13.1 Arctic satellite composite observations: a new perspective

Wednesday, 20 May 2009: 1:30 PM
Capitol Ballroom AB (Madison Concourse Hotel)
Matthew A. Lazzara, Antarctic Meteorological Research Center/ Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison, WI; and S. L. Knuth

Antarctic satellite composite imagery has been generated for over fifteen years as a part of the Antarctic Meteorological Research Center's (AMRC) commitment to weather observations over the Antarctic region. These composites, made from a combination of geostationary and polar orbiting satellite observations, have revolutionized the way research, forecasting and education are conducted over a region where meteorological observations are sparse. Recently, the AMRC has also developed these satellite composites for the Arctic and Northern Hemisphere. These satellite images give a full-size view of the weather in three hour intervals in multiple spectral channels. The routine generation of Arctic satellite composite imagery comes at a critical time with the start of intensive study of the Earth's polar regions during the International Polar Year (IPY). This project aims to build on the success of the Antarctic efforts and apply lessons learned toward the Arctic. This talk will discuss the methodology of generating these mosaics, and show sample applications as they have been utilized in recent IPY field campaigns. This presentation will review the multiple methods the composites are distributed to the community as well as outline future work to extend the composite imagery.
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