ATMS 120 1st Edition Lecture 6 Outline of Last Lecture I How to measure moisture II Relative humidity III Upper air data Outline of Current Lecture I Satellite orbits II Satellite channels visible imagery III Satellite channels infrared imagery IV Satellite channels water vapor imagery Current Lecture I Low Earth Orbit or polar orbit satellites are used primarily as research satellites Most of these satellites orbit from pole to pole and let the Earth spin beneath them They get very high spatial resolution 250m to 15m However these orbits only see a small swath of the Earth s surface at any given time Geosynchronous Orbit satellites are used primarily for weather observation They look at the same point on the equator at the same longitude and can see nearly half of the Earth They re orbital period matches the Earth s rotation II Satellite channels that use visible imagery measure reflected visible sunlight no images at night They measure bright objects with a high albedo snow thick clouds ice caps They measure dark objects with a low albedo vegetation land thin clouds oceans Features are distinguished by their albedo Albedo reflected sunlight incident sunlight III Satellite channels that use infrared imagery measure emitted IR radiation Basically they measure the temperature of an object These notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor s lecture GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes not as a substitute Bright objects are cold objects high clouds like the tops of t storms and high thin cirrus clouds Dark objects are warm objects low clouds the surface and snow All objects emit radiation according to their temperature Hotter objects emit more radiation than colder objects IV Satellite channels that use water vapor imagery measure emitted radiation from water vapor This tells us the moisture content of the air Bright objects have a high water vapor content t storms and thick clouds Dark objects have a low water vapor content cold clear and dry areas Water vapor imagery satellite channels serve as excellent tracers of atmospheric motion
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