# Presentation: 515322

## 
Impact Assessment of Potential Hurricane Imaging Radiometer (HIRAD) Tropical Cyclone Observations from Aircraft and Satellite Platforms

Robbie Hood, Robert Atlas, M.C. Bailey, Peter Black, Shuyi Chen, Christopher Hennon, Mark James, James Johnson, Linwood Jones, Timothy Miller, Christopher Ruf, David Simmons, Karen Stephens, and Eric Uhlhorn

**Impact Assessment of Potential Hurricane Imaging Radiometer (HIRAD) Tropical Cyclone Observations from Aircraft and Satellite Platforms**
***Robbie Hood, Robert Atlas, M.C. Bailey, Peter Black, Shuyi Chen, Christopher Hennon, Mark James, James Johnson, Linwood Jones, Timothy Miller, Christopher Ruf, David Simmons, Karen Stephens, and Eric Uhlhorn***

##  Overview

**HIRAD Design Team**

**C-band (4-7 GHz) frequencies**
**Synthetic thinned array radiometer (STAR)**
**Pushbroom imager**
**Single polarization for ocean wind speed**
**Dual polarization for ocean vector wind**

**HIRAD Development Timeline**

**HIRAD Description**

## Sensitivity of WindSat 6.8 GHz

**Based on  2006 H*Wind analysis of Hurricanes ****Dennis, ****Katrina, ****Rita**

## Technical Overview

** **

**Utilization of NASA Earth Science Office Technologies**
**Synthetic thinned aperture radiometer**
**Digital correlation in field programmable gate array**
**Radio Frequency Interference mitigation**
**Sensor Web information technology**

**Engineering concept** **with aircraft fixtures**

## Observing Systems Simulation Experiment

**HURRICANE FRANCIS NATURE RUN**

- =20 mm/hr

**With SFMR****	****            With HIRAD (11 km)**

**Double-headed arrow indicates**
** ****HIRAD swath width**

**Observing Systems Simulation Experiment**

**Results presented by Tim Miller at AMS Annual Meeting (Jan 08) and  AMS Hurricane Conference (Apr 08)**

**SIMULATED DATA FROM NATURE RUN**

| Observation Simulated | Comment |
| --- | --- |
| QuikSCAT |  |
| SFMR (aircraft ocean surface winds sensor) | Winds along ground track; no cross-track structure |
| Flight level winds | Not used |
| Dropsonde winds | Drops in eyewall and at storm center from aircraft |
| Airborne Doppler Radar | Future work |
| GOES cloud winds | Using actual data for location (relative to storm center), nature run data plus error for wind values |
| Buoys, ships, coastal sensors |  |
| HIRAD | 3 aircraft altitudes, satellite |

## Aircraft OSSE using H*Wind

**Aircraft OSSE using H*Wind**

- 109

- 117

- 121

**   **

- 82

- 109

- 125

**Nature Run in H*Wind**

**Simulated without HIRAD**

**Simulated with HIRAD at 3 km**

**Simulated with HIRAD at 20 km**

## Satellite OSSE using H*Wind

**Satellite OSSE using H*Wind