NUMBER 63
DATE: 11/03/88
Sector Processing Center (SPC):
During September, NOA, ESA, and AES collectively processed greater than 86% of A data into B1/B2 data.
Normal operations were reported by NOA, ESA and AES.
NOA reported the successful launch of NOAA-11 as the replacement for the afternoon polar orbiter, NOAA-9. The change-over was originally scheduled for 18 October, but has been delayed to allow a calibration aircraft flight to be conducted over White Sands on or about 7 November. This flight will also obtain measurements for NOAA-11, providing a cross-check of the normalization procedures employed by the GPC. Processing of NOAA-10 data into ISCCP B2 format has commenced. Plans are to process both the most recent months of data, along with the afternoon polar orbiter data, and the backlog starting with December 86. The backlog is expected to be eliminated by next summer.
AES reported loss of data on 10 September caused by a failure in the front-end receiving system.
No reports were received from CSU or JMA.
Special Area Processing Center (SAPC):
No reports were received.
Satellite Calibration Center (SCC):
No report was received.
Global Processing Center (GPC):
The GPC continued to receive B2 data and correlative data in a routine manner.
Re-processing of NOAA-7 and NOAA-8 data to correct the small count error has been completed through December 83; the new tapes are being prepared for delivery to the ICA.
Production of METEOSAT-2 B3 data has been completed through January 87; delivery and production will continue to the end of 87.
Re-inspection of all B3 data to detect smaller, short-term calibration anomalies has been extended through the end of 83; all of these data have been corrected and will be delivered to the ICA later this month.
JMA has confirmed the problem with the IR calibration of the "midnight" image and is working on a corrected calibration data set. As soon as this corrected data set is received, production of GMS B3 data for 86 and 87 will commence.
TOVS data for 86 and 87 have been delivered to the ICA. Production of the correlative data is now on an "as-received" basis. Deliveries to the ICA will occur on an annual cycle.
C1 data for January 84 and April 85 have been delivered to the ICA. Production of August 83 and September
83 C1 data should be completed next week.
ISCCP Central Archive (ICA):
The ICA continued to receive B1 data from NOA, ESA, JMA, CSU, and AES and B3 and C data from the GPC
in a routine manner.
The second meeting of the CAS/JSC Working Group on Radiative Fluxes was held in Geneva from 19 to 21 October. A major agenda item was to finish the assessment of ISCCP and to prepare recommendations to the JSC regarding continuation of ISCCP beyond 1990, as requested by TOGA, for instance. The GPC representative presented a report on project status, including an update on calibration of the radiances and the production schedule of B3 data, the algorithm and production schedule of C1 data, and the planned contents of C2 data. The Working Group also reviewed plans and on-going activities for validation of the ISCCP data products and research activities already using ISCCP data.
As a result of the discussion, the Working Group prepared five recommendations to be forwarded to the JSC at their meeting in March 89:
1. recommend extension of ISCCP through 1995 to support other WCRP projects,
2. endorse continued C1 data production with the current cloud algorithm and urge emphasis on validation efforts,
3. in assessing the utility of ISCCP data, note the value of the good-quality radiance calibration and that efforts are already underway in several areas to use C1 data for radiation and GCM studies,
4. endorse the data production schedule as proposed by the ISCCP Working Group on Data Management, and
5. endorse the proposed C2 contents with monthly mean cloud type information for climate diagnostic studies.
A reminder to the members of the ISCCP Working Group on Data Management: your comments on the C2 contents proposal, presented at the last meeting, should be sent to the GPC by the end of November.
The health of GMS-3, METEOSAT-3, GOES-6, GOES-7, NOAA-9, NOAA-10 and NOAA-11 remained good. The position of GOES-7 is being allowed to drift slowly westward (starting in October 88) in anticipation of the failure of GOES-6.
Arranging for the delivery of INSAT B1 data.
Completing BC data for 1987.
Correcting small, short-term calibration anomalies in the B3 data for 84 and 85.
Delivering all B3 data for 1986 and 1987.
Completing the first year of C1 data.
Beginning delivery of C2 data.
Delivery of some special C data sets for FIRE, ICE and the Surface Radiation Budget project.