Topics


![]()
![]()
SatFC-J: The VIIRS Day/Night Band
This lesson introduces the innovative Day/Night Band (DNB). Producing both daytime and nighttime visible images, the unique aspect of the DNB is its nocturnal low-light imaging capability. It views reflected moonlight from clouds and Earth's surface, surface light emissions from various natural sources (such as fires) and anthropogenic sources (such as city lights and gas flares), and even from certain atmospheric light emissions such as the aurora, airglow, and lightning flashes. The lesson describes the capabilities and benefits of the DNB, in particular using the Near-Constant Contrast (NCC ...
Available online: https://www.meted.ucar.edu/training_module.php?id=1310
Published by: The University Corporation for Atmospheric Research ; 2018
This lesson introduces the innovative Day/Night Band (DNB). Producing both daytime and nighttime visible images, the unique aspect of the DNB is its nocturnal low-light imaging capability. It views reflected moonlight from clouds and Earth's surface, surface light emissions from various natural sources (such as fires) and anthropogenic sources (such as city lights and gas flares), and even from certain atmospheric light emissions such as the aurora, airglow, and lightning flashes. The lesson describes the capabilities and benefits of the DNB, in particular using the Near-Constant Contrast (NCC) product, available in the NWS' AWIPS-2 (Advanced Weather Interactive Processing System). It also explores key features that can be seen in DNB imagery throughout the lunar cycle, and some practical uses of this imagery. This lesson is part of the Satellite Foundational Course for JPSS (SatFC-J).
Disclaimer regarding 3rd party resources: WMO endeavours to ensure, but cannot and does not guarantee the accuracy, accessibility, integrity and timeliness of the information available on its website. WMO may make changes to the content of this website at any time without notice.
The responsibility for opinions expressed in articles, publications, studies and other contributions rests solely with their authors, and their posting on this website does not constitute an endorsement by WMO of the opinion expressed therein.
WMO shall not be liable for any damages incurred as a result of the use of its website. Please do not misuse our website.Language(s): English
Format: Digital (Standard Copyright)Tags: Weather forecasting ; Aurora ; Fog ; Lesson/ Tutorial ; Arctic ; Satellite Skills and Knowledge for Operational Meteorologists
Add tag
No review, please log in to add yours !
![]()
![]()
Advances in Space-Based Nighttime Visible Observation, 2nd Edition
This updated one-hour lesson explores the types of atmospheric and surface features that can be observed at night. It describes recent technical improvements in nighttime visible imaging with the VIIRS Day/Night Band on board the Suomi NPP and JPSS satellites, and the lunar phases and other conditions necessary for effective nighttime visible imaging. This lays the foundation for the rest of the lesson, which explores operational uses of nighttime visible observations. These include the detection and monitoring of city lights, tropical cyclones, fog and stratus, polar nights, auroras, fires an ...
Available online: https://www.meted.ucar.edu/training_module.php?id=1327
Published by: The University Corporation for Atmospheric Research ; 2017
This updated one-hour lesson explores the types of atmospheric and surface features that can be observed at night. It describes recent technical improvements in nighttime visible imaging with the VIIRS Day/Night Band on board the Suomi NPP and JPSS satellites, and the lunar phases and other conditions necessary for effective nighttime visible imaging. This lays the foundation for the rest of the lesson, which explores operational uses of nighttime visible observations. These include the detection and monitoring of city lights, tropical cyclones, fog and stratus, polar nights, auroras, fires and smoke, volcanic eruptions, dust storms, air pollution, moon glint, lightning, gas flares, ships and boats, and population/economic geography. The lesson is intended for weather forecasters and other environmental scientists who use nighttime environmental data. Other users, such as those in the transportation industry and economists, may benefit from it as well.
Disclaimer regarding 3rd party resources: WMO endeavours to ensure, but cannot and does not guarantee the accuracy, accessibility, integrity and timeliness of the information available on its website. WMO may make changes to the content of this website at any time without notice.
The responsibility for opinions expressed in articles, publications, studies and other contributions rests solely with their authors, and their posting on this website does not constitute an endorsement by WMO of the opinion expressed therein.
WMO shall not be liable for any damages incurred as a result of the use of its website. Please do not misuse our website.Language(s): English
Format: Digital (Standard Copyright)Tags: Air pollution ; Weather forecasting ; Aurora ; Fog ; Lesson/ Tutorial ; Arctic ; Satellite Skills and Knowledge for Operational Meteorologists
Add tag
No review, please log in to add yours !
