EUMETSAT Meteosat-9 0.635 µm visible channel images (click image to play animation)

McIDAS images of EUMETSAT Metosat-9 0.635 µm visible channel images (above; click image to play animation) showed a very large outbreak of airborne Saharan dust streaming off the continent of Africa and moving west-southwestward out over the adjacent waters of the eastern Atlantic Ocean on 07 February 2012. In addition, a pair of long von Karman vortex streets can be seen moving southwestward from the Cape Verde islands.

While the viewing angle was more extreme, the Saharan dust could also be seen on GOES-13 0.63 µm visible channel images (below).

GOES-13 0.63 µm visible channel images + surface reports

The emergence of this Saharan dust over water can be seen to occur around 00:00 UTC on 06 February on the Meteosat-9 Saharan Air Layer tracking product (below).

EUMETSAT Meteosat-9 Saharan Air Layer tracking product

EUMETSAT Meteosat-9 7.35 µm water vapor channel images (click image to play animation)

A rapidly intensifying mid-latitude cyclone (named “Cyclone Ulli” by the Europeans | surface analysis) was responsible for a high wind event as it moved over Scotland on 03 January 2012. A sequence of EUMETSAT Meteosat-9 7.35 µm water vapor channel images (above; click image to play animation) revealed two notable signatures: (1) the formation of a pronounced area of warm/dry water vapor brightness temperatures (bright yellow to orange color enhancement) over the open water north of Ireland, which indicated a strongly forced region of rapidly descending middle-tropospheric air, and (2) a classic “Sting Jet” signature (Monthly Weather Review | Wikipedia) which then moved eastward across Scotland. Just to the south of the sting jet signature, a wind gust of 78 knots (90 mph) was recorded at Glasgow at 08:20 UTC, followed by a wind gust of 70 knots (81 mph) at Edinburgh at 08:50 UTC.  There were additional reports of wind gusts in excess of 87 knots (100 mph) at non-METAR sites in Scotland.

The Sting Jet signature can also be seen in EUMETSAT Meteosat-9 10.8 µm IR images (Animated GIF | QuickTime movie) and EUMETSAT Meteosat-9 0.635 µm visible channel images (Animated GIF | QuickTime movie).

A comparison of 1-km resolution NOAA-19 0.63 µm visible channel and 10.8 µm IR channel images at 12:54 UTC (below) showed the structure of the cyclone as it was centered over the North Sea between the British Isles and Norway.

NOAA-19 0.63 µm visible channel image + NOAA-19 10.8 µm IR channel image

Additional images of this Sting Jet event are available on the EUMETSAT and NASA Wide World of SPoRT sites.

EUMETSAT Meteosat-9 High Resolution Visible (HRV) images

EUMETSAT Meteosat-9 High Resolution Visible (HRV) images (above) showed the classic signature of a “warm seclusion“: a nearly cloud free eye-like structure at the center of the circulation. Surface station wind barbs (in knots) are also plotted in cyan on the images.

A similar eye-like appearance was seen on Meteosat-9 water vapor channel images (below) as the mature cyclone moved just north of the British Isles on 28 December 2011.

EUMETSAT Meteosat-9 water vapor channel images

Hurricane force wind gusts were observed at Tiree, Scotland (station identifier EGPU), with a peak gust of 69 knots (79 mph) at 14:20 UTC (below).

Tiree, Scotland (EGPU) surface reports

Surface analyses from the NWS/NCEP Ocean Prediction Center (below) showed the intensification and evolution of the cyclone during the day.

Ocean Prediction Center surface analyses

Warm seclusions are also sometimes observed with intense cyclones along the East Coast of the US, as in this 20 December 2009 case.

MTSAT-1R 10.8 µm IR channel images

MTSAT-1R 10.8 µm IR channel images from the CIMSS Tropical Cyclones site (above) showed Category 1 Tropical Storm Thane (06B) in the Bay of Bengal, moving toward the east coast of India on 28 December 2011.

Contours of 850-200 hPa satellite-derived deep layer wind shear overlaid on MTSAT-1R 6.75 µm water vapor channel images (below) indicated that Thane was in an environment of low wind shear, which favored some intensification prior to making landfall.

