Defense Department Will Continue Providing Critical Weather Satellite Data to NOAA
- Author: ABC News
- Full Title: Defense Department Will Continue Providing Critical Weather Satellite Data to NOAA
- Type:
- Tags: #planet
- URL: https://abcnews.go.com/US/defense-department-continue-providing-critical-weather-satellite-data/story?id=124211197&ref=newsletter.terrawatchspace.com
Highlights
- The SSMIS instruments are part of three weather satellites that are in low-Earth orbit and are maintained by NOAA in cooperation with the Department of Defense. They provide critical weather information that can't yet be replaced by other satellites and weather instruments, according to NOAA. (View Highlight)
- The SSMIS offers forecasters the ability to examine the inner workings of active tropical systems and to better understand their behavior. Specifically, the tool uses microwaves to penetrate clouds and obtain a clearer picture of the inner structure of a tropical cyclone. This enables forecasters to better monitor the current progress of such storms, including the ability to identify the exact center of the weather system for use in creating forecast models. (View Highlight)
- Other weather satellites use visible and infrared imagery, which can only capture surface-level details of the cloud tops of such storms, rather than what's happening inside of them. These satellites also are ineffective after sunset, when it's too dark to see and when direct observations over open water are scarce. Because the SSMIS system doesn't have these limitations, forecasters rely on the data it collects during such periods. (View Highlight)