FORMULATION AND TESTING OF A PROGRAM FOR THE OBJECTIVE ASSEMBLY OF METEOROLOGICAL SATELLITE CLOUD OBSERVATIONS

Abstract

The formulation and testing of an assembly program, which is designed to assimilate information derived from satellite videographs and produce a probability-of-cloudiness analysis for times concurrent with standard, synoptic, upper-air observations, is described. The program is based on the fact that layer-cloudiness distributions (in the synoptic range of scale) can be adequately depicted by specification of the net horizontal and vertical displacement of an array of parcels on a suitable isentropic surface. The results show that the accuracy of the probability-of-cloudiness analyses depends more on the accuracy of the diagnosed net lifting or subsidence of the parcels than on either the initial moisture distribution or the constants contained in the formulation of the program. The potential advantages of this program as an operational tool are discussed.