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Elvia H. Thompson
Headquarters, Washington              April 29, 2003
(Phone: 202/358-1696)

Alan Buis
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
(Phone: 818/354-0474)

RELEASE: 03-151

NEW NASA DATA HELP TAKE "WHETHER" OUT OF WEATHER PREDICTION

     Your weatherperson's job just got a little easier, 
thanks to new data available from advanced weather 
instruments aboard NASA's Aqua satellite. 

The new data are the most accurate, highest-resolution 
measurements ever taken from space of the infrared 
brightness (radiance) of Earth's atmosphere. This 
information can be used to make more accurate predictions of 
weather and climate. 

The data come from two microwave sounding instruments that 
are part of the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) 
experiment: the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder and the 
Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit. 

With its visible, infrared and microwave detectors, the AIRS 
experiment provides a three-dimensional look at Earth's 
weather. Working in tandem, its instruments can make 
simultaneous observations from space all the way to Earth's 
surface, even in the presence of heavy clouds. With more 
than 2,400 channels sensing different regions of the 
atmosphere, the system creates a global, three-dimensional 
map of atmospheric temperature and humidity. AIRS provides 
information about clouds, greenhouse gases and many other 
atmospheric phenomena. 

 "The AIRS experiment is demonstrating high sensitivity and 
accuracy," said Dr. Moustafa Chahine, science team leader at 
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Pasadena, Calif., 
which manages the experiment. "Meteorologists around the 
world have been eagerly awaiting the availability of this 
processed AIRS data, and are already reporting measurable 
increases in the accuracy of their short-term weather 
predictions. NASA and the world's weather prediction 
agencies can also use AIRS experiment data to better track 
severe weather events, like hurricanes," he said. 

Scientists from various organizations echoed Chahine's 
views:

*  Dr. Tony McNally, of the European Center for Mid-range 
Weather Forecasts in Reading, England, reported the use of 
AIRS data resulted in "a small but consistent positive 
impact on forecast quality in all areas." 
*  Dr. Hank Revercomb, director of the Space Science and 
Engineering Center at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, 
called the experiment, "a virtual gold mine of information."
*  Dr. Louis Ucellini, director of the National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Centers for 
Environmental Prediction (NCEP), said adopting data from the 
AIRS experiment is "our number one priority." 

Chahine said more advanced data products are expected to 
become available later this year. The data will include 
atmospheric temperature and humidity profiles, and 
additional environmental measurements on various types of 
clouds, particularly the thin veil of cirrus clouds that 
cover Earth. He also expects new data about concentrations 
of greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, methane, carbon 
monoxide and volcanic sulfur dioxide.

NOAA is continuing to evaluate the new data, learning how to 
integrate it and gaining confidence in its accuracy. When 
that process is completed this summer, NOAA will begin 
integrating AIRS data into existing weather-prediction 
models used by NCEP. Six of the world's leading weather-
prediction centers will do the same. The data will also be 
distributed to the World Meteorological Organization in 
Switzerland, where it will be available to 105 countries.

Aqua's planned six-year mission will collect data, using the 
six onboard instruments, on global temperature variations, 
the cycling of water, global precipitation, evaporation, 
changes in ocean circulation, and how clouds and surface-
water processes affect climate. The information will help 
scientists better understand how global ecosystems change, 
and how they respond to and affect global environmental 
change. For more information about AIRS on the Internet, 
visit:
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/airs

NASA's Earth Science Enterprise is dedicated to 
understanding the Earth, as an integrated system, and 
applying Earth system science to improve prediction of 
climate, weather and natural hazards using the unique 
vantage point of space.

The California Institute of Technology in Pasadena manages 
JPL for NASA. For information about NASA and Earth Science 
projects on the Internet, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov

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