__NOTOC__ The Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies (CIMSS) is a

research institute A research institute, research centre, or research organization is an establishment founded for doing research. Research institutes may specialize in basic research or may be oriented to applied research. Although the term often implies natural ...

where scientists study the use of data from geostationary and polar orbit weather satellites to improve forecasts of

weather Weather is the state of the atmosphere, describing for example the degree to which it is hot or cold, wet or dry, calm or stormy, clear or cloud cover, cloudy. On Earth, most weather phenomena occur in the lowest layer of the planet's atmo ...

(including tropical cyclones and severe storms. CIMSS was formed through a Memorandum of Understanding between the

University of Wisconsin–Madison The University of Wisconsin–Madison (University of Wisconsin, Wisconsin, UW, UW–Madison, or simply Madison) is a public land-grant research university in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. It was founded in 1848 when Wisconsin achieved st ...

, the

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA ) is an American scientific and regulatory agency charged with Weather forecasting, forecasting weather, monitoring oceanic and atmospheric conditions, Hydrography, charting the seas, ...

(NOAA) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). CIMSS parent organization, the Space Science and Engineering Center (SSEC) is a primary developer and operator of environmental satellite technologies. It is one of 16 NOAA Cooperative Institutes (CIs).

Background

CIMSS develops and successfully implements techniques and products for using geostationary and polar-orbiting weather satellite visible and thermal radiation observations to improve forecasts of severe storms, including

tornado A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with the surface of Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. It is often referred to as a twister, whirlwind or cyclone, although the ...

es and

tropical cyclone A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system with a low-pressure area, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depending on its locat ...

s. CIMSS plays a major role in the transfer of new technology into operational practice. CIMSS scientists conduct research using passive

remote sensing Remote sensing is the acquisition of information about an physical object, object or phenomenon without making physical contact with the object, in contrast to in situ or on-site observation. The term is applied especially to acquiring inform ...

systems for meteorological and surface-based applications. CIMSS also plays a major role in instrument design and testing, and related software development for improved space-based measurements of the Earth's atmosphere. CIMSS is very active in national and international field programs, testing new instrumentation, data processing systems, and assessing the geophysical utility of measurements.

Current research

Current research also focuses on the development and testing of computer-based analysis and forecast techniques that use observations from existing and planned spacecraft and ground-based weather observing systems as part of a national program to greatly improve weather forecast capabilities for the next decade. The optimal use of satellite data in climate and global change studies has become another essential part of the CIMSS mission. CIMSS serves as an international center for research on the interpretation and uses of operational and experimental satellite observations and remote sensing data acquired from aircraft and the ground. These data are applied to a wide variety of atmospheric and oceanographic studies and evaluated for their potential operational utility. The CIMSS international role is further strengthened through its visiting scientist program that hosts sabbaticals for several foreign scholars each year.

Staff

The CIMSS staff consists of over 100 associates, including administrative staff, principal investigators, federal employees stationed at CIMSS, scientific and programming staff, visiting scientists, and student hourly support. The federal employees consist of the 7 members of the NOAA Advanced Satellite Products Branch, 1 NOAA Office of Research and Applications employee, 1 NOAA Severe Storms Lab employee, and 1 NASA Langley Research Center employee.

References

External links

CIMSS website

SSEC website
(parent organization of CIMSS) {{authority control Research institutes in Wisconsin Earth science research institutes Meteorological research institutes University of Wisconsin–Madison NASA National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration