Eyes of Another World: How the JPSS Perspective Can Enhance the Weather Story

A meteorologist’s best friend when displaying satellite imagery is the reliable geostationary satellite system, and none proves better than the sibling pair of GOES-East and GOES-West, together providing revered quality imagery covering just over half of the world with frequent temporal updates.

Slightly lesser known and utilized is the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS), a constellation of three current polar-orbiting satellites, with two more to be launched within the next decade. Known as Suomi-NPP, NOAA-20, and NOAA-21, these satellites orbit the Earth in formation from pole to pole 14 times a day in ~25 minute increments, supplying high resolution images of the world below.

This presentation will highlight the uniqueness and many social media and broadcast uses of the JPSS satellites and their onboard VIIRS instrument. The strengths and applications of polar-orbiting satellite imagery will be compared and contrasted with the imagery of their geostationary counterparts. Examples of JPSS imagery curated by the CIRA Imagery Production Team will be included, showcasing different perspectives from the satellite system that can be utilized to cover and analyze high impact weather events. Beyond the newsworthy phenomena, JPSS also unveils fascinating features both in the atmosphere and on the surface of the Earth. With a spotlight on the trio of polar-orbiting satellites, this presentation aims to ignite inspiration for including JPSS imagery to enhance the weather story.