![]()
![]()
Ship-based Sea and Lake Ice Observing
Ships operating in areas with ice are expected to report conditions as part of standard weather reporting procedures. This lesson is aimed at those tasked with this responsibility, be they official or informal observers. The lesson begins with background information on ice, addressing such topics as where it is found, how it develops, and how to observe and report it. This sets the stage for the lesson’s scenarios, which simulate the experience of being an ice observer in four situations: on the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Healy operating in the Arctic Ocean, on a container ship transiting the Nor ...
Available online: https://www.meted.ucar.edu/training_module.php?id=1149
Published by: The University Corporation for Atmospheric Research ; 2015
Ships operating in areas with ice are expected to report conditions as part of standard weather reporting procedures. This lesson is aimed at those tasked with this responsibility, be they official or informal observers. The lesson begins with background information on ice, addressing such topics as where it is found, how it develops, and how to observe and report it. This sets the stage for the lesson’s scenarios, which simulate the experience of being an ice observer in four situations: on the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Healy operating in the Arctic Ocean, on a container ship transiting the North Atlantic shipping lanes, on an oil tanker operating in an area with icebergs, and on the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Alder breaking ice on Lake Superior. Each scenario provides numerous opportunities to identify and report ice. These reports provide important information about local conditions and are vital to many users - from mariners deciding on route planning and ice monitoring organizations tasked with keeping waterways open to environmental scientists.
Disclaimer regarding 3rd party resources: WMO endeavours to ensure, but cannot and does not guarantee the accuracy, accessibility, integrity and timeliness of the information available on its website. WMO may make changes to the content of this website at any time without notice.
The responsibility for opinions expressed in articles, publications, studies and other contributions rests solely with their authors, and their posting on this website does not constitute an endorsement by WMO of the opinion expressed therein.
WMO shall not be liable for any damages incurred as a result of the use of its website. Please do not misuse our website.Language(s): English
Format: Digital (Standard Copyright)Tags: Sea ice ; Marine meteorology ; Lesson/ Tutorial ; Arctic ; Marine Weather Forecasters
Add tag
No review, please log in to add yours !
![]()
![]()
Arctic drives new era in climate and weather services
The Arctic is changing. Melting sea ice, thawing perma¬frost and a greening tundra are some of the consequences of Arctic temperatures that have been higher in the past few decades than at any other time over the past 2000 years. Unanticipated alterations in weather patterns and ocean currents are driving changes both on land and in the oceans.
Published by: WMO ; 2015
The Arctic is changing. Melting sea ice, thawing perma¬frost and a greening tundra are some of the consequences of Arctic temperatures that have been higher in the past few decades than at any other time over the past 2000 years. Unanticipated alterations in weather patterns and ocean currents are driving changes both on land and in the oceans.
Language(s): English
Format: Digital (Free)Tags: Weather service ; Climate change ; Climate services ; Arctic
Add tag
No review, please log in to add yours !
![]()
![]()
CliC Annual Report
CliC is pleased to release its 2014 Annual Report which summarizers the amazing number of activities that we sponsored, supported, and in many cases, initiated over the past few years. We hope you will take the time to read the achievements, as well as our plans for the coming year(s).
![]()
Available online: https://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15879
Published by: WMO ; 2015
CliC is pleased to release its 2014 Annual Report which summarizers the amazing number of activities that we sponsored, supported, and in many cases, initiated over the past few years. We hope you will take the time to read the achievements, as well as our plans for the coming year(s).
Language(s): English
Format: Digital (Free)Tags: Cryosphere ; Permafrost ; Climate ; Arctic ; Antarctica
Add tag
No review, please log in to add yours !
PermalinkPermalink![]()
![]()
![]()
The Tiksi International Hydrometeorological Observatory - An Arctic members Partnership
The global community has recognized over the last few years the importance of the weather and climate of the Earth’s Polar Regions.Particularly sensitive to human activities, the Polar Regions have also demonstrated the potential for impacting reciprocally on the livability of the more heavily populated lower and mid-latitudes. In response, the WMO Polar Observations, Research and Services (PORS) was developed to “…promote and coordinate relevant programmes that are carried out in the Antarctic and Arctic regions by nations and by groups of nations.” The Polar Activities resolution of the WMO ...
