOES, Meteosat, ERS-2, DMSP, ENVISAT, Quikscat. • Ranging of geostationary satellites • National and international activities including real-time user access (e.g.APSDEU, WMO, MOUs, APSATS, APRSAF, GEOSS) • Applications including NWP, oceanography • education and training (led by BMTC)

5. Recent ABoM developments • ABoM now has responsibility for water availability measurement (expect to become major users of high-resolution satellite data) • Upcoming adoption of UKMO NWP and 4D-Var data assimilation – will positively improve impact of satellite data on local NWP. Part of enhanced resources for reception and use of satellite data • pooling of BMRC research resources with CSIRO to form Centre for Australian Weather and Climate Research (CAWCR)

6. Crib Point - south of Melbourne (SE Australia)

7. Geostationary Products • Imagery for Forecasters • Atmospheric Motion Vectors • Sea Surface Temperatures • Solar exposure • volcanic ash detection

8. MTSAT / FY2D animation

9. GEO and polar nav / cal • plan to produce more quantitative cross-calibration of polar and geo IR data – eg improve MTSAT / FY2 loop just shown; quantitative uses eg SST. • Investigate improvements to nav – eg consistency between different satellties

11. Locally Generated MTSat-1R Atmospheric Motion Vectors

14. Initial Results Table 5 (a) 24 hr forecast verification S1 Skill Scores for the operational regional forecast system (LAPS) and LAPS with IR, 6‑hourly image based AMVs for 1 to 14 September 2007 (26 cases)

15. local & Japanese AMVs • positive impact on NWP • hourly high-density local MTSAT AMV’s being trialled in 4D-Var with positive impact

16. Example of output from the Bureau's solar radiation model using MTSAT-1R visible observations and ancillary data

17. Polar orbiter Products • Sea Surface Temperatures • Normalised Differential Vegetation Index (NDVI) • Grassland Curing Index • Fog and Low Cloud Detection • Level 1c,d AMSU and HIRS Radiances • Significant Events • volcanic ash • total precipitable water (GPS)

18. Coverage from Bureau Receiving Stations

19. Sea Surface Temperatures

20. Maximum Value Composite NDVI product

22. NOAA fog / low cloud imagery

23. NWP impact

24. 12Z 00Z Operational requirements for timely forecasts compel early data cut-offs for basedate-time analyses. Locally received and processed ATOVS data (top row) fill in the gaps in the global ATOVS data set supplied by the Met Office (bottom row) caused by the early cut off. It is hoped that in the near future data from the Regional ATOVS Retransmission Service (RARS) will also be used. Tests with radiances supplied by JMA should start soon. LOCAL GLOBAL

26. FORECAST SKILL - Z

28. TC Kerry

29. NWP plans (several years) • extend use of locally-received ATOVS • additional AMVs • AIRS • SSMI • IASI • MODIS polar AMVs • GPS-occultation • ASCAT

30. Other applications • GHRSST, altimetry, … • AIRS, IASI soundings for forecasters as part of composite observing system (eg including AMDAR, GPS-occultation, radiosonde, surface obs,…) • water availability

31. Locally received satellite data • MTSAT-1R/FY-2D: Melbourne HO & Crib Pt (near Melbourne) • NOAA: Crib Pt (2), Darwin, Perth, Casey (Antarctica), Alice Springs, Davis • FY-1D: Melbourne, Darwin, Casey • MODIS: Hobart, Perth, (Alice Springs from ACRES); AIRS Perth • Hobart, Alice Springs, Perth - consortia • MTSAT-1R, FY-2C - Perth, Darwin, Brisbane & Sydney, plus Melbourne • ?metop

32. Indirectly received satellite data • Meteosat & GOES from SSEC, UKMO, Eumetsat • NOAA from SSEC University of Wisconsin • INSAT from Internet • scatterometer e.g. from GTS or QuikSCAT from NOAA/NESDIS • ERS altimeter in BUFR from GTS • ENVISAT RA and AATSR ftp from ESA • SSM/I DMSP from NOAA/NESDIS • ATOVS (SATEMs) from NOAA/NESDIS & UKMO • SATOB AMVs and SSTs • metop (will be direct if direct broadcast returns) • AIRS from NESDIS

33. X-band Project • Contract signed with ES&S in February for $1.6m • Three proposed sites – • Northern Territory (Darwin area) • Victoria (Crib Point) • Antarctica (Casey) • Three problems – • Site Tenure • Radiofrequency licensing • Logistics

34. X-band Polar Orbiting Geostationary L-band Polar Orbiting

35. Coverage from Bureau Receiving Stations

36. What does that give us? • Advanced Imagers • Good for looking at surface properties • Improved cloud and land surface products • Cloud examples: Cloud temperature, cloud phase, polar winds • Surface: colour imagery, grassland curing, sea surface temperature

37. What does that give us (2)? • Hyperspectral Sounders • Good for looking at the atmosphere • Improved temperature and moisture measurement • NWP Application • Soundings independent of models • Atmospheric chemistry

39. AIRS Impact • "This AIRS instrument has provided the most significant increase in forecast improvement in this time range of any other single instrument," Retired U.S. Navy Vice Adm. Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Jr., Ph.D., Undersecretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and NOAA administrator.

40. Regional ATOVS Retransmission Service (RARS) • Means of rapidly disseminating locally received ATOVS data to avoid delays associated with global data • Dr David Griersmith is the Asia-Pacific RARS coordinator

41. Timeliness of Australian RARS data • usually starts going onto GTS within 15 minutes of completion of image reception

42. ASIA-Pacific RARS Status

43. Projected Status – June 2008

44. Benefits to NWP • Significant improvements to short cut-off analyses have been demonstrated at JMA using AP-RARS data. • Impact experiments within the Bureau’s regional and global models have also clearly demonstrated the value of timely data.

45. Issues • Ageing infrastructure • UIMP and X-band rollout • Radio Frequency Protection • Ongoing dialogue with regulator • Give and take approach

46. Future Reception Plans • Completion of X-band Network • Completion of USB Rollout • End of L-band reception after METOP? • Expansion of RARS • Incorporation of X-band data • FengyunCAST • Increasing use of alternate means of data dissemination • End of direct reception?

47. Australia: requirements • Requirements via RARS: • ATOVS, ASCAT, AIRS, IASI, possibly GPS occultation • other data • MODIS, DMSP (e.g.SSM/IS), possibly GPS occultation • Geographical regions: global. Australian region requirements well met but would like to expand to Antarctica, then global • Data formats: BUFR mainly for NWP, netCDF for some data • Timeliness: 30 mins preferably for GEO data • Modelling - adopting UKMO NWP system • Access Mechanisms: initially GTS; later would like satellite broadcast eg FengYunCAST