STAR Seminars

STAR Science Seminars

Presenter:
Tony Reale of NESDIS/STAR/SMCD

Sponsor:
STAR Science Seminar Series

Remote Access:
WebEx Event Number:    994 122 725
Password: STARSeminar
Event address for attendees:

   https://star-nesdis-noaa.webex.com/star-nesdis-noaa/onstage/g.php?MTID=e33283f7e860d31512d5e8b0b62db166e

Audio:  
USA participants: 866-832-9297
Passcode:  6070416

Abstract:


TBD
About the Speaker:
Anthony Reale received B.S. degrees in Meteorology and Physics from the State University of New York, College at Oswego in 1976. Following three years as a research fellow at the University of Nevada, Reno, he received his M.S. degree in Atmospheric Physics in 1979. He then spent three years in the field conducting remote sensing measurements programs to establish background air-quality and meteorological profiles at selected locations in the pristine eastern Mohave Desert. Mr. Reale was hired as a NOAA support contractor in 1983 where he began working on the problem of deriving atmospheric sounding products from remote satellite sensors onboard NOAA operational polar orbiting satellites.  Mr. Reale was hired by NOAA in 1984 where he provided technical guidance and direction to government and support contractor staff focused on the development of scientific software and associated graphical evaluation tools to assess atmospheric sounding products from operational satellites.  Beginning 2008, he became task leader for the development of the NOAA Products Validation System (NPROVS), designed to provide an “enterprise” approach for assessing atmospheric profiles from multiple satellites against in-situ (radiosonde) observations.  This was expanded in 2013 to include reference radiosondes from the Global Climate Observing System (GCOS) Reference Upper Air network (GRUAN). 

STAR Science Seminars

Presenter:
Scott Rudlosky  - NESDIS/STAR/CoRP

Sponsor:
STAR Science Seminar Series

Remote Access:
WebEx:
Event Number:    995 269 347
Password: STARSeminar
Event address for attendees:
https://star-nesdis-noaa.webex.com/star-nesdis-noaa/onstage/g.php?MTID=e06a832718796d679faaf25f456ef1ab0

Audio:  
USA participants: 866-832-9297
Passcode:  6070416

Abstract:
The Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM) is the first sensor of its kind, and this technological advancement now allows continuous operational monitoring of lightning on time and space scales never before available. This has led to a golden age of lightning observations, which will spur more rapid progress toward synthesis of these observations with other meteorological datasets and forecasting tools. This study documents the first nine months of GLM observations, illustrating that the GLM captures similar spatial patterns of lightning occurrence to many previous studies. The present study shows that GLM flashes are less common over the oceans, but that the oceanic flashes are larger, brighter, and last longer than flashes over land. The GLM characteristics also help diagnose and document data quality artifacts that diminish in time with tuning of the instrument and filters. The GLM presents profound possibilities, with countless new applications anticipated over the coming decades. The baseline values reported herein aim to guide the early development and application of the GLM observations.

About the Speaker:
Dr. Scott Rudlosky is a NOAA/NESDIS physical scientist in the Center for Satellite Applications and Research (STAR) Cooperative Research Program (CoRP). He is co-located with the Cooperative Institute for Climate and Satellites (CICS) in College Park, Maryland. Scott is the NESDIS Subject Matter Expert on lightning and science lead for the Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM). He originally joined CICS as a Research Associate in January 2011 following completion of his M.S. (2007) and Ph.D. (2011) in Meteorology at Florida State University. He obtained his B.S. (2004) in Geography with a specialization in Atmospheric Science from Ohio State University.

STAR Science Seminars

Presenter:
Dr. Benjamin T. Johnson - JCSDA

Sponsor:
STAR Science Seminar Series

Remote Access:
WebEx
Event Number: 995 114 967  
Password: STARSeminar
Event address for attendees: https://star-nesdis-noaa.webex.com/star-nesdis-noaa/onstage/g.php?MTID=e51bba6463196946d380d45602d794cb0


Audio:  
USA participants: 866-832-9297
Passcode:  6070416

Abstract:
The Community Radiative Transfer Model (CRTM) is a fast, 1-D radiative transfer model designed to simulate top-of-the-atmosphere radiances consistent with a wide variety of satellite based sensors. The CRTM was primarily developed by JCSDA-funded scientists with essential contributions from NOAA/STAR and NOAA/EMC scientists. The primary goal of CRTM is to provide fast, accurate satellite radiance simulations and associated Jacobian calculations under all weather and surface conditions. CRTM supports all current operational and many research passive sensors, covering wavelengths ranging from the visible through the microwave. The model has undergone substantial improvement and expansion, since the first version in 2004. The CRTM has been used in the NOAA/NCEP and U.S. Navy operational data assimilation systems and by many other JCSDA partners such as NOAA/NESDIS/STAR, NOAA/OAR, NASA/GMAO, Naval Research Laboratory, Air Force Weather, and within multiple university environments. Over the past 14 years, both external research groups and operational centers alike have made essential contributions to the continued development and growth of CRTM.
A major goal of the CRTM core team is to ensure that CRTM becomes a true community radiative transfer model for all users. The CRTM official baseline code is developed and maintained based on internal and community-wide inputs, consisting of both improvements and externally contributed codes.
This presentation will briefly review the scientific and technical basis of CRTM, including its many strengths and limitations. There will also be an overview of the current status of the recently released CRTM version 2.3.0; and the future planned release of CRTM version 3.0.0 - which will represent a major milestone in CRTM's development and capabilities.

About the Speaker:
Dr. Benjamin T. Johnson joined NOAA/NESDIS/STAR (via AER, Inc.) in support of JCSDA in July 2015.  In January 2017, he was hired through UCAR as the JCSDA project lead for the Community Radiative Transfer Model (CRTM).    Dr. Johnson's primary responsibilities are to ensure that the CRTM project continues to be proactively developed and managed to meet operational user requirements.   This involves coordinating efforts and support for a large number of users and developers across a wide range of agencies and universities, both domestic and international.  
Dr. Johnson received a B.S. in Physics from Oklahoma State University, with an emphasis on hard-sphere sedimentation crystallization and photonics.  Combining his interest in weather, computing, and physics, he studied Atmospheric Science at Purdue University, where he received a M.S. degree. The next stop was the University of Wisconsin, where he completed his Ph.D. in Atmospheric Science advised by Dr. Grant Petty.
Before completing his Ph.D. in 2007, Dr. Johnson started working at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in 2004 on the Global Precipitation Measurement mission, primarily focused on precipitation retrieval algorithm development and satellite observation simulations. During the intervening years, he has coordinated multiple NASA field campaigns as a mission scientist, and actively participates in the CGMS/WMO International Precipitation Working Group (IPWG), International TOVs Working Group (ITWC), and the International Workshop on Space-based Snowfall Measurement (IWSSM).   He is a member of the American Geophysical Union (AGU), and the American Meteorological Society (AMS).  
Dr. Johnson's primary areas of expertise are measuring and simulating cloud microphysical processes, theoretical and applied atmospheric radiative transfer, satellite remote sensing of clouds and precipitation, and satellite-based radar simulations in cold-cloud precipitating scenes.