Assessment of Objective Satellite-Based Techniques as Viable Alternatives to Subjective Dvorak Estimates

The Satellite Analysis Branch (SAB) of NOAA/NESDIS has provided tropical cyclone (TC) intensity estimates using the Dvorak technique for over 30 years. With advances in technology, both in satellite information and computing speed, new automated intensity estimation techniques have become increasingly competitive with the subjective Dvorak estimates produced in operational settings.

This study will focus on homogeneous comparisons of SAB's subjective Dvorak estimates with the Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies (CIMSS) objective Satellite Consensus (SATCON) tropical cyclone estimates and its individual components: CIMSS objective AMSU estimates, CIRA(Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere)/NESDIS objective AMSU estimates and CIMSS Advanced Dvorak Technique (ADT).