NOAA / NESDIS Research and Operations: I-5: Operational Impact of SVW at Coastal WFO

NOAA / NESDIS Research and Operations:I-5: Operational Impact of SVW at Coastal WFOI-5: Operational Impact of SVW at Coastal WFO

Peter A. Stamus and Ralph F. Milliff

NWRA / Colorado Research Associates (CoRA) Division

Presentation to NOAA/NESDIS Operational Satellite SVW Requirements Workshop, 5 - 8 June 2006, TPC, Miami

“Expanding the Impact of Satellite Surface Vector WindMeasurements on Coastal Operational ForecastsProduced by National Weather Service Forecast

Offices”

Miami

San Juan

Seattle

Portland

Medford

Eureka

Honolulu

Anchorage

JuneauYakutat

Mt. Holly

UptonTaunton

Brownsville

Corpus Christi

Wakefield

WFO Response (SOO Surveys) ............................. 22 + 2 (73%)Total Forecaster Survey Responses ....................... 108 + 17Average No. Surveys per WFO ............................... ~ 5

WFO Site Visits

WFO Surveys20 multiple choice questions, regarding SVW familiarity and utility in Marine Forecasts and Warnings, Short (days 1,2) and Long (days 3+) term forecasts. Distinguish QuikSCATand WindSat impacts. Rank possible improvements in SVW data. Sent to 33 WFO.

2-day visits to 16 selected WFO. Observe Marine Desk forecast preparation (several shifts).Brief WFO staff on SVW retrievals, accuracies, rain-flags, etc.

● Cumulative responses to 5 questions● Suggests that satellite SVW data are secondary tools in marine forecast prep● QuikSCAT is used, WindSat is not

• Supports suggestion that SVW data (QuikSCAT) is a useful, secondary tool for the short range

• SVW data (QuikSCAT) is less useful for long range than it was for short range

• SVW data (QuikSCAT) is a useful secondary tool for Marine Warnings

• Tandem, wide-swath scatterometer missions would provide a 40% to 60% timeliness improvement

• SVW data close to shore more important than abundant SVW data

Summary

● SVW data are used as a “supplementary” data source in operations (forecasts,warnings, etc.) at coastal WFO

➢ Utility comparable to other ancillary satellite datasets (e.g. cloud vector wind, soundings, etc.)

➢ WindSat is unknown to forecasters; rarely used (as of Winter 2005-2006)

● Most Desired Improvements (Critical Limitations) include SVW retrievals near shore and the data update cycle (time between overflights)

➢ Largest concentrations of marine users are near shore

➢ Every site visit revealed a desire for more frequent data

● Survey and Site Visits of US Coastal WFO completed as of April 2006

➢ 73% survey response rate

➢ WFO staff professional, cooperative, receptive; person-to-person contact is valuable➢ Survey and site visit write-ups to be synthesized and published

Impact of QuikSCAT in LAPS and MM5: a pilot study (Snook et al. 2002)

QSCAT R1 Low Pressure System in NE Pacific

● AVN Initialization● AVN into LAPS ● QSCAT into LAPS

Three Forecast Experiments (0.25° MM5)

12hr Forecast 24hr Forecast

AVN AVN in LAPS

QSCAT in LAPS QSCAT in LAPS

AVN in LAPSAVN

White contours: SLPBlack contours: 3hr accumulated rainfall

36hr Forecast 48hr Forecast

AVN AVN in LAPS

QSCAT in LAPS QSCAT in LAPS

AVN in LAPSAVN

White contours: SLPBlack contours: 3hr accumulated rainfall