Permalink![]()
![]()
![]()
Introduction to VIIRS Imaging and Applications
This lesson introduces the VIIRS imager that operates on the current U.S. Suomi NPP satellite and is planned for future JPSS environmental satellites. VIIRS has many advanced features that improve both spectral and spatial resolution and enable the delivery of consistent, high quality, and high resolution data to users worldwide. The lesson covers the enhanced capabilities of VIIRS and highlights some of its applications. These include single channel and multispectral products used to monitor dust, volcanic ash, convection, fog and low clouds, sea surface temperature, tropical cyclones, contra ...
Permalink![]()
![]()
![]()
Arctic Meteorology and Oceanography
Diminishing sea ice has opened the Arctic to navigation and operations like never before. Forecasters are increasingly predicting weather in support of those operations. This module is intended to provide forecasters with a brief introduction to the Arctic, including its geography, climatology, and the forecast problems they are likely to encounter. The module follows a U.S. Coast Guard Cutter on a voyage from Dutch Harbor, in the Aleutian Islands, to Barrow, on the north coast of Alaska. Various topics are addressed along the way in a series of short, stand-alone lessons.
PermalinkPermalink![]()
![]()
![]()
Arctic Report Card 2012
ssued annually since 2006, the Arctic Report Card (hereafter the Report Card) is a timely and peer-reviewed source for clear, reliable and concise environmental information on the current state of the Arctic relative to historical records. The Report Card is intended for a wide audience, including scientists, teachers, students, decision-makers and the general public interested in the Arctic environment and science.
Comprising 20 essays on different topics in the physical and biological sciences, the Report Card is organized into five sections: Atmosphere; Sea Ice & Ocean; Marin ...
Permalink![]()
![]()
![]()
The recent shift in early summer Arctic atmospheric circulation: in Geophysical Research Letters, vol. 39, L19804
The last six years (2007–2012) show a persistent change in early summer Arctic wind patterns relative to previous decades. The persistent pattern, which has been previously recognized as the Arctic Dipole (AD), is characterized by relatively low sea-level pressure over the Siberian Arctic with high pressure over the Beaufort Sea, extending across northern North America and over Greenland. Pressure differences peak in June. In a search for a proximate cause for the newly persistent AD pattern, we note that the composite 700 hPa geopotential height field during June 2007–2012 exhibits a positive ...
Permalink![]()
![]()
![]()
L'accumulation inquiétante des polluants dans l'Arctique: In lemonde.fr
2012S'il est vrai, comme le pense l'ex-première ministre norvégienne Gro Harlem Brundtland, que "les régions polaires demeurent celles du monde sur lesquelles on a le moins de connaissances", les travaux présentés du 22 au 27 avril à Montréal, lors de la conférence de l'Année polaire internationale 2012, ont permis de mesurer les avancées scientifiques réalisées.
C'est particulièrement le cas pour les études concernant la présence en Arctique de métaux - comme le mercure - et de polluants organiques persistants (POP), dont les impacts sur la santé et l'environnement sont très nocif ...
Permalink![]()
![]()
![]()
On the potential contribution of open lead particle emissions to the central Arctic aerosol concentration
Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics (ACP), Vol. 11. N° 7. Held A.; Brooks I.M.; Leck C.; et al. - Copernicus GmbH, 2011We present direct eddy covariance measurements of aerosol number fluxes, dominated by sub-50 nm particles, at the edge of an ice floe drifting in the central Arctic Ocean. The measurements were made during the ice-breaker borne ASCOS (Arctic Summer Cloud Ocean Study) expedition in August 2008 between 2°–10° W longitude and 87°–87.5° N latitude. The median aerosol transfer velocities over different surface types (open water leads, ice ridges, snow and ice surfaces) ranged from 0.27 to 0.68 mm s−1 during deposition-dominated episodes. Emission periods were observed more frequently over the open ...
Permalink![]()
![]()
![]()
The 2009–2010 Arctic polar stratospheric cloud season: a CALIPSO perspective
Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics (ACP), Vol. 11. N° 5. Pitts M.C.; Poole L.R.; Dörnbrack A.; et al. - Copernicus GmbH, 2011Spaceborne lidar measurements from CALIPSO (Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations) are used to provide a vortex-wide perspective of the 2009–2010 Arctic PSC (polar stratospheric cloud) season to complement more focused measurements from the European Union RECONCILE (reconciliation of essential process parameters for an enhanced predictability of Arctic stratospheric ozone loss and its climate interactions) field campaign. The 2009–2010 Arctic winter was unusually cold at stratospheric levels from mid-December 2009 until the end of January 2010, and was one of only ...
