Retrieving MODIS Water Surface Temperatures of Inland Bodies of Water for Use in Operational Mesoscale Modeling

NASA's Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) has been a useful source of sea surface temperatures for use in mesoscale numerical weather prediction (NWP). This study presents a technique for creating twice-daily operational maps of water surface temperature (WST) for inland bodies of water, such as the Great Salt Lake (GSL), using the spatially and temporally discontinuous MODIS dataset. The GSL is a relatively large, though shallow and endorheic lake, located within a semi-arid climate in northern Utah. As a result, its WSTs can vary dramatically both temporally and spatially. These variations can have a substantial effect on downwind mesoscale weather, including lake-effect precipitation, low-level static stability, and wind. However, WSTs for inland bodies of water such as the GSL are often not well represented within mesoscale models. In this study, daytime and nighttime MODIS data are being assimilated into the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model to increase the predictability of mesoscale weather downstream of the GSL. Sensitivities within a small number of case studies will be presented, as well as possible implications within a changing climate.