(Abstract) Satellites and NWS Aviation Activities
Mark Andrews, NWS Headquarters OCWWS/Meteorological Services Div., Aviation Weather Services Branch and Frederick R. Mosher, NWS/NCEP/Aviation Weather Center

GOES data are important data sets used by the National Weather Service (NWS) in the detection and forecasting of aviation weather hazards. The Aviation Weather Center (AWC) has a GOES direct readout facility used to augment the basic satellite data sets available over the AWIPS systems. The local processing of the GOES digital data allow for the generation of a variety of aviation specific data sets. In flight aviation activities are sensitive to weather elements including thunderstorms, turbulence, aircraft icing, volcanic ash, head/tail winds, and visibility or ceiling restrictions. For thunderstorm detection, the GOES data can be used for the integration of other data sets such as remotely sensed lightning, for pattern recognition of thunderstorm anvils using color enhancements, and for direct thunderstorm detection using techniques such as the new Global Convective Diagnostic (GCD). The GCD uses the temperature difference between the infrared and water vapor images to differentiate between active uplift areas where the two channels have the same temperature and drifting clouds where the falling ice crystals have a slightly warmer temperature than the water vapor. Turbulence detection uses the water vapor images for pattern recognition as well as for integrating model and pilot report observations. Aircraft icing detection is aided with GOES data. The 3.7 micron channel is sensitive to particle size, so the combination of the 3.7 and IR channels can be used to determine locations of clouds with super cooled water droplets at cloud top. A number of different algorithms and channels can be used to detect and track volcanic ash. The visible channel with its high special resolution is useful for the detection of small ash plumes. The 12 micron channel is sensitive to silicates and the 11-12 micron difference has been widely used for ash detection. In addition the 3.7 micron channel can be used to differentiate between ash and water clouds. Winds will affect aircraft flight times and fuel consumption. In addition to cloud tracked winds, the GOES water vapor data can be used to track water vapor features to obtain winds in clear air in remote areas. Fog and low clouds cause more general aviation accidents than any other type of weather hazard. The 3.7-11 micron difference is a very effective method of observing low clouds and fog at night, even if they have the same temperature as the underlying ground. In summary, the GOES data are widely used for the detection of aviation weather hazards, and the local processing of direct readout data allows for the effective tailoring of the data for specific aviation uses.

Frederick Mosher

Frederick Mosher is the Scientific Operations Officer (SOO) at the Aviation Weather Center (AWC) in Kansas City, Mo. Prior to working at the AWC, he was the Chief of the Technique Development Unit of the National Severe Storms Forecast Center. He received his PhD at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1979 and worked for the Space Science and Engineering Center for 5 years before joining the National Weather Service.