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Pacific RegionWFO Guam, WFO Honolulu andCentral Pacific Hurricane Center (CPHC)Operational use of Ocean Surface Vector Winds (SVW)Roger EdsonScience and Operations Officer, WFO GuamWes Browning Science and Operations Officer, WFO Honoluluhttp://www.prh.noaa.gov/pr/guam/ http://www.prh.noaa.gov/hnl/
INTRODUCTION • Operational missions of WFOs in the Pacific Region (extensive ocean area) • Access to QuikSCAT data • Examples of uses over the Oceans • Uses of Scatterometer data with Tropical Cyclones • Fixing ‘problem’ areas • Combining the scatterometer winds with other data • Satellite Imagery (visual, infrared and microwave) • Surface Reports (station, ship, aircraft reconnaissance and buoy data)
Weather Forecast Office (WFO) Honolulu, HI Services (Local and National Programs) • Public (Hawaiian Islands) • Marine (Coastal and Offshore waters) • Aviation Terminal forecasts, en-route significant weather) • Observation (surface, twice-daily upper-air “balloon”) • Central Pacific Hurricane Center/CPHC (140W-180) • Marine Waters/Ocean Prediction Center (High Seas) • Aviation/Aviation Weather Center (SIGMETS)
Regional Areas of Responsibility - HonoluluCentral Pacific Hurricane Center (CPHC)…RedMarine Warnings/OPC (High Seas)…BlueAviation Warnings (SIGMETS)…Yellow 180 (CPHC) 140W 20N 130E (Aviation) EQ (Marine area) 157E 120W 25S
Weather Forecast Office (WFO) Tiyan, Guam Services • Public (Marianas, Micronesian main islands) • Marine (coastal waters to 45 miles) • Aviation (terminal forecasts, en-route significant weather) • Tropical Cyclone (local warnings for 37 islands/atolls), Issue Public Advisories*. • Hazardous/Severe Weather (flood, wind, surf) • Observation (surface, twice-daily upper-air “balloon”) • Fire Weather
Area of Responsibility Weather Forecast Office (WFO) Tiyan, Guam • United States: GU, CNMI (Saipan) • International: Palau, FSM (Chuuk,Pohnpei), Marshalls 4.7 million sq mi
NOTE: Includes Super Typhoons Number of Typhoons within 180, 120 and 60 Nautical Miles of (Saipan)-by Month, 1945-2002 Within 180 NM: 61 typhoons in 54 years = 1.1 per year Within 120 NM: 39 typhoons in 54 years = 0.7 per year Within 60 NM: 19 typhoons in 54 years = 0.35 per year
Which Ocean Surface Vector Winds (SVW) do we use? - Scatterometer - Windsat? - SSMI? - Cloud vector winds?
QuikSCAT WindSAT TRMM TD 02E Windsat
ACCESS to Scatterometer DATA
OPC - QuikSCAT Winds available inN-AWIPS 1.5 to 2.5 hours after pass time 25 km resolution winds in AWIPS 12.5 km winds on in N-AWIPS Use most recent passes in surface analysis and warning process Highest winds observed – 95 knots North Atlantic – January 20, 2002 (previously observed 80 knots) From: Dave Feit (NCEP/OPC)
Use of Scatterometer winds from NMAP on N-AWIPsWFO Honolulu only (analysis tool)
Hand Analysis of Scatterometer winds at WFO Guam (Analysis ability not available on Guam AWIPS)
QuikSCAT (SeaWinds) SCATTEROMERDAILY COVERAGE(90%/day) From: NOAA/NESDIShttp://manati.orbit.nesdis.noaa.gov/quikscat/ Guam Guam QUIKSCAT (Ascending ~ 6AM) Available Approx +2 ½ hr after overhead ~8:30 AM/PM QUIKSCAT (Descending ~ 6PM)
NAVY: https://www.fnmoc.navy.mil (PUBLIC ACCESS) (FNMOC –GFS/NOGAPS solutions) up to 72 hours X
FNMOC (NRT-AVN) vs. FNMOC (NOGAPS) Wind Solutions Model Comparisons: (AVN versus NOGAPS)Search strategy: Bogus versus no-Bogus center? -AVN FNMOC- FNMOC- Circulation Center No Circulation ‘Finaled’
