STORM: sounding and tracking observatory for regional meteorology to launch in 2016

Ultra-spectral sounders (USS) in low earth orbit have significantly improved weather forecast accuracy in recent years, and their impact could be significantly improved with reduced revisit times. The GeoMetWatch, Inc. 1 Sounding and Tracking Observatory for Regional Meteorology (STORM TM ) program is designed to place a constellation of six USS units in spaced geostationary (GEO) positions around the earth. From GEO, the repeat time for a specific weather feature can be reduced to minutes, and the vertical temperature, water vapor and wind profiles can provide detailed warnings not available by any other means. The STORM TM sensor, a derivative of the Geosynchronous Imaging Fourier Transform Spectrometer (GIFTS) EDU that was designed and built for NASA by Utah State University (USU) and rigorously tested in 2006, will be launched on a commercial geostationary satellite in late 2016. It combines advanced technologies to provide improved performance and reliability over the original EDU. From GEO the USS can observe surface thermal properties and atmospheric weather and chemistry variables in four dimensions. This paper provides an overview of the STORM TM instrument and the measurement concept. STORM TM ’s USS will provide data of the same quality as the current LEO satellite sounders (AIRS, CrIS, and IASI) but with the ability to track storm development with soundings and images at any desired rate. Wind profiles obtained from a time sequence of STORM TM water vapor retrieval images will provide additional input to now casting and regional models.