111 national aeronautics and space administration science mission directorate earth-sun system...

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National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Science Mission DirectorateEarth-Sun System DivisionPre-Launch GOES-R

Risk Reduction Activities For the Geostationary Lightning Mapper

WSN05

4-9 September 2005

Toulouse, FrancePhoto, David BlankenshipGuntersville, Alabama

Steven J. Goodman, R. J. Blakeslee, D. J. Boccippio,H. J. Christian, W. J. Koshak, W. A. Petersen

NASA Marshall Space Flight CenterEarth and Planetary Science Branch

Huntsville, Alabama, USA

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Science Mission DirectorateEarth-Sun System Division

Oth

er U

sers

NWS

OAR

NOS

NMFS

NMAO

PPI

NOAA Users

NESDIS

Eco

syst

ems,

Wea

ther

& W

ater

, C

lim

ate,

C

om

mer

ce &

Tra

nsp

ort

atio

n

GPRD

Aerosols

PrecipitationAtmospheri

c Profiles

Ocean

Space & Solar

Clouds

Land

Requirements

Atmospheric RadianceAtmospheri

c Winds

Coastal Waters & Estuaries

Mapping Requirements To System Solutions

Coronagraph

Microwave Sounder/Imager

Po

tential

P3I

Hyperspectral Environmental

Suite (HES)

Adv. Baseline Imager (ABI)

Solar Imaging Suite (SIS)

Space Env In-Situ Suite

(SEISS)

Instruments

GOES Lightning Mapper (GLM)

Baselin

e Instru

men

ts

Hyperspectral Imager

Solar Irradiance Sensor

GOES-R System

MRD

Courtesy of Tim Walsh

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• Predict the onset of tornadoes, hail, microbursts, flash floods;

• Track thunderstorms and warn of approaching lightning threats;

• Improve airline routing around thunderstorms; improving safety, saving fuel, and

reducing delays; TAFs

• Provide real-time hazardous weather information, improving the efficiency of

emergency management;

• NWP/Data Assimilation;

• Locate lightning strikes known to cause forest fires and reduce response times;

• Multi-sensor precipitation algorithms;

• Assess the role of thunderstorms and deep convection in global climate;

• Provide a new data source to improve air quality / chemistry forecasts.

GLM Applications and Benefits

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• RFP Released 26 July 2005• Proposals Received 29 August 2005• Two $2M Formulation Study Awards January 2006• Downselect to One Implementation Phase Award• Coverage Trade Study

– Optimum configuration to provide continuous, real-time, simultaneous coverage of the defined full-disk area.

– Configuration that would cover a hemisphere, north-to-south or east-to-west and a cost delta vs full-disk

– CONUS and surrounding area only and a cost delta vs full-disk

GLM Formulation StatusThe GLM is a single channel, visible imager used to measure total lightning activity over the full-disk as part of a 3-axis stabilized, geostationary weather satellite system

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GOES-R Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM)

GLM on GOESGLM on GOESDual imager Dual imager

configurationconfiguration

NASA Lightning Mapper Concept• TRMM Lightning Imaging Sensor Heritage• Dual-Imager Configuration (8 km ifov)

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CCD Subsystems

Sunshades

LMS Dual Imager(Electronics Above Nadir Deck)

Lens Assemblies

Power Converters

Video Distribution

Data Formatter & Instrument Controller

RTEPs

Temp ControlHousekeeping

500

mm

200 mm

375 mm

250

mm

500 mm

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Instrument Risk Reduction Status

• Six flight-quality optical assemblies complete with narrow-band interference and solar-blocking filters have been delivered to NASA.

• CCD’s fabricated, integrated with breadboard drive electronics, and tested at 500 frames/sec satisfying key performance requirements (uniformity, linearity, quantum efficiency, well depth).

• Engineering Model of the LMS Sensor Assembly being built.

• Engineering Model of the LMS Electronics Assembly being built.

• A fully functional Real Time Event Processor (RTEP) has been built, tested, and integrated with a CCD subassembly. Performance exceeds operating speed and S/N requirements.

