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 Product Description

Meteosat-8/GOES-West Split Window (merged):

Background: This product is created by combining the split window imagery from the GOES-West and Meteosat-8 satellites (for more details, see "Product Information" for each satellite). The algorithm for each is sensitive to the presence of dry and/or dusty air in the lower atmosphere (~600-850 hPa or ~4,500-1,500 m) and is denoted by the yellow to red shading.

Uses: This imagery is useful for monitoring the position and movement of dry air masses such as the Saharan Air Layer. Animations of the imagery are useful for tracking these features and can also help identify the source of the dry and/or dusty air that is indicated in the imagery.

Notes:

  • Dry air and suspended aerosols (e.g. mineral dust) both contribute to a positive "SAL" signal in this imagery, but the relative contribution of each cannot be determined from this imagery alone.
  • Polar air originating from the mid-latitudes produces a positive signal in the split window imagery that is similar to that of the Saharan Air Layer. This is because both air masses contain substantial dry air in the lower to middle troposphere. The JAVA movie is a useful tool for determining which type of air mass is being indicated in the imagery.
  • Since one of the infrared channels on the Met-8 satellite is slightly different from the equivalent GOES-West channel, the Met-8 split window algorithm is also slightly different. However, both the GOES-West and Met-8 algorithms produce nearly identical imagery and are merged at ~65 W.