Observing Weather from the First Combined Polarimetric Imager and Sounder: COWVR and TEMPEST

This presentation will highlight the unique capabilities of the first spaceborne system that combines a polarimetric microwave imager and a sounder on one platform.

The Compact Ocean Wind Vector Radiometer (COWVR) and Temporal Experiment for Storms and Tropical Systems (TEMPEST) were deployed on the International Space Station (ISS) in January 2022, as part of the Space Force Space Test Program (STP-H8) mission to demonstrate new low-cost microwave sensor technologies for weather applications, while maintaining the same performance as more expensive instruments. The COWVR sensor provides fully polarimetric passive microwave observations at 18.7, 23.8, and 33.9 GHz, from an un-blocked 360-degree scan, allowing a unique 2-look observing geometry. From these observations, ocean wind vector, precipitable water vapor, and cloud liquid water path can be estimated. TEMPEST is a radiometer operating at five different frequencies ranging between 89 to 182 GHz. The joint 18-183 GHz range from COWVR+TEMPEST provides channel diversity similar to the NASA/JAXA Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Microwave Imager (GMI). This capability provides the opportunity to extend COWVR science with complementary measures of surface winds and precipitation vertical structure. In addition, the ISS provides non-synchronous observations, and this capability allows further analysis in how the wind-convection interaction is manifested in the diurnal cycle of wind and precipitation.

We will present a summary of the performance on the geophysical retrievals from COWVR along with the benefits of using a 2-look observation geometry for wind direction retrieval. In addition, we will present the synergy of COWVR+TEMPEST with particular focus on precipitation and wind vector retrievals. These observations can be used to map precipitation extent in relation to convergence patterns evident in the COWVR ocean vector wind fields. Imagery from COWVR+TEMPEST are also providing crucial information on tropical cyclone storm structure and are currently being distributed for operational forecasting applications.

Data products from COWVR and TEMPEST are distributed publicly through the NASA Physical Oceanography Distributed Active Archive Center (PO.DAAC) for research community use.

The work described in this abstract was carried out by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology under a contract with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. © 2024 California Institute of Technology. Government sponsorship acknowledged