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Global Distribution of Lightning 1995-2003

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Extreme Lightning Rate StormsObserved by TRMM LIS

(Cecil et al., MWR, 2005)

*Annual number of casualties due to lightning• US ~ 1000/yr• Deaths ~ 80-100/yr• Worldwide ~ 25,000/yr

*Ron Holle, 2004

Most Intense Electrical Storms on Earth

Supercell

Cecil et al., Mon. Wea. Rev., 2005)

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Continuous GEO Total Lightning will identify severe storm potential

Process physics understood

Vortex Spins-up

Updraft Intensifies

Ice flux drives lightning

Lightning jump precedes severe weather Lightning improves storm predictability

Demonstrated in LEO with

OTD & LIS

Storm-scale model for decision support system

Physical basis for improved forecasts

IC flash rate controlled by graupel (ice mass) production (and vertical velocity)

GLM GOES E View

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Mapping storm initiation, growth, decay

• TRMM provides us a huge database of paired lightning, radar, IR and passive microwave observations (training, validation)

• Over entire tropics & subtropics (generalization)

• Total lightning increases as storm intensifies – can increase lead time for warning of severe and tornadic storms

TRMM LIS-Lightning: May 1999 Stroud, OK Tornado

GOES-R GLM Perspective

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Hurricane Katrina: Lightning Imaging Sensor (LIS)

24 Aug 05

28 Aug 05

26 Aug 05

29 Aug 05

LIS Background Imagesread out once per min4 km ifov @ 777.4 nmOrbit swath 600 km

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Science Mission DirectorateEarth-Sun System Division North Alabama Nowcasting

Short-term Forecasting Test Bed

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NASA North Alabama Lightning Mapping Array (LMA)

Map (10 stations)

http://branch.nsstc.nasa.gov/ One hour of real-time data

Tennessee

Alabama

10 stations over 65 x50 km diameter area

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North Alabama Lightning Mapping Array (LMA)

• Network of 10 detectors centered about HSV (NMT heritage)

• Computes 4-D location of all electrical discharges (“flashes”) within LMA (CG…and IC, CC, CA)

• Flash location overlaid on radar

and satellite imagery and updated every minute

• Trend information identifies growing/decaying storms

• Validation for TRMM LIS– NASA Senior Review to extend

mission approved

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LMA/Radar Flash Animation

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Total Lightning Impacts Decision Making at HUN

Has directly contributed to several correct severe warning decisions at HUN, OHX, and BMX.

• “…the LMA density map gives you a great overall view of where storms with intensifying updrafts are located. So it gives you a good map of where to concentrate attention.”

• “I believe the flash density rates were the primary factor in holding off on a warning.”

Data archived by WFO

Used in Warning Event Simulator for office training

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May 6, 2003 Case

Ill-defined Rotational

Couplet

1.5º SRM

0.5 º SRM

0.5 º Refl LMA

Source Density

1236 UTC

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Broad Rotational

Couplet

Lightning Jump

1.5º SRM

0.5 º SRM

0.5 º Refl LMA

Source Density

1246 UTC

May 6, 2003 Case

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October 18, 2004 Case

Rotating storm near edges of radar coverageLMA provided forecaster extra confidence in

tornado warning

LMA Source Rates Versus Time

0

50

100

150

200

Time (UTC)

Sour

ce R

ates

LMA (2 min)

F1

Jump

10/18/04

12 min

Sou

rce

Den

sity

LMA Source Density vs. Time

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Total Lightning Data in AWIPS Science and Technology Risk Reduction

Lightning Mapping Array Ground based VHF network (Ch 5@72 MHz) Continuous 3-D total lightning Domain 400 km x 400 km 17 height levels, 2 km flash density Auto-loads 32 frames of 2 min netCDF grids

via SR Frame Relay

CompositeCompositedBZdBZ

NLDN NLDN 5-min5-min

LMALMA2-min2-min

VILVIL

Scientific Benefits to WFO’s Increased Situational Awareness,

Confidence Limits

Rapid Update- Potential for increased lead time, reduced FAR

Identification of intensifying and weakening storms, potential severe storms, microburst wind shears, CG threat area

Fills gaps in radar coverage

AWIPS 4-panel display at the HUN WFO

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LMA Flash trends Nov. 10-11, 2002 Cell e

0

5

10

15

20

25

23:49:30

23:54:29

23:59:29

0:04:28

0:09:27

0:15:31

0:20:30

0:25:32

0:30:31

0:35:30

0:40:29

0:45:29

0:50:28

UTC

Flash Rate/(5 minutes)

1 KM 2 KM 4 KM 8 KM F2 Tornado

Lightning Flash Trend for Tornadic Supercells

Spatial resampling at 1 km - 8km

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Conclusions

http://thunder.msfc.nasa.gov (LIS) http://weather.msfc.nasa.gov (SPoRT Center, Lightning

Workshops) http://branch.nsstc.nasa.gov (Real-time LIS and North

Alabama LMA) http://osd.goes.noaa.gov (GOES-R Program Office)

• The operational demands on the spacecraft and ground systems are well-understood

• On-going instrument, science, algorithm, and forecaster benchmarking studies will reduce risk and accelerate the transition from research to on-orbit operations

111 national aeronautics and space administration science mission directorate earth-sun system...

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