Environmental Technology
Laboratory
ETL researchers collaborate with colleagues around the world to create advanced remote sensors to better understand our complex climate. Remote sensing allows researchers to observe the temporally and spatially varying properties of climate. It is critical to our understanding of the global water and energy budget, the interactions between the oceans and atmosphere which modulate climate and to the collection of climate datasets. Passive and active ground, airborne and satellite-based remote sensors allow researchers to collect the long term, high resolution, datasets necessary for improved climate modeling and prediction.
Research at ETL encompasses all aspects of systems development. ETL takes a comprehensive approach to meet environmental measurement challenges through:
- theoretical and modeling studies,
- the design, development and testing of remote sensing instruments and techniques,
- the conceptualization and execution of field programs,
- and the acquisition and analysis of high resolution environmental datasets.
Climatic research themes at ETL which illustrate the integrated research process include:
Global Water and Energy Budget
The global climate is governed by processes which exchange water and energy
between the atmosphere and oceans. Researchers rely on satellite and ground-based
sensors to observe these processes on the global scale and to provide
data for models. Satellite investigations of the North
American Monsoon as part of the Pan-American
Climate Studies Program show promise for the improvement of modeling
and forecasting of extreme weather events such as droughts and floods.
Air-Sea-Ice Interaction
Air-ice-sea interaction
studies close a critical gap in our understanding of the climate.
These complex processes determine the exchange of energy, water and gases
between the atmosphere and oceans, modulating our climate and driving
weather systems. Microphysical measurements made during numerous programs
(Pan American Climate Studies EPIC program, Jasmine,
SHEBA, Nauru99,
Combined Sensor Program 1996)
are used to investigate physical processes, develop parameterizations
and collect data to be used in climate models. From space, researchers
use satellites to observe air-sea
interaction on the global scale.
Climate Monitoring and Datasets
Long-term, high resolution datasets required for climate modeling and
predictions can only be acquired by space-based or automated ground-based
systems. Researchers at ETL work with satellite
data sets to remove
instrument biases and retrieve climate properties such as water
vapor, cloud radiance, ocean
surface winds and sea surface temperature. Ground-based sensors developed
at ETL, such as the Millimeter
Cloud Radar and DABUL
Lidar are being used in remote
climate monitoring sites, field
programs and for validation
and development of satellite based instruments. Retrieval techniques
developed at ETL allow for the development of cloud
properties and water vapor
datasets necessary for regional and global climate modeling and forecasting.
For more information contact:
Environmental Technology Laboratory
325 Broadway
Boulder, Colorado 80303
info@etl.noaa.gov
http://www.etl.noaa.gov
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