NUMBER 125

DATE: 01/04/94

Sector Processing Center (SPC):

During November NOA, JMA, and ESA processed greater than 99% of A data into B1/B2 data.Normal operations for November were reported by NOA, JMA and ESA. No reports for September, October and November have been received from AES; no report for November was received from CSU.ESA reported using METEOSAT-5 in place of METEOSAT-4 from 1030 UTC on 3 November through 0830 UTC on 18 November.

Special Area Processing Center (SAPC):

No report received.

Satellite Calibration Center (SCC):

The SCC received AC data for September, October and November 93 for GMS-4 and for November 93 for METEOSAT-3 and METEOSAT-4. BC data were sent to the GPC for April and July 93 for METEOSAT-3.

Global Processing Center (GPC):

The GPC continued to receive B2 data, BC data and correlative data in a routine manner.Production of NOAA-11 (preliminary) B3 data is current.Production of NOAA-12 (preliminary) B3 data is current.Production of GOES-7 (preliminary) B3 data is current. The apparent error in the UWS replacement B2 data turned out to be an undocumented format change. Once the extra information included in each scanline was accounted for, B3 data were successfully produced from the B2 data. Processing of all

the replacement data is beginning. The most recent B2 data for September, October and November 93 have not been received from AES.Production of METEOSAT-3 B3 data has begun; B3 data for November 92 through April 93 have been completed. It was discovered that the METEOSAT-3 data collected by CSU during the period from May through September 93 did not include the Fine Gain Adjustment for IR calibration, so that these data

cannot be properly calibrated. The history of these values has been requested from ESA.Production of METEOSAT-4/5 (preliminary) B3 data is current.Production of GMS-4 (preliminary) B3 data is current.Production of all INSAT-1 (preliminary) B3 data has been completed. These data will not be delivered to the ICA until the short-term calibration variations are removed (see below).Production of the ice/snow and TOVS correlative datasets is current.Production of the CX data for INSAT B3 continues; data for January 86 through July 88 have been completed. The initial assessment of the calibrations, based on intercomparison of retrieved surface and cloud properties in regions of overlap with other satellites (particularly the polar orbiter), shows that there are much larger short-term variations in INSAT calibration than for other satellites. These variations are about 5% rms for VIS and about 5K rms for IR, whereas for the other geostationary

satellites these variations are about 3% for VIS and 1.8K for IR.All the major code changes to the cloud detection algorithm, the radiative retrieval method, and the cloud types statistics have been completed. The new production code is undergoing review and a full scale

test is being planned to begin later this month. This test will not only verify the code changes but also produce the first complete assessment of the effects of the changes on the cloud climatology.

ISCCP Central Archive (ICA):

The ICA continued to receive B1 data from NOA, AES, ESA, CSU and JMA and B3 and C data from the GPC in a routine manner.