State of the Center, November 2000
• This is a new tradition: What’s it all about?
> It’s a chance to remember (and brag to each other
about) what we have done well this year
> It’s a chance to identify problem areas that we need
to address together
> It’s a chance to review where we are heading
• Fortunately, there is a lot of good news this year,
so today I mainly get to congratulate everybody
• But I want your input and ideas on how things
are going
Let us know when you see something
that’s not quite right
Topics
X Financial
Health
X Structural
Status: How are our
Center-level support structures working?
X Review
Year’s Events
& Accomplishments
X Vision:
Where are we headed?
Financial Health: It is Essential
X James
Buchanan Eades, bridge builder, said
“Science can do anything, if given enough
money”
X I’d be leery of that claim, but it is clear that
at SSEC we cannot do science without
money
Financial Health: Good & Getting Better
X
Last year we said ”We are a little down right
now, but only a little bit, and we don’t plan to
stay down”
X
Through your hard work, we have turned the
corner and the trend is positive
X
New programs have definitely been an important
factor--At this point our challenge has changed
from needing more programs to needing more
people to help get the work done
SSEC Finances
Net Cash Assets
Millions
$0.0
-$1.0
$0.0
Cash Balance
-$1.0
-$2.0
May-99
-$2.0
Nov-99
May-00
Nov-00
Labor Percentage Billable
90.0%
80.0%
Break Even (72%)
70.0%
60.0%
50.0%
Nov-96
Nov-97
Nov-98
Nov-99
Structural Status: Significant Changes
X
SSEC Council is an invaluable source of sound
advice and reason for setting Science Policy
X
Transition to a 3-Person Executive Directorship
for implementing Science Policy was smooth:
Many thanks to Bob Fox for his superior advice,
assistance, and cooperation
X
Overhead Policy: Open reporting and review of
overhead spending is in place. Members of
SSEC can now apply to use overhead in ways
that are good investments for the Center
Initial SSEC Council Membership
Faculty
1. Professor Steve A. Ackerman, Director of CIMSS
Science Area
Radiation/Clouds/Climate
2. Dr. W. Paul Menzel, Adjunct Professor, AOS &
Senior Scientist of NOAA/NESDIS/ORA
Operational Weather/
Climate
3. Professor Matt Hitchman, Chair AOS
Upper trop/strat Climate
4. Professor Francis Halzen, Physics
Ice Cube -Neutrinos
5. Professor John Valley, Geology and Geophysics
SSEC Senior Academic Staff
Geology
Science Area
1. Dr. Henry E. Revercomb, SSEC Interim Director,
Council Chair
Remote Sensing, Earth &
Other Planets
2. Dr. Lawrence A. Sromovsky, SSEC Senior Scientist
Planetary Atmospheres
3. Dr. William L. Hibbard, SSEC Senior Scientist
Visualization (VisAD,5D)
4. Dr. George R. Diak, SSEC Senior Scientist
Agriculture/Surface/PBL
5. Dr. Edwin W. Eloranta, SSEC & AOS Senior Scientist
LIDAR Clouds/Aerosols
SSEC Science Component
Observing Science (instrumentation, spacecraft system/mission design,
field programs)
Analytical Science (satellite and conventional data analysis and modeling)
Computational and Visualization Science (Hardware & Software systems for
information generation and communication)
Externally Led Science (Physics, Astronomy, Botany, Geology …)
3-Person Executive Directorship
X
All Share their Administrative Roles with
continued detailed involvement in programs
– Exec. Director, Administration:
John Roberts
– Exec. Director, Science:
Tom Achtor
– Exec.Director, Technology: Fred Best
X
They, along with our in-house NOAA Team
Leader, Elaine Prins, attend Council Meetings to
exchange information & to foster implementation
Structural Status
X
(Continued)
The mutual benefit of a strong bond between
the AOS Department and SSEC is recognized
> Enhanced use of SSEC capabilities for using
satellite data is being promoted in AOS
> AOS and SSEC folks will appear together at our
AMS booth this year
X
Challenges:
> Recruiting more good people
> Dealing with growth (increased from 189 to 215
this year)
Year’s Events & Accomplishments
X Continuing
Broad-based Science
& Applications
X Major
New Programs
X Other
Key Events
X Awards
and Kudos
Broad-based Science & Applications (1)
X MODIS:
X Direct
Launch December 18, 1999
X-band Downlink: August 2000
X GOES:
New Products, Validation &
1st GOES-11 image 1 week from liftoff
X OSEs (Observing System Expts) &
Model Initialization
X Hurricane
Forecasting: Significant progress
X VisAD Visualization: Its really Catching on
MODIS: New Orleans, 2-24-00
(true color from 3 visible channels, 250 m)
MODIS 2000/09/05-08
Daytime Total Ozone (Dobsons)
EOS Direct Broadcast Groundstation
TeraScan SX-EOS 4.4 m antenna: First data acquired 2000/08/18
Overpass
prediction
2000/10/13
MODIS Direct Broadcast:
Shenandoah Mountains, 1 Nov 2000
-RGB Color
-250 meter
resolution
-Fire pixels
(3.9 micron)
overlaid
Comparison of GOES-8 PW with microwave retrievals
Co-located total precipitable water (PW) values retrieved from the GOES
Sounder compare well with integrated moisture measured by a microwave
radiometer at the CART site (Lamont, OK). Note “flat” first-guess trace.
