Satellite Meteorology Modules 1-4
Module 1 Introduction
1) What does it mean to make direct and indirect observations of something?
2) What is satellite meteorology? How did it begin and what does it utilize?
Module 2 Weather Satellites and Orbits
3) Who the heck is Vernor E. Suomi?
4) Please compare and contrast the POES and GOES satellites.
2 things similar…2 things different
5) What are the two types of imagers being utilized…what do they show?
6) What are sounders and how do they differ from imagers?
7) GOES images...What are the differences between visible and infrared images?
8) POES Images...How do they differ from the GOES images?
9) Explain the contributions that Newton and Kepler provided to satellite meteorology?
10) Answer these assessment questions for this module.
a) What year was the first satellite launched?
b) What country launched the first satellite and what did they name it?
c) When was the first weather satellite launched and what country accomplished
this?
e) What are the two main types of satellites? Which is closest to the Earth?
f) What type of satellite is used to track large scale weather systems?
g) What type of satellite is better for viewing small scale features on the Earth
over a single country?
h) What are the two main types of remotes sensing instruments flown on weather
satellites?
i) Which radiometers can collect data at night? Why?
j) Satellite technology is one of the biggest scientific breakthroughs of the 20th
century, name at least 2 more and list your reasons for your choices.
Module 3 Satellite Radiometers See Different Parts of the EM Spectrum
11.1) What role does electromagnetic radiation play in remote sensing?
11.2) What are 3 things you can tell me from looking at the chart on this page?
11.3) What is the relationship between energy and wavelength?
11.4) If satellite meteorology is interested in wavelengths from .1 to 100
micrometers…then what are we looking at?
11.5) What is the earth’s radiation budget?
11.6) What do the we kneed to know about Stefan-Boltzman…Wien…and Kirchhoff?
11.7) Explain why the graph changes like it does when you move the temperature slider.
11.8) What are the three main spectral regions and wavelengths that satellite radiometers
report data from?
11.9) What are the three main processes that may take place when radiation interacts with
the atmosphere?
11.10) Arrange the following in order of increasing energy:
Visible radiation, Gamma Rays, X-Rays, Radio waves, microwaves.
Module 4 Cloud Identification
12) Do the hands on activity about dew point temp and relative humidity and answer the
questions below the applet.
13) Explain how clouds form.
14) How do convection and advection differ?
15) Describe cumulus clouds and their appearance on visible and infrared satellite images.
16) Answer each of the 6 questions on the cumulus cloud applet.
17) Compare and contrast cumulonimbus and nimbostratus clouds.
18) What are the differences between cumulus and stratus clouds?
19) What do the presence of altostratus and altocumulus clouds tell us?
20) How do cirrus and cirrostratus clouds differ from lower level clouds?
21) Name the 3 main categories of clouds and the general prefix that corresponds to each
category.
22) What is the prefix used for rain clouds?
23) What is the meteorological name for a thunderstorm?
24) What feature is used to identify thunderstorms on satellite images?
25) What are 5 significant things you have learned about clouds?
Go over the assessment questions at the end of this module and make sure you can answer
them all!