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[slate]

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[slate]

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So the cool thing about NOAA

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satellites is that we have a lot of capability. Not only can we warn you about the

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bad weather, but we can also tell you about the good weather as well. So everyone wants to see

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the spring coming through. Well through our satellites you actually have the ability to see spring

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actually coming through by the vegetation, by actual blooming. You can actually see

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it getting greener through the season.

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[slate]

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So NOAA satellites, we have actually two sets. We have a polar orbiting satellite. So if I use

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my hands as the globe, we have a polar orbiting set that actually pulls data

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from the planet, but actually pushes that information into the numerical model

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that forecasters use to actually forecast the conditions and weather. And then we also have the geostationary

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So as we sit in geostationary sync, we can actually look at

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one spot on the globe for a continuous timeframe. And its from that benefit that we can actually

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watch weather move from east to west or from west to east. And as a result of that

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we can watch entire systems develop and actually go through their entire evolution.

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[slate]

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So in the past 60 years we've made tremendous advancements

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in the science and meteorology as well as with satellites. Satellites

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now have the ability, at least the current GOES series, has the ability to see

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more information, three times more information than the previous series. We also have a

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ability to have four times the resolution. And what that provides forecasters

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now is a greater understanding of real-time development which gives them

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a greater ability to provide forecasts for what's going to happen.

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And for the climate monitoring perspective we now have multiple channels

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more channels in which we can see or interrogate the atmosphere and have a better understanding

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of what the atmosphere is doing over a longer

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and prolonged period of time. [slate]

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[slate] So NOAA is able to pull all that data

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from the satellites, both from the polar orbiters as well as the geostationary, into

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the numerical models in which forecasters use to give you your daily forecasts. The same forecast

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that you use on the phone or that you see on your nightly news. All that information

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goes into those numerical models to provide you with high temperatures,

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winds, and when you can expect the winds be stronger

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or more importantly when you can see the temperatures dropping off. So

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all that information goes into those daily forecasts.

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[slate]

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So the good news is with both satellites, with the polar orbiting as well as

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the geostationary satellites, you can see all types of weather. And

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in weather speak all scales of weather. You can see the very large scale and the very

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small scale. Specially with the geostationary with the ability to see

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directly into one area, we can target one specific area for forecasters

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and they can look at actual storms that will develop and move through

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a particular area. In the case of the mid-west if you see a thunderstorm that's going to develop

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they have the ability to task that satellite, or request that satellite, to look at

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particular area for severe weather every 30 seconds. So they

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have near real-time capabilities to watch a storm mature

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and it's through that they have the ability to actually forecast and warn you on where

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to get out and if you have to actually take shelter. [slate]

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[slate]

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Well satellites have come a long way, but right now where they have become is actually

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an essential tool for emergency managers to manage the message

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on when people need to both get out and get away or even to stay

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put because of severe weather that could be moving into the area. That information goes directly

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into operation centers, more importantly it goes directly into the forecasters that provide

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that forecast to those emergency managers to provide you with that message

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whether there's going to be shelter in place or that you need to evacuate.

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[slate]

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[slate] So the question is how different would the world be without satellites

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Well again we'd actually be blind. Without the ability to forecast

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conditions as they are going to develop and more importantly how they would impact us over the next

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day, two days, or even the next couple of weeks. Now we have the capability to

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look at our atmosphere and look at the conditions and actually forecast for those conditions

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over at least a 3-7 day period with good confidence. [slate]

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[slate]

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So how do the NOAA satellites work together in providing us with a forecast?

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Well the polar satellites as they rotate over the Earth they actually

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are providing atmospheric data that goes directly into the models. And it's with those models

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that forecasters provides you with that forecast whether it's the 12 day

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3 day or next 24 hour forecast. Geostationary

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satellites however, it has the ability to watch one specific spot of the globe

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and watch systems develop and move through. So it provides near real-time

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capability for forecasters to see how conditions will develop and more importantly how

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storms will move through the area. [slate]

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[slate]

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So the cool thing about our new satellite for the GOES satellite is that we have a lightening mapper onboard

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And that lightening mapper looks at one specific spot, specifically when thunderstorms

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are developing and it gives us an idea of the intensification of that lightening. And lightening

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and its activity is a key indicator for forecaster to know how strong

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the storm is, more importantly where is it is within its life

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and how soon it will actually die off.