GOES retrievals show ability to capture the trend and range of total moisture.
Data Impact Studies
Comparison of denying RAOB or Satellite Data
to ETA Data Assimilation System
Ratio >1 Satellite wins!
Ratio
A. 24-HR Temperature Ratio (NOSAT/NORAOB)
5
4
3
2
1
0
300 hPa
500 hPa
700 hPa
850 hPa
DEC
APR
JUL
1000 hPa
Season
Ratio
B. 24-HR Rel. Humidity Ratio (NOSAT/NORAOB)
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
300 hPa
500 hPa
700 hPa
850 hPa
DEC
APR
Season
JUL
1000 hPa
New 3-D Cloud Water Initializer using GOES
Both use Cloud top P
from GOES Sounder
Old method gives one
Cloud per column
New Max/Min-Pressure
Method gives 2 cloud
layers from bimodal
distribution
R. Aune, NESDIS/ORA
Hurricanes & Satellite Derived Winds
Super Rapid-Scan Winds Proven
BAMS: “Satellite data … have
led to a steady decrease in track
forecast errors”
New GOES Wind Shear product
Tasmania from Australia BoM
•Australian Bureau of Met
using VisAD
•Unidata recently released
their METAPPS package
based on VisAD
•NCAR will soon release
VMET based on VisAD
•NCSA Portal Architecture
using VisAD
Broad-based Science & Applications (2)
X Planetary
Science: observing and
instrument development
X Lidar-based
X Major
science
field programs
– WISC T2000 (NASA ER2 in Madison)
– SAFARI in South Africa
– WVIOP/AFWEX in Oklahoma
X Biomass
Burning
SSEC Research on Planetary Atmospheres: overview
Participants:
Sromovsky,
Fry, Limaye
Current Targets:
Neptune
Uranus
Jupiter
Objectives:
Circulation
Cloud Structure
Composition
Tools:
In situ and
remote
Imaging and
Spectroscopy
Data
sources: Groundbased Telescopes, Hubble Space Telescope, Galileo
1 Nov 99 Imaging of Downtown Madison, WI
2200 cm-1
2350 cm-1
2500 cm-1
SAFARI: South Africa with Scanning HIS
Ralph, what are we doing
here? Did you see Elaine’s
Fire images from the US?
Biomass burning in the Western US
22 August 2000
Wildfire Automated composite,
22:15 UTC
GOES Visible Image, 23:30 UTC
Broad-based Science & Applications (3)
X AERI
for now-casting
X RESAC (Regional Earth Science
Applications Center): Data & Modeling
for Agriculture, Water, & Forestry
X Iceberg
formation & evolution: AMRC
(Antarctic Meteorological Research Center)
X VISIT
view: Java-based Remote training
sessions with NWS and other meteorologists
AERI SYSTEMS AROUND THE WORLD
UW AERI - 2 (AERIBAGO, SSEC)
DOE AERI - 7 (Kansas/Oklahoma, Alaska, S. Pacific)
U-Miami M-AERI - 3 (Florida)
Bomem AERI - 4 (Italy, California, Maryland, Canada)
U Idaho P-AERI - 1 (Antarctica)
Data
Landsat
Conventional
GOES Vis & Thermal
Aircraft
Penetrometer
IKONOS
EM38
NEXRAD
Topography, soil properties, etc.
