GOES
Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites

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The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) currently operates GOES-8 and GOES-10 for east and west coverage of the western hemisphere, including the United States.

Through applied research, CIMSS develops methods to convert satellite data into meteorological information.

  • http://cimss.ssec.wisc.edu/goes/realtime/realtime.html
  • http://cimss.ssec.wisc.edu/tropic/tropic.html
  • http://cimss.ssec.wisc.edu/goes/burn/abba.html
  • http://cimss.ssec.wisc.edu/goes/misc/
  • http://bob.soils.wisc.edu/wimnext/

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    Montage of Hurricane Georges.

    Satellite-derived wind fields.
    Images were composited from the GOES-8 Imager infrared window near 1200 UTC each day from 18 to 28 September 1998 (the storm tracking across the West Indies to landfall on the Mississippi coast). Note the well developed eye early in the period and how the movement of the hurricane slowed as it reached the Gulf coast. Middle and upper level water vapor and infrared winds from near 1800 UTC on 27 September 1998 were plotted over a water vapor image. Note the outflow at the upper levels near Hurricane Georges along the US Gulf coast. These high-density winds are used in both operational and research numerical models to improve the storm track forecasts.
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    All the Sounder channels.

    Cloud top information.
    The 19 different spectral channels from the GOES-8 Sounder at 1746 UTC on 27 September 1998 are presented in a multi-panel format. The channels sense temperature and moisture patterns from various layers of the atmosphere. The domain covers the central and eastern US as seen from GOES-8. A single color enhancement is applied to all the 18 infrared channels, while the visible (channel 19) is shown in shades of gray. The 'direct use' of Sounder radiances over the ocean is currently used in the operational NCEP Global model. Cloud top pressure (CTP) was derived from Sounder radiance data provided by GOES-8 and GOES-10 around 1200 UTC on 27 September 1998. Calculations, using the "CO2 Absorption Technique", are made at each field of view. The image is then color enhanced to display the CTP values at 100 hPa intervals where clouds have been identified. The satellite cloud top pressure is used to augment the NWS Automated Surface Observing System (ASOS) cloud observation above 12,000 feet (3.7 km).
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    Total precipitable water.

    Sea Surface Temperature (SST).
    This image of a derived product has been generated from the GOES Sounder data using a physical retrieval method. The product displayed is the total precipitable water vapor (TPWV) at 1146 UTC on 27 September 1998. ( TPWV is the amount of liquid water, in millimeters, if all the water vapor in an atmospheric column is condensed.) The values are color-coded with browns being the driest and reds being the most moist. Clouds are represented as a gray shade. Also shown are the 1200 UTC radiosonde values of TPWV (in mm) and the 850 hPa wind flags. Moisture information from 3 layers is now being used in the operational NCEP Eta model. Regression coefficients have been calculated from in situ NOAA buoys and collocated GOES Imager radiances ('split-window' channels). This relationship is used to estimate sea surface temperatures (SST) with the GOES Imager. The SST values are color-coded, from cold grays and blues to warmer yellows and reds. Persistent clouds are indicated by black. The example shown here is a 24 hour composite ending at 1500 UTC on 2 October 1998. Note the cooler water due to Hurricane Georges in the northeastern Gulf and the warm Gulf Stream off the North Carolina coast.
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    Fire detection.

    Solar insolation.
    The CIMSS biomass burning team is using the GOES to detect and monitor fires and smoke associated with wildfires, prescribed burns, deforestation, and other agricultural applications throughout the Western Hemisphere. This GOES-8 ABBA fire product shows fire locations at four times on 27 September 1998 (1145, 1445, 1745, 2045 UTC). Note the diurnal signature with the maximum number of fires occurring during the middle of the afternoon (1745 UTC). The international scientific community has stressed the need for long-term monitoring of biomass burning for global climate change research. Daily solar energy amounts available at the earth's surface are estimated using GOES data in the visible portion of the spectrum (0.65 micron). Estimated daily insolation for 27 September 1998 is shown. Note the low insolation values near Hurricane Georges on the Gulf coast and over the cloudy northeast US and southeast Canada.