The goal of this study is to investigate ways in which GOES-R can contribute to severe storm analysis. We have approached this problem from a variety of angles, explained below.
The RAMS model was used to simulate a severe thunderstorm event from 27 June 2005 in the Central Plains, and synthetic ABI imagery was created for channels 7-13. This day was chosen because GOES-observed storm-top ice particle size varied greatly between storms in western Nebraska and in Iowa. By comparing the observed GOES imagery values and synthetic GOES imagery, a bug was discovered and subsequently fixed in the RAMS microphysical scheme. This case was also the motivation to develop a particle size retrieval using the ABI’s 2.25 micron band. The figure below shows a comparison between the 2.25 and 3.9 micron retrieval curves. Note that for effective radius values between 30 and 40 microns, the 2.25 micron curve is more sloped, meaning the retrieval errors are less. Additionally, the emitted component at 2.25 microns is negligible, making the satellite-observed reflectance more accurate.
GOES-12 effective radius retrieval from 27 June 2005 at 2325 UTC (left), and results from a thick ice cloud effective radius retrieval using 3.9 µm (red) and the ABI’s 2.25 µm band (blue) (right). Note that the blue line is more sloped at effective radius values between 30 and 40 µm, meaning a reduced error compared to 3.9 µm.