Rillmeter
MODIS
AVHRR
Icebergs in the News:
Limbert Automated Weather Station Spared
Major new Programs
X GIFTS (Geostationary Imaging FT
Spectrometer): 1999 Holiday Present
X CIRRUS: Study Report due 2/15/2001
X Ice
Coring and Drilling Services (ICDS):
SSEC is now home to this service for NSF
X IceCube: The venture to map the highest
energy sources in the universe is getting real
X Joule: Re-fly of X-ray experiment for
ASTRO-E
GIFTS: The Next Major Advance in
Observing from Geostationary Orbit
16,000 Temperature, Humidity
& Trace Gas Profiles in 10 sec
Dense Wind Observations,
tracked from Water Vapor Sdgs
Global Sounding in < 10 min
High resolution Sounding of
6000 x 6000 km in < 30 min
Cloud InfraRed Radiometer for UnesS
(CIRRUS)
Antarctic Astronomy &
Astrophysics Research Institute
X AMANDA
Antarctic Muon
and Neutrino
Detector Array
X IceCube
Expand to 1 km3
X Ice
Coring
& Drilling
Services
Ice Coring & Drilling Services
X World-wide
support for ice coring &
drilling projects (Antarctica, Greenland,
Tibet), including new drill development
X Charles Bentley, Geology, PI
X SSEC Impact
– 7 Permanent Staff, 4-25 seasonal additions
– 3 year Contract, plus 2 year option
IceCube, the Neutrino telescope
1 km3 detector buried up to
2.5 km in the South Pole ice
observes neutrinos from
astrophysical sources &
Earth’s atmosphere
X SSEC is playing a lead role in
management and engineering
X
– ~10 new people at SSEC
– Official start in October 2001,
planning and engineering has begun
X-ray observations
of extended sources
Selected!
UW Adiabatic Demagnitization Refrigerator
in Helium Dewar
Other Key Events
SSEC Office of Space Science Education successes
(Rose Pertzborn to serve at NASA Hdq)
X More McIDAS Impact:
X
– Hurricanes Georges & Bertha for the Discovery Channel
– GOES to Grand Canyon Parks Service for Fire Fighting
Future Fair—Monona Terrace
X SSEC Library exhibit of 1st snow crystal photos
X Open house—Good support for a new building tradition
X SSEC Dane-o-meter countdown to a record career
X Think UW-Madison
X
Office of Space Science Education - Highlights
GIFTS Education & Public Outreach Program
for Water Vapor Special Measurement
through GLOBE (NASA/NOAA/EPA)
GLOBE Training for Teachers - Chiwaukee
Academy and Madison Schools
GET-WISE: Geoscience Distance Learning
Program for Science Teachers
ESCAPE - Web Based Learning Program
funded by NASA/Earth Science Enterprise
PEOPLE, Future Fair, Campus Open House,
UW-Madison Speakers Bureau & Other
Presentations in LaCrosse, Racine, Mt.
Horeb, Madison, Chicago, Milwaukee
EPO Programs
Proposed for:
• ICE-Cube
• VESAT
• OPUS
• HIMS
• CIRRUS
• ROSS
• BIOME / NASA
• JOULE
Future Fair, 4-5 Dec 1999, Monona Terrace Convention Center, Madison
Awards/Kudos (1)
Don Johnson: named a fellow of the
Amer. Assoc. for the Advancement of Science
X Francis Bretherton: named a fellow of the Amer.
Assoc. for the Advancement of Science
X Grace Wahba (statistician who works with Don
Johnson’s group): named to the National
Academy of Science
X Tom Haig (SSEC Executive Director 1970-80):
Pioneer who led the development of the polar
orbiting meteorological satellite system
X
Awards/Kudos (2)
Tim Schmit: Silver Medal from the US Dept. of
Commerce for GOES product development
X CIMSS NOAA employees: Bronze medals for
their work this year
X Chris Velden, Tim Olander, Steve Wanzong:
Banner Miller Award for papers on hurricane
forecasting
X Chuck Stearns & Group: Automatic Weather
Stations-USA today, Susan Solomon
X McIDAS Team: Kudos for excellent MUG Mtg
X
Vision of our Future
X
Advancing Earth Systems Science, Weather, and
Climate with New Observing, Retrieval Science,
Computer & Modeling Techniques:
– We have been doing things that should prepare us well
for the future, & help determine the future of our field
– We need to put more emphasis on Microwave
Observations and Data Assimilation
X
High Spectral Resolution and Many Channel
Imagers are here to stay
AIRS/ CrIS / IASI, GIFTS / ABS, & MODIS/VIRS
X
The Tidal Wave of Data on the horizon should
drive us to develop new ways to find the messages
Vision of our Future (2)
X
New Science Areas (A3RI//ICDS/IceCube)
offer exciting challenges and rewards
X
A New Discover mission for Planetary
Research, like VESAT or OPUS, would add
still more excitement
Committed to keeping our Key Traditional
Segments of SSEC Strong
X
McIDAS+VisAD+Data Center+GOES Archive
Data access and visualization of the world, for the world
X
Space Flight Hardware Design and Fabrication
Providing fundamentally new views of the world:
From new Earth Science, to Operational Instrument Advances,
to Planetary Exploration, and to Astronomy
X
Cooperative Institute for Meteorological
Satellite Studies (CIMSS)
Leaders in multi-spectral remote sensing for clouds, winds,
atmospheric state, surface properties and observing system
experiments that impact plans for future satellite systems