Mountain waves over the Sierra Nevada
![GOES-16 7.3 µm (left), 6.9 µm (center) and 6.2 µm (right) Water Vapor images [click to play animation]](https://cimss.ssec.wisc.edu/satellite-blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2017/04/170413_goes16_water_vapor_CA_NV_anim.gif)
GOES-16 7.3 µm (left), 6.9 µm (center) and 6.2 µm (right) Water Vapor images [click to play animation]
A comparison of GOES-16 Lower-level (7.3 µm), Mid-level (6.9 µm) and Upper-level (6.2 µm) Water Vapor images (above) revealed the presence of numerous mountain waves over parts of California and Nevada on 13 April 2017. The more pronounced of these waves were caused by strong southwesterly winds interacting with higher terrain of the Sierra Nevada.
A 3-satellite comparison of GOES-15 (GOES-West), GOES-16 and GOES-13 (GOES-East) Water Vapor images (below) highlighted 2 factors that allowed better detection of these mountain waves by GOES-16 — improved spatial resolution (2 km for GOES-16 at satellite sub-point, vs 4 km for GOES-15/13), and a more direct satellite viewing angle (GOES-16 is positioned at 105ºW longitude, while GOES-15 is at 135ºW and GOES-13 is at 75ºW).
![OES-15 (6.5 µm, left), GOES-16 (6.9 µm, center) and GOES-13 (6.5 µm, right) Water Vapor images [click to play animation]](https://cimss.ssec.wisc.edu/satellite-blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2017/04/170413_goes15_goes16_goes13_water_vapor_pireps_CA_NV_anim.gif)
GOES-15 (6.5 µm, left), GOES-16 (6.9 µm, center) and GOES-13 (6.5 µm, right) Water Vapor images [click to play animation]
![GOES-16 Visible (0.64 µm, left) and Water Vapor (6.9 µm, right) images, with pilot reports of turbulence [click to play animation]](https://cimss.ssec.wisc.edu/satellite-blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2017/04/170413_goes16_visible_water_vapor_pireps_CA_NV_anim.gif)
GOES-16 Visible (0.64 µm, left) and Water Vapor (6.9 µm, right) images, with pilot reports of turbulence [click to play animation]