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Through the Atmosphere ` v Space Science and Engineering Center | Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies | University of Wisconsin-Madison 2016 TtA Winter / Spring through the atmosphere An inside view: From seasoned scientists to research interns 1 Through the Atmosphere is SSEC Director a semiannual magazine Winter / Spring Hank Revercomb featuring atmospheric, space science, and engineering t 2016 CIMSS Director research and education T A Steve Ackerman accomplishments of the University of Wisconsin- Editorial Team Madison’s Space Science and Jean Phillips Engineering Center (SSEC) Contents Leanne Avila and its Cooperative Institute Sarah Witman for Meteorological Satellite Studies (CIMSS). The CIMSS Satellite Blog: “Ever If you would like to be awesome” at 20 added to our mailing list for 4 Through the Atmosphere, please Eva Borbas: contact Maria Vasys at: Collaborating her [email protected]. way to success 07 To subscribe to SSEC News, Tristan L’Ecuyer: our email newsletter, please atmospheric, climate visit: go.wisc.edu/lz8jwe. 09 research group leader GOES-R Education Proving Ground 2016 12 Activities Jonathan Gero: 13 Scientist, mentor, leader Mike Foster: Advancing research on cloud 16 climate data records Highlights of recent 18 publications, awards UW satellite pioneer garners top atmospheric 20 sciences award 2015 AOSS Photo 22 Contest SSEC’s research interns forge studious 23 camaraderie Cover image, from left to right: SSEC research interns Amanda Gumber, Alexa Ross, Michelle Feltz, and Aaron Letterly below the 2 AOSS building’s rooftop MODIS receiver. Credit: Bill Bellon. Director’s Note the benefit of others. And that makes cloud climate data records, instrument science exciting. development, and understanding Earth’s energy balance, respectively. At SSEC and CIMSS, science is a community endeavor, wherein the ► Meet the two Scotts, whose community is working to learn more education and outreach through the about Earth’s atmosphere, applying that CIMSS Satellite Blog reaches thousands knowledge to protect and improve our of people seeking to better understand lives. satellite observations. This edition of Through the Atmosphere ► Meet four recent atmospheric and introduces a few of our people who oceanic science graduates who are just conduct scientific research: From launching their promising careers. seasoned scientists to research interns. These are a few of the SSEC and ► Meet Bill Smith who has defined our CIMSS scientists who are excited to young field of satellite meteorology, discover – through their scientific established CIMSS, and has received inquiry – how our planet works and cience is often described as a another award for a lifetime of scientific excited to share their discoveries with systematic study of the physical accomplishments. others. and natural world through Sobservation and experimentation. To ► Meet Eva Borbas, a mid-career many, the word science conjures up scientist who has helped us to Steve Ackerman images of white lab coats, beakers, test understand the structure of our Steve Ackerman tubes, telescopes, and microscopes. atmosphere through remote sensing. Director, CIMSS Others may think of it as merely a collection of facts. ► Meet Mike Foster, Jonathan Gero, and Tristan L’Ecuyer who are early in Behind the instruments and facts are their science careers and already making the people who conduct science for important contributions in the areas of 3 The CIMSS Satellite Blog: “Ever awesome” at 20 Credit: Bill Bellon, SSEC. perfect case study in and of developing case studies based on because I was gathering all of these itself, the CIMSS Satellite Blog satellite data for the Virtual Institute for cases and needed a library in which to circumnavigates the globe like Satellite Integration Training (VISIT). store them.” Instead of placing all of MAthe best Wisconsin Ideas. Established by NOAA, the program the images in a directory on a computer, was designed to use distance learning it was easier and more sensible to place For nearly 20 years, two Scotts – technologies to train National Weather them on a web page where others could Bachmeier and Lindstrom – have taught Service (NWS) forecasters. view them. the value of satellite imagery in the form of online case studies. They are The VISIT collaboration was a natural “But in those days,” says Bachmeier, atmospheric scientists at the University fit for Bachmeier because it extended “it was a tedious operation, because of Wisconsin-Madison Cooperative the educational reach of CIMSS. He I had to manually edit the HTML for Institute for Meteorological Satellite says that VISIT was developed as a way every single page.” Studies (CIMSS) who know the benefits to “improve the transfer of research to of satellite imagery as a means to operations.” NWS forecasters anywhere Fast-forward to the early 2000s, when increase our understanding of Earth’s in the world could learn about new Bachmeier was introduced to a new atmosphere. ways to analyze remote-sensing data and era of blogging: He quickly learned imagery and incorporate it into their how