Tracking Weather Satellites
Track polar-orbiting
weather satellites in real-time. Visit the NASA Liftoff to Space
Exploration Tracking Web
page: use J-Track 2.5 to track all NOAA polar-orbiting weather
satellites simultaneously; or view live tracking snapshots for NOAA 12, NOAA 14, or NOAA 15.
Access NOAA polar-orbitting weather satellite imagery
from NASA's Global Hydrology and Climate Center. [Interactive Global
Geostationary Weather Satellite Images are also available.]
AMS Interactive Infrared Weather Satellite Image
22,300 miles above the Earth's surface, geostationary
weather satellites continuously monitor the Earth's dynamic
atmosphere. Special satellite sensors measure infrared energy (heat
energy) radiated by the Earth, showing the temperature of the tops of
clouds and land & water surfaces visible between clouds. Among other
advantages, infrared weather satellite imagery (a.k.a., I.R. imagery) is
available day and night.
Explore the world through "heat-sensitive eyes" (similar to looking
through night-vision binoculars) by visiting the American Meteorological
Society (AMS) Interactive Infrared
Weather Satellite Image. You will need a Java-capable Web browser; be
patient--the Applet takes a while to load! As you move the computer cursor
over the image, note that the temperature (in Celsius degrees) and
geographic location (latitude & longitude) are displayed for the point on
the Earth (or above the Earth, in the case of clouds) below the cursor.
Cool, huh? No, it's hot (remember, I.R. sensors detect heat energy).
Teacher Tips: Weather satellite
image interpretation is challenging and fun, and provides a variety of
opportunities to deliver authentic instruction:
- Practice working with decimal fractions and positive & negative
numbers. [Note: the higher the negative number, the lower (colder) the
temperature.]
- Temperature scale conversions, e.g., °C-to-°F (and vice
versa).
- Practice using geographic coordinates (latitude & longitude) to
determine location (Theme 1 of the National Council for
Geographic Education Five
Themes of Geography).
Challenge students to use an I.R. weather satellite image to demonstrate
the following understandings and/or competencies (ranked in degree of
difficulty, beginning with the easiest task):
- What is the date and time of the weather satellite image? Convert the
time from GMT (UTC) to Eastern Standard Time (EST) or Eastern Daylight
Time (EDT). [Hint: Refer to the time conversion chart.]
- Given the latitude & longitude of Washington, D.C. (39°N,
77°W), find its location on the satellite image.
- Record the current temperature (either land or cloud top) in the
vicinity of Washington, D.C. Convert the temperature from Celsius degrees
to Fahrenheit. [Visit the Sterling, VA NWS Forecast Office Web site for an
interactive Weather
Calculator.]
- Infer the relationship between color (black, white, and shades of
gray) and temperature, as shown on I.R. weather satellite imagery.
- Identify land and water surfaces; identify clouds (including high and
low clouds).
- Compare land and water temperatures at the same latitude; explain
possible causes for the observed temperature difference (if any). Compare
land surface temperatures at different latitudes; in general, what is the
relationship between surface temperature and latitude? Use geographic
coordinates to identify the locations used for comparison.
- Infer the location of the most intense storms by locating areas with
the coldest cloud top temperatures. Access other online sources of real-time weather
observations which verify your inferences.
- Locate major ocean
currents, e.g., the Gulf Stream
(requires a relatively cloud-free view of the ocean).
For more information regarding weather satellite image interpretation,
visit the UIUC Weather World 2010 Satellite
Meteorology Online Remote Sensing Guide.