Recent and future developments in meteorological remote sensing
Satellite-based remote sensing for meteorological and climate applications is a global enterprise, and is on the threshold of a generational increase in the capability and data volumes of sensors on polar orbiting meteorological satellites. This presentation will describe, in the global context, the recent achievements and plans of the Bureau of Meteorology for the acquisition and processing of near-real time satellite data.
The Bureau continues to acquire data with national coverage from the polar orbiting NOAA satellites, distributing both imagery and derived products from the AVHRR and the ATOVS sensor suite for atmospheric sounding. The Bureau is deploying a network of X-band receiving stations to complement the existing Australian stations in preparation for the new generation of sensors on the NPP, NPOESS and METOP satellites.
The recent successful launch of Japan's MTSAT-1R and MTSAT-2 and China's FY-2C geostationary satellites has secured the supply of hourly multispectral imagery in Australia's region. As well as continuing production of solar radiation and cloud-drift winds, work is underway to characterise the calibration of these sensors and to derive new products with high temporal resolution including sea surface temerature, fog, and fire hotspots.
There is a global trend toward rapid exchange of regional data for assimilation into numerical weather forecasting systems. The Bureau has been an early participant in the Regional ATOVS Retransmission Service (RARS) which enables routine rapid exchange of ATOVS products between centres in the Asia-Pacific region.
The Bureau increasingly collaborates with other Australian agencies in the provision of satellite-based services. Examples are the planned provision of Bureau data layers to the Sentinel fire management website hosted by Geoscience Australia, the Bureau's supply of satellite-based sea surface temperature to the BLUElink collaboration between the Bureau, CSIRO and the Navy, and the exchange and shared development of CSIRO's CAPS software.