to use the software, immediately Bachmeier and Lindstrom tell the operational forecasts. understanding its potential. compelling stories locked within those images. But disseminating large weather “This was awesome and a huge eye- animations and images posed a opener because now I could enter the Beginning in the early – and, by today’s challenge. So, in the mid-1990s, images and text without bothering with standards, primitive – days of the Bachmeier created the GOES Gallery. the HTML,” said Bachmeier. World Wide Web, Bachmeier began He says, “I began the GOES Gallery “I essentially started over.” 4 About that time, 10 years ago, Bachmeier agrees. The blog format As researchers at CIMSS, the two Lindstrom joined Bachmeier as a allows easy access to beautiful, and scientists tap into the SSEC Data blogger. sometimes ominous, animations and Center, from which they have access to imagery that the two scientists update a wealth of data from satellite agencies Between the two of them, they’ve several times each week. around the world. They are constantly dramatically increased the number studying the satellite imagery, noting of case studies available for training “That is how we differentiate ourselves,” what looks interesting or what could purposes, populating the CIMSS says Bachmeier, “I’m really proud of our prove to be instructive. Satellite Blog with nearly 1,700 posts in consistency and quality.” just the last decade. Bachmeier says, “I also pay attention to Twitter because a lot of what’s going on The case study approach is an effective They are constantly there is conversation about what’s going method of teaching in many disciplines. asking themselves, “I on in this or that part of the world.” In remote sensing, the method allows Twitter has become invaluable because Bachmeier and Lindstrom to use wonder what that looked it is impossible for the two of them to tools developed at CIMSS or satellite like via satellite?” And keep an eye on all potential case studies data available at CIMSS to analyze therein lies the story. everywhere on the planet. atmospheric phenomena or events. They may look at one-minute imagery “Or we pay attention to what of a developing thunderstorm or Not surprisingly, the blog has become is happening in the news,” adds monitor volcanic ash plumes or study the go-to source for information and Lindstrom. “Sometimes the really the life cycle of a typhoon and its imagery on important weather events interesting images are linked to a high- potential to affect weather in the United by other meteorologists. And, like impact news event. And if the images States. many endeavors, new uses for the get out there quickly, people really pay imagery and data have appeared over attention to them.” “There are other blogs out there, but time and alongside the emergence of for satellite imagery, I don’t think technologies such as social media. They are constantly asking themselves, anyone can approach the CIMSS “I wonder what that looked like via Satellite Blog for quantity and quality,” How do they determine what is satellite?” And therein lies the story. says Lindstrom. important? Lindstrom recalled the 2014 Air Algerie flight that crashed in Mali less than an hour after takeoff. He happened continued This animation, featured on Discover magazine’s ImaGeo blog (http://go.wisc.edu/617j23), shows the evolution of a cyclonic storm that became Hurricane Alex in January 2015. The CIMSS Satellite Blog was referred to as “ever awesome.” Credit: CIMSS. 5 to look at the Suomi NPP track and discovered that the satellite had passed over the area precisely at the time of the crash. He wondered, “Could we see this with the day/night band?” The answer was yes. The satellite provided high-resolution infrared and Day/Night Band imagery along the flight path: The plane had flown through a strong convective storm, causing the crash. The scientists are meticulous about the details and analysis they provide in each blog post. Sometimes Bachmeier will “blast out” a few images via Twitter in advance of the post. This serves two purposes, says Bachmeier. “It is a way to alert offices of responsibility about an emerging event and it gives me time to process a blog entry in my brain first.” The volcanic plume from the eruption of the Popocatépetl Volcano in Mexico was evident in Suomi NPP VIIRS true-color Red/Green/Blue (RGB) imagery on 23, 24, and 25 January 2016, as viewed using the In writing each post, they consider SSEC RealEarth web map server. Credit: SSEC/CIMSS. the kind of story they want to tell and what other images – upper air, radar, It’s been referred to as the “ever “It would be fantastic if we could do a water vapor – would improve the story. awesome” CIMSS Satellite Blog, with post every day because every day there Their goal is to be as comprehensive as posts routinely picked up by media is an interesting event somewhere on possible with writing that is appropriate outlets around the world – from the globe – but how do you monitor the for other scientists as well as a public bloggers, to print media, to national entire planet?” audience.
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