MTSAT-1R 6.75 µm water vapor channel images + Deep layer wind shear

It is interesting to note that the MIMIC Total Precipitable Water product (below) showed the northern counterclockwise circulation of Tropical Storm Thane and the southern clockwise circulation of Tropical Storm Four (04S) — each drawing moisture from the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ).

MIMIC Total Precipitable Water product

===== 30 December Update =====

Tropical Storm 04 S intensified in a similar low wind shear environment, becoming Tropical Cyclone Benilde in the South Indian Ocean. Benilde was forecast to intensify, with wind gusts up to 140 knots. Meteosat-7 visible/shortwave IR images with an overlay of ASCAT scatterometer surface winds (below) showed the structure of Benilde.

Meteosat-7 visble/shortwave IR imagery + ASCAT surface winds

EUMETSAT Meteosat-9 10.8 µm IR images

A sequence of EUMETSAT Meteosat-9 10.8 µm IR images at 6-hour intervals (above) showed the development of an unusual tropical cyclone over the western Mediterranean Sea during the 06 November – 08 November 2011 time period.

The tropical cyclone was designated “01M” in a bulletin issued by NOAA/NESDIS Satellie Analysis Branch at 18:19 UTC on 07 November:

Wind speeds were estimated to have reached 45 knots according to various satellite analysis techniques.

Shown below is a comparison of EUMETSAT Meteosat-9 0.64 µm visible channel images at 12:00 UTC on 07 November and 08 November.

EUMETSAT Meteosat-9 0.64 µm visble channel images at 12:00 UTC on 07 and 08 November

FY-2E 0.73 µm visible channel images (click image to play animation)

The Nabro volcano erupted in the northeast Africa country of Eritrea on 12 June 2011. An oblique view using the Chinese FY-2E satellite (positioned over the Equator at 105º East longitude) 0.73 µm visible channel data (above; click image to play animation) showed the volcanic plume streaming northwestward on 13 June (the Nabro volcano is located near the bottom center of the images. Note that the plume became much brighter on the visible images later in the day, due to forward scattering.

A sequence of EUMETSAT Meteosat-9 7.35 µm “water vapor channel” images (below; click image to play animation) was useful for following the leading edge of the volcanic plume (the volcano summit is circled on the first few images of the animation). The plume moved northward over far northeastern Africa, and eventually curved anticyclonically and passed over the northern Arabian Peninsula on 14 June. It then appeared as if the leading edge of the volcanic plume might have eventually become entrained into a conveyor of isentropic ascent, where moisture began to increase (exhibiting a darker blue color on the water vapor images).

Meteosat-9 7.35 µm water vapor channel images (click image to play animation)

Meteosat-9 visible channel images

Meteosat-9 visible channel images (above) showed the volcanic eruption cloud emanating from the Grímsvötn volcano in Iceland on 21 May 2011 (images courtesy of Dave Santek, SSEC). According to the Icelandic Met Office, at 21:00 UTC the eruption plume had risen to an altitude of over 65,000 ft (~20 km). It is interesting to note that the London VAAC reported

EXTREME LIGHTNING ACTIVITY DETECTED BY ATDNET SYSTEM OF UK METOFFICE, 7000 BETWEEN 1900Z AND 0100Z

The volcanic eruption cloud was even apparent on the very edge of GOES-13 (GOES-East) imagery, as can be seen in an animation of visible channel images (below). The oblique viewing angle from this satellite helped to emphasize the large vertical extent of the eruption cloud.

GOES-13 visible channel images

An animation of Meteosat-9 SEVIRI volcanic ash retrieval product 4-panel images (below) indicated that the initial volcanic cloud was ice-dominated (darker red color enhancement on the false color Red/Green/Blue or RGB images in the upper left panel). Around 22:00 UTC, the signal of an SO2 cloud (green color enhancement) began to appear around the northern and northeastern edges of the eruption cloud — very high values of SO2 were subsequently seen moving northward, using data from the OMI instrument.

A more distinct volcanic ash signal (pink color enhancement on the RGB image) became obvious as time progressed along the southern and southeastern edges of the eruption cloud, and by 06:00 UTC on 22 May the retrieved maximum ash height had reached 7.52 km (with the mean volcanic ash particle effective radius at 11.14 µm). Total volcanic ash mass loading had increased to 44.97 kilotons by 06:00 UTC.