NOAA/NESDIS Storm Page (3-views) Ambiguity Solutions (2 deg grid) Wind Vectors NRCS oV-pol forward
New Views from FNMOC TC PageQuikSCAT Additions: AVN-NRT, NOGAPS, AMB
Analyses Requiring Ocean SVW DATA
Streamline Analysis - Greater detail possible with QUIKSCAT data
Pacific Surface Analysis using QuikSCAT Winds From: Dave Feit (NCEP/OPC)
Obtaining Gale and Hurricane-force Winds from Scatterometer Hurricane Force Winds From: Dave Feit (NCEP/OPC)
Scatterometer Winds over the Ocean (NOAA/NESDIS View)
Scatterometer Winds over the Ocean -Contribution to the Ocean wave model Typhoon Sonca Amplitude/Period Guam Dispersion Fetch and Period Typhoon Swell Calculation
WFO Guam Watches and Warnings Criteria • Criteria for issuing a Watch: When damaging winds are possible within 48 hours. • A Typhoon Watch is issued when a JTWC forecast indicates that a tropical cyclone will be at typhoon intensity when it passes and damaging winds (39 mph or more) are possible within 48 hours.
Determining light wind regions with the NRCS DATA
QuikSCAT as a forensic tool USCG requested assistance for accident investigation Ferry sinking in Red Sea QuikSCAT played substantial role Winds available in data sparse areas Confidence in data Easily accessible archive From: Dave Feit (NCEP/OPC)
Satellite winds in knots valid 2 Feb 2006 at 1531 UTC
Uses with Tropical Cyclone Analysis • (primarily done manually) • (requires extensive ‘training’) • Positioning • Movement • Intensity (obtaining a ‘min’ maximum) • Wind radii • Extratropical Transition • Genesis
Scatterometer Winds over the Ocean (NAVY View) Typhoon Sudal (03W) April 5, 2004 Yap Palau
Hand Analysis of tropical cyclone region using Scatterometer ambiguities at WFO Guam
Overlays from NRL TC Page FNMOC (AVN) QuikSCAT Data Overlays (Vis/IR/MI) - Winds - Ambiguities - NRCS
NORMALIZED RADAR CROSS SECTION Toward-scan wind Eye Along-scan winds Create dark band
Reasons for delayed intensification (multi-circulation interaction) QuikSCAT NRCS
Scat winds overlay over NRCS and 37Ghz data --Look for low wind and low rain region
35kt 50kt X 65kt+ 35kt OverlayQuikSCAT winds and ambiguities over MI - 37Ghz imagery
Scatterometer Winds over the Ocean - Wind radii (with microwave imagery) TyphoonNabi
Scatterometer Winds over the Ocean --Helping find difficult tropical cyclone positions/genesis Yap Palau X – False Location TD 01W
Break-out TC (failed) JTWC Best Track TD 01W Monsoon Dep 01W
HURRICANE CINDY—Extratropical TransitionQuikSCAT Winds Purple/Black > 40kt Red > 30kt Yellow > 20kt Tropical Extratropical Transition Extratropical 28/09Z 31/21Z 04/08Z 115kt 50kt
Scatterometer Analysis over Tropical Cyclone: Conclusions • Coverage is excellent, virtually catching entire life cycles of Tropical Cyclones • Excellent verification for wind speeds outside of rain-affected light wind regions • Wind signal appears (is) ‘good’ in excess of 60-80kt in NRT • Rain flag procedure clearly overestimated in the current NRT (MUDH) approach! USE the ambiguity solutions to determine the ‘true’ rain effect on the wind vector cell • Tropical cyclone center positions, a ‘min’ wind intensity, and the outer wind structure can all be obtained with knowledge of the ambiguity selection procedure and understanding the ‘true’ effect on rain. • Always try to combine with other data/ reconnaissance tools!