Convective Initiation Algorithm for GOES-R

This algorithm, first developed for the current GOES satellite series (Mecikalski and Bedka 2006), is being evolved to take advantage of the improvements in spectral, spatial and temporal resolution. A recent study by Mecikalski et al. (2009) and Siewert et al. (2009) outlines the uses of additional spectral bands on convective initiation events using Meteosat Second Generation (MSG). Since MSG contains similar spectral bands as GOES-R will contain, these results are applies to the GOES-R Convective initiation (CI) algorithm. The results from that study have been used tested in a framework to include within the (CI) algorithm.

The components of the algorithm include an object tracking component, and spectral channel tests to determine a high probability for which cloud objects will CI. The validation has been performed on the algorithm itself (independent of an objective tracking system), and current work includes object-tracking validation. This will allow for an analysis of which components contribute to the algorithm error.