P1.11
A new application utilizing Google Earth to project vertical information of clouds and aerosols obtained by CALIPSO
Paul Thomas Ewing, Pennsylvania State University, Huntingtown, MD; and N. A. Gasperoni, T. N. Hillyer, B. S. Hughes, J. W. Carpenter, and J. Gleason
The CALIPSO and CloudSat satellite missions add valuable new information on the vertical distribution of clouds and aerosols over the globe that are needed to better understand their effects on climate, weather, and air quality. CALIPSO is jointly sponsored by NASA and the French Space Agency, CNES, and features the first space-borne polarization lidar. CloudSat is jointly sponsored by NASA and the Canadian Space Agency, CSA, and features a 94 GHz cloud profiling radar. Both satellites fly in formation within the A-Train constellation and have been operational since June 2006. New perspectives on atmospheric processes can be illuminated by viewing profile observations from these satellite missions. For example, differential transport can be more easily understood by coupling CALIPSO observations with wind information and examining different parcel histories. Similarly, CloudSat/CALIPSO observations can be linked with other two-dimensional imagery to reveal complex radiative environments. This paper describes a technique to integrate CALIPSO and CloudSat data and project it into the Google Earth application. Google Earth serves as a unique vehicle that is readily available to display CALIPSO and CloudSat data in a dynamic, user-friendly, three-dimensional viewing environment. The resulting application is a browser that has been adapted to displaying near real-time CALIPSO data in conjunction with other meteorological data. Three computer programs were developed to display CALIPSO, CloudSat, and MODIS data in Google Earth: the Geometric Parameter Calculator to compute values in scaling a polygon, the Image Rendering Utility to create curved images of lidar and radar profiles, and the KML Builder to create a Google Earth compatible file. The application was utilized during NASA's Tropical Composition, Cloud, and Climate Coupling field mission in July 2007 to support flight operations. A desired goal of this application is to enable other users greater access to satellite observations for atmospheric and climate studies.
Poster Session 1, Recent Developments in Atmospheric Applications of Radar and lidar
Tuesday, 22 January 2008, 9:45 AM-11:00 AM, Exhibit Hall B
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Extended Abstract (1.9M)