Analysis of Tropical Cyclone Structure Using Near-Real-Time Microwave Products from 1 to 200 GHz

The varieties of unique and surprising tropical cyclone (TC) events in 2018 are shown via their evolution in microwave imagery. Many high impact TC structural change events – such as rapid intensification (e.g., Maria, Michael, Willa, Yutu), rapid weakening (e.g., Jelawat, Florence), eyewall replacement cycles (e.g., Trami, Norman), and subtropical transition (eg., Hector, Leslie) – have unique signals in microwave imagery which facilitates analysis and short term forecasting. Products from operational and research satellite sensors that cover lower frequencies near 1 GHz (e.g., SMAP radiometer), traditional atmospheric analysis frequencies from 10-90 GHz (e.g., GMI, AMSR2, WindSat, and SSMIS), and higher frequencies near the water vapor absorption bands of 183 GHz (e.g., MADRAS and ATMS) all provide unique value in understanding the evolution of tropical cyclones. Case studies that span these microwave frequencies for global storms in the 2018 TC seasons will be demonstrated using current products made in near real-time from the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) TC satellite webpage (https://www.nrlmry.navy.mil/TC.html) and new demonstration imagery from NRL's next generation, open source satellite analysis system, GeoIPS^TM (the Geolocated Information Processing System).