opical Cyclone Satellite Tutorial Online Through The COMET Program

The Cooperative Program for Operational Meteorology, Education and Training (COMET) has produced an online educational module for analyzing and forecasting tropical cyclones using passive microwave satellite imagery. Sponsored by the National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS) Integrated Program Office (IPO), this module foresees forecaster applications when the NPOESS Preparatory Project (NPP) and NPOESS satellites are launched starting later this decade. The training, however, can be used now. Even as it previews modernized applications, the module reviews important capabilities from existing polar-orbiting satellite sensors including DMSP SSM/I (and SSMIS), TRMM TMI, Aqua AMSR-E, Coriolis WindSat, and NOAA AMSU-B. The module is freely available to the public and takes about one hour to complete. While the content is designed for personnel with basic training in meteorology or oceanography, atmospheric science students, faculty, and the general public may also find it useful. The module is narrated and interactive, ending with a quiz to test knowledge of key concepts. Feedback received from surveys indicates that a wide variety of users worldwide are benefiting.