Deriving Upper Tropospheric Winds by Computer from Single Image, Digital Satellite Data

摘要

An evolving method for extracting wind information from satellite cloud picture data by computer is described. The basic data are the analog signals used to transmit the cloud pictures from the satellite to the ground. These signals are digitized, and the data are Mercator mapped on disk space in the computer. The described procedures operate on the data from the disk or from digital tapes produced from the disk. Wind directions are obtained by applying a center of gravity algorithm to successive binary slices through cumulonimbus cloud systems. Wind speed estimates are derived through double mass curve analyses and slope comparisons of cloud areas. These algorithms have been successfully applied to preselected cumulonimbus clouds. (Author)