(KXAN) — As technology improves, our ability to observe the world improves with each new satellite that blasts off to orbit.
Meteorologist Nick Bannin spoke with Larry Flynn, a research scientist with NOAA’s Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) about
NOAA’s brand new ‘NOAA-21 Satellite’ that’s continuing to build on earth observation of satellites prior, but with even more detail.
Total ozone measured by the OMPS NM on February 17, 2023. Credit: NASA/NOAA/JPSSTotal ozone measured by the OMPS NM on February 17, 2023. Credit: NASA/NOAA/JPSS
Below is a transcript of Bannin and Flynn’s conversation.
Meteorologist Nick Bannin: NOAA’s 21 Satellite recently released its first images of global ozone concentration recently, what were you able to determine from those new images?
Larry Flynn, Research Scientist, NOAA’s Joint Polar Satellite System: So the images are from our newest ozone and mapping and profiler suite, which we call ‘OMPS’. It has three instruments a total ozone mapper, a Nadir ozone profiler and a limb profiler. The ozone estimates that were shown in the map, one thing they can be used for is to make estimates of the ultraviolet index. So you’ve probably heard of the UV index that tells you about the sun exposure. After launch, the instruments have to go through a checkout phase, because going from the Earth to the satellite orbit, there can be changes in them. So there’ll be updating the calibration, the instruments are performing well and we expect to be fully validated in a few months. The current instrument is designed with a minimum five-year lifetime, there was one that was launched in 2012. And it’s still working well. So these are good instruments that we’re putting up there.
Bannin: Obviously, this is not NASA’s first and NOAA’s first look at ozone on the earth, but it is an improved look, right, over previous satellites?
Flynn: So one of one of the key applications is a long term one, actually, not just the day to day. We’ve been measuring ozone since 1970 with satellite instruments. There was an early one that NASA flew on the Nimbus 4, called the backscatter ultraviolet and this instrument that we’re flying now is is a much more advanced one. But we trace that record all the way back there. And the key thing that we want to do is to look and see what’s going on with the ozone layer as it recovers as all the nations in the world follow the the agreements they’ve made to stop producing ozone depleting substances.
Bannin: Larry, there’s not just an ozone measuring instrument on this new satellite, but some weather measuring instruments too. Can you talk about those?
Flynn: Yeah, its main mission is actually to support the weather forecasts and there’s other instruments that measure in the visible and infrared in in the microwave. and those give good information on the atmosphere, temperature on clouds and on moisture that the humidity in the atmosphere, as well as on aerosols as well, additional ones that have more information on aerosols.