The Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit (AMSU) was recently deployed on the NOAA-15 polar-orbiting spacecraft. This new instrument senses radiation emitted in the Oxygen absorption band at 56GHz, which peaks near the tropopause level. The horizontal resolution of 40 km has been increased by a factor of 3 over the previous generation (MSU).
The improved resolution will lead to an increased capability to observe tropical cyclone warm core structures. Algorithms developed at UW-CIMSS will be used to extract the anomalies and infer vortex intensities (MSLP) through hydrostatic relationships.
The AMSU will be activated during the upcoming NH hurricane/typhoon seasons and the first images and preliminary results of using these observations as an intensity estimation tool will be presented at the meeting