Many uses of the geostationary operational environmental satellite-10 sounder and imager during a high inclination state

摘要

Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES)-10 was the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) operational GOES-West satellite for approximately eight years until it was retired as an operational satellite due to an ever increasing inclination in its orbit. Since its retirement, GOES-10 has been used for a number of applications, such as, special 1-minute imagery over parts of North America during its move to 60 deg West longitude, routine imagery of the Southern Hemisphere, the first operational Sounder coverage over South America, initialization of regional numerical weather prediction models, and even temporary recalled as the operational GOES-East satellite during a major GOES-12 anomaly. Products from the GOES-10 Sounder and/or Imager include: imagery, cloud-top parameters, atmospheric stability indices, total precipitable water vapor, motion vector winds, volcanic ash detection, fire detection and characterization, and precipitation. As the mission of GOES-10 has continued beyond its retirement as an official operational US satellite, already lasting more than double its five-year life expectancy, many countries have been afforded the opportunity to benefit from ongoing GOES-10 measurements. The purpose of this paper is to summarize the history of GOES-10, especially the unique situation of GOES-10 operating in support of central and South America after its operational use.