Observations of Hurricane David (1979) using the microwave sounding unit
Advanced Search
Select up to three search categories and corresponding keywords using the fields to the right. Refer to the Help section for more detailed instructions.

Search our Collections & Repository

For very narrow results

When looking for a specific result

Best used for discovery & interchangable words

Recommended to be used in conjunction with other fields

Dates

to

Document Data
Library
People
Clear All
Clear All

For additional assistance using the Custom Query please check out our Help Page

i

Observations of Hurricane David (1979) using the microwave sounding unit

Filetype[PDF-119.92 MB]


Select the Download button to view the document
Please click the download button to view the document.
Observations of Hurricane David (1979) using the microwave sounding unit
Details You May Also Like

Details:

  • Personal Author:
  • Corporate Authors:
    United States. National Environmental Satellite Service.
  • NOAA Program & Office:
    NESDIS (National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service)
  • Description:
    The Microwave Sounding Unit was first launched October 13, 1978, aboard TIROS-N, as a component of an operational sounding system. The sounder consists of four oxygen channels (50.30, 53.74, 54.96, 57.95 GHz) with a horizontal resolution of 110 km at nadir. This study reports on the microwave measurements obtained for Hurricane David at four 12-h intervals, beginning September 3, 1979, when David was in the Florida Strait, until 48-h later when it approached the Georgia coast.

    Comparisons are made between the brightness temperature measurements for the three highest frequency channels (called "sounding" channels) and the values computed from radiosonde data. Precipitation effects are only evident in the lowest peaking (700 mb) sounding channel at 53.74 GHz. At 54.96 GHz, the measurements display the magnitude and spatial extent of the hurricanes warm-core anomaly near 300 mb. The highest sounding channel at 57.95 GHz responds to temperatures around 100 mb and displays a strong north-south gradient corresponding to the latitudinal variation in tropopause height. For this channel, the influence of the hurricane appears minimal, although there is a greater disparity with the radiosonde computations than for the lower sounding channels.

    In addition to the individual spot measurements, comparisons are also made between the radial derivative of brightness temperature for the 54.96-GHz channel and the derivatives estimated using radiosonde winds. Measurements and simulations demonstrate that the brightness temperature derivative is correlated with the winds between 700 and 500 mb. Horizontal smoothing resulting from the instrument's 110-km resolution degrades the gradient information near the hurricane center more than the spot measurements of brightness temperature.

  • Keywords:
  • Series:
    NOAA technical report NESS ; 88
  • Document Type:
    Technical Report
  • Rights Information:
    Public domain
  • Compliance:
    Library
  • Main Document Checksum:
  • Download URL:
  • File Type:

Supporting Files

  • No Additional Files
More +

You May Also Like

Checkout today's featured content at repository.library.noaa.gov

Version 3.27.1