Permalink![]()
![]()
![]()
Characteristics, sources, and transport of aerosols measured in spring 2008 during the aerosol, radiation, and cloud processes affecting Arctic Climate (ARCPAC) Project
Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics (ACP), Vol. 11. N° 3. Brock C.A.; Cozic J.; Bahreini R.; et al. - Copernicus GmbH, 2011We present an overview of the background, scientific goals, and execution of the Aerosol, Radiation, and Cloud Processes affecting Arctic Climate (ARCPAC) project of April 2008. We then summarize airborne measurements, made in the troposphere of the Alaskan Arctic, of aerosol particle size distributions, composition, and optical properties and discuss the sources and transport of the aerosols. The aerosol data were grouped into four categories based on gas-phase composition. First, the background troposphere contained a relatively diffuse, sulfate-rich aerosol extending from the top of the sea ...
Permalink![]()
![]()
![]()
International Polar Year (IPY). Understanding Earth's Polar challenges : International Polar Year 2007-2008 - summary by the IPY Joint Committee
The International Polar Year (IPY) 2007–2008, co-sponsored by ICSU and WMO, became the largest coordinated research program in the Earth’s polar regions, following in the footsteps of its predecessor, the first and second International Polar Years in 1881-1883 and 1932-1933 and the International Geophysical Year 1957–1958.
An estimated 50,000 researchers, local observers, educators, students, and support personnel from more than 60 nations were involved in the 228 international IPY projects (170 in science, 1 in data management, and 57 in education and outreach) and related national eff ...
Permalink![]()
![]()
![]()
Sea Ice and Products and Services of the National Ice Center
This two-hour module examines sea ice, icebergs, and the products and services of the National Ice Center and the North American Ice Service. Topics include climatology and current trends in sea ice extent and thickness; the development, classification, and drift of sea ice and icebergs; fractures, leads and polynyas; and the satellite detection of sea ice using visible, infrared, and microwave sensors.
PermalinkPermalinkPermalink![]()
![]()
![]()
Growth pattern of a common feather moss, Hylocomium splendens, from contrasting water regimes in a high Arctic tundra
Antarctic Record, Vol. 54, No. 2. Ueno Takeshi; Kanda Hiroshi - Scholarly and Academic Information Navigator (CiNii), 2010Hylocomium splendens, a widespread feather moss, is one of the major plant species found in high-Arctic tundra. It occupies a variety of habitats ranging from exposed dry ground to swampy areas. To clarify the effect of the water regime on the growth pattern of H. splendens, the shoot morphology of H. splendens growing in contrasting water regimes, i.e. hydric, mesic and xeric sites, was investigated using retrospective analyses of growth. The derived growth parameters for H. splendens differed considerably among the sites. The growing period at the hydric, mesic and xeric sites was 1 year, 2 ...
Permalink![]()
![]()
![]()
An Arctic Sea Ice Simulation Using an Ocean-Ice Coupled Model
Atmospheric and Oceanic Science Letters, Volume 3 Number 4. Sun Hong-Chuan; Zhou Guang-Qing - Science Press, 2010This paper evaluates the simulation of Arctic sea ice states using an ocean-ice coupled model that employs LASG/IAP (the State Key Laboratory of Numerical Modeling for Atmospheric Sciences and Geophysical Fluid Dynamics/ the Institute of Atmospheric Physics) Climate Ocean Model (LICOM) and the sea-ice model from the Bergen Climate Model (BCM). It is shown that the coupled model can reasonably reproduce the major characteristics of the mean state, annual cycle, and inter-annual variability of the Arctic sea ice concentration. The coupled model also shows biases that were generally pre-sented in ...
PermalinkPermalink![]()
![]()
![]()
AMAP Assessment 2007 : oil and gas activities in the Arctic - effects and potential effects, volume two
AMAP, 2010
Permalink![]()
![]()
![]()
AMAP Assessment 2007 : oil and gas activities in the Arctic - effects and potential effects, volume one
AMAP, 2010
Permalink![]()
![]()
![]()
Arctic Biodiversity Trends 2010
GRID Arendal, 2010A component of the comprehensive Arctic Biodiversity Assessment (ABA) of the Arctic Council, this report provides a snapshot of the trends being observed in Arctic biodiversity today. Twenty-two indicators examine the current state of the environment. Issues include sea birds, fisheries, climate change, polar bears and traditional knowledge.
