Abstract

The implementation of the Wind Profiler Demonstration Network [1] is an indication of the increased reliance of the operational community on remote sensors. The Wind Profilers themselves can measure winds to about 16 km with a spatial resolution of 300-900 m on an hourly basis; their horizontal spacings vary from about 200 to 300 km. If the same spatial and temporal coverage of temperature, water vapor and clouds could be achieved many of the needs of forecasters and researchers could be met. However, even if the ambitious goal of measuring both dynamic and thermodynamic variables from a network of surface-based stations could be met, station deployment on a 25 to 50 km grid would be prohibitively expensive. Observations from both polar-orbiting and geostationary satellites, when combined with data from a limited grid of surface-based remote sensors, may provide the necessary horizontal coverage as well as improve upper altitude accuracy. In this paper, we present new results and discuss several possibilities of combining surface-based and satellite data.

© 1993 Optical Society of America