The Product
The GOES Layer Average Specific Humidity (GLASH) is a derived image product developed at the University of Virginia with support from the National Envrionmental Satellite and Data Information Service (NESDIS) GOES I/M program. The product is based on the water vapor channel from the GOES Imager. The water vapor channel measures the radiance from a broad infrared absorption band centered at 6.5mm (6.7 on the newer GOES 12 Imager); it is most sensitive to water vapor in the mid-to-upper troposphere.
The Value Added
Water vapor is an essential quantity in the troposphere, it plays a central role in the redistribution of energy (influencing weather) and is the principal contributor to the greenhouse effect (influencing climate). Specific humidity is a conservative tracer for adiabatic motion and visualization of image loops of the derived product clearly depict advection and help to distinguish airmass source regions as well as the temporal evolution of airmass modifications driven by diabatic processes.
Developers
This work was conducted by Dr. Jennie Moody and Mr. Anthony Wimmers at the Univeristy of Virginia, with primary financial support from the GOES I/M Program of the National Environmental Satellite Data Information Service (NESDIS). The idea was originally conceived empirically by Professor Moody during the 1996 AEROCE field campaign, with support from the National Science Foundation Atmospheric Chemistry Division. This lead to Mr. Wimmers Master's Thesis work on the theory and validation of the derived product image. Further work on the application of specific humidity as an effective dynamical tracer was supported in part by the National Science Foundation Office of Polar Programs, in conjunction with the Atmospheric Chemistry Division, through their support of the Tropospheric Ozone about the Spring Equinox (TOPSE) project, a four month field campaign conducted during February through May 2000 to address the processes influencing the spring ozone bloom. A full list of references of papers making use of GLASH images is included in the Applications section.
Contact Information
Dr. Jennie Lynne Moody
- Telephone
- 434-924-0592
- FAX
- 434-982-2300
- Postal address
- Department of Environmental Sciences
- 291 McCormick Road
- University of Virginia
- Charlottesville, VA 22903
- Electronic mail
- General Information: moody@virginia.edu
Webmaster: moody@virginia.edu