Permalink![]()
![]()
![]()
IUCN/NRDC Workshop to Identify Areas of Ecological and Biological Significance or Vulnerability in the Arctic Marine Environment : Workshop Report
Human activity is expanding in the Arctic marine environment, in part due to warming ocean temperatures and the dramatic loss of summer sea ice. New and expanding human uses include fishing, shipping and offshore oil and gas development. All have the potential to place major additional stress on ocean ecosystems which are already undergoing profound change related to warming, sea ice loss, and alterations in ocean chemistry.
Because activities conducted in one nation's waters can affect other parts of the region, effective management of some human uses in the Arctic marine environmen ...
Permalink![]()
![]()
![]()
Why monitor the Arctic Ocean? Services to society from a sustained ocean observing system
Bates Peter; Alverson Keith; Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC); et al. - UNESCO, 2010Never has accurate information been more important, yet at
present we know very little about the Arctic Ocean. Critical physical processes are poorly understood, ecosystems remain unstudied and undiscovered, and indigenous voices go unheard. This lack of knowledge thwarts efforts to detect, predict or manage the interrelated physical, biological and social impacts of climate change, making sustainable development almost impossible. A coordinated observing system must therefore be
created for the Arctic Ocean and its coasts, to provide baseline data and ensure sustained monitor ...
PermalinkPermalink![]()
![]()
![]()
Для чего необходим мониторинг северного Ледовитого океана?
Bates Peter; Alverson Keith; Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC); et al. - UNESCO, 2010
Permalink![]()
![]()
![]()
Pourquoi surveiller l'océan Arctique? Services fournis à la société par un système permanent d'observation de l'océan
Bates Peter; Alverson Keith; Commission Océanographique Intergouvernementale (COI); et al. - UNESCO, 2010Jamais l’exactitude de l’information n’a été plus importante
qu’aujourd’hui et pourtant, nous savons encore très peu de choses sur l’océan Arctique. Certains processus physiques essentiels sont mal connus, des écosystèmes ne sont pas étudiés– ou pas découverts – et les voix autochtones demeurent ignorées. Ce manque de connaissances nuit aux initiatives visant à identifier, prédire ou gérer les conséquences physiques, biologiques et sociales – qui sont liées entre elles– du changement climatique, ce qui rend le développement
durable pratiquement impossible. Il est donc nécessair ...
PermalinkPermalinkPermalinkPermalink![]()
![]()
![]()
Année polaire internationale, 2007-2008. Etat de la recherche polaire
Organisation météorologique mondiale (OMM); Conseil International pour la Science (ICSU) - OMM, 2009
Permalink![]()
![]()
![]()
Clôture de la 4e année polaire internationale : colloque des 14 et 15 mai 2009
La 4e année polaire internationale, qui s'était ouverte au Sénat le 1er mars 2007, vient de s'achever. Elle a permis, en faveur des pôles Nord et Sud, une mobilisation sans précédent de notre planète, aussi bien en termes scientifiques que politiques.
La 3e année polaire internationale de 1957-1958 a laissé un legs très important : lancement de la mesure continue de la concentration du CO2 dans l'atmosphère, construction des premières bases permanentes en Antarctique et conclusion, en 1959, du Traité de Washington faisant de ce continent un lieu international réservé à la science et à l ...
PermalinkPermalinkPermalinkPermalinkPermalinkPermalinkPermalink![]()
![]()
![]()
Cryosphere theme report. For the monitoring of our environment from Space and from Earth : an international partnership for cooperation in Earth observations
World Meteorological Organization (WMO) ; United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO); Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC); et al. - IGOS, 2007This report aims to initiate a process that will ultimately result in a more comprehensive, coordinated, and integrated cryospheric observing system. The report starts with an Executive Summary that includes major recommendations. Chapters 1 and 2 define the cryosphere and the major applications of cryospheric data. Chapters 3-10 describe our current capabilities and requirements for observing essential climate variables (ECVs) in the major domains of the cryosphere. Each of these chapters contains domain-specific recommendations. Chapter 11 reviews the cryospheric observing system by observat ...
Permalink![]()
![]()
![]()
The Scope of Science for the International Polar Year 2007-2008
World Meteorological Organization (WMO) ; International Council for Science (ICSU) - WMO, 2007 (WMO/TD-No. 1364)
PermalinkPermalinkPermalinkPermalinkPermalink![]()
![]()
![]()
WCRP Informal/Series Report, 3/2004. Space mission requirements for WCRP: second report of the WCRP Satellite working group
World Meteorological Organization (WMO) ; International Council of Scientific Unions (ICSU); Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) - WMO, 2004
Permalink