Meteosat-9 volcanic ash retrieval 4-panel images

CIMSS participation in GOES-R Proving Ground activities includes the generation of these SEVIRI volcanic ash retrievals, which offers a demonstration of the type of products that will be available for volcanic ash monitoring with the ABI instrument on the future GOES-R satellite.

===== 22 MAY UPDATE =====

Meteosat-9 visible channel images (below; click image to play animation) showed that multiple volcanic eruption clouds were still reaching significant vertical heights, with much of this high-altitude material drifting northward. Another lower-altitude hazy volcanic ash cloud could also be seen spreading out just off the southern coast of Iceland. See the US Air Quality blog for MODIS true color images and OMI SO2 images of the volcanic eruption.

Meteosat-9 visible images (click to play animation)

Global montage of geostationary satellite images (click to play animation)

The “spinning globe” satellite image montage (above; click image to play animation) showed the cloud formations around the planet on Earth Day (22 April 2011). This product is created by combining data from 5 of the currently operational geostationary orbiting meteorological satellites (GOES-East at 75º West longitude, GOES-West at 135º West longitude, Meteosat at 0º longitude, Meteosat at 63º East longitude, and MTSAT at 145º East longitude), polar orbiting satellites, and a topographic background map of the Earth. The spinning globe product is created every 3 hours, and is available for either the latest time period or an animation covering the last 3 weeks.

MODIS IR image atmospheric motion vectors over the Arctic region

Polar-orbiting satellites such as the NASA Terra and Aqua platforms also provide us with valuable information over the polar regions of the Earth (which are not sampled well by geostationary satellites, due to the very large viewing angles). Cloud-tracked winds (or “atmospheric motion vectors”) can be calculated by comparing the location of features on successive images — examples of Terra and Aqua MODIS winds from 22 April 2011 over the Arctic region (above) and the Antarctic region (below) provide valuable input into numerical weather prediction models.

MODIS IR image atmospheric motion vectors over the Antarctic region

These are just a few examples of the diverse array of real-time satellite data and products that are available from the Space Science and Engineering Center at the University of Wisconsin – Madison every day.

GOES-13 0.63 µm visible images

GOES-13 0.63 µm visible images (above) and GOES-13 10.7 µm IR images (below) from the CIMSS Tropical Cyclones site showed Tropical Storm Bonnie crossing southern Florida on 23 July 2010.

GIES-13 10.7 µm IR images

Bonnie was encountering increasing amounts of southeasterly deep layer (850-200 hPa) wind shear (below), which was acting to displace the strongest convection to the north and northwest of the low-level center of the tropical cyclone.

GOES-13 IR image + Deep layer wind shear

Hourly Atmospheric Motion Vectors (AMVs) produced using GOES-13 and Meteosat-9 data (below) showed that Bonnie was being steered northwestward by the flow between a strong ridge over the southeastern US and an upper level low over the western Gulf of Mexico.

Hourly GOES-13 + Meteosat-9 water vapor winds

============================================

MODIS 0.65 µm visible + 11.0 µm IR images

AWIPS images of 1-km resolution visible and IR channel data from MODIS (above) and POES AVHRR (below) show Bonnie as it moved across the Florida peninsula and weakened from a Tropical Storm to a Tropical Depression.

AVHRR 0.63 µm visible + 10.8 µm IR images

Meteosat-9 SEVIRI volcanic ash retrieval products

The Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajökull (which started to become active again in late March 2010) continued to remain active into early May, with another significant plume being observed on 06 May 2010. EUMETSAT Meteosat-9 SEVIRI volcanic ash retrieval products (above) showed a plume streaming southeastward from Iceland, with the maximum ash cloud height reaching 17.27 km. These volcanic ash retrieval products provide a demonstration of the type of products that will be available with the ABI instrument on the GOES-R satellite — they are available in near-realtime on the CIMSS GOES-R Proving Ground site.

A Terra MODIS Red/Green/Blue (RGB) image (using bands 01/04/03) shows the brown ash plume curving southeastward and then southward over the eastern Atlantic Ocean (below).

Terra MODIS RGB image (using bands 01/04/03)

As a result of this most recent volcanic eruption, some airports in Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic were closed on 06 May.

===== 07 MAY UPDATE =====

A Terra MODIS RGB image using bands 01/04/03 (below) showed a very long and narrow volcanic plume emanating from Eyjafjallajökull on 07 May.

Terra MODIS RGB image (using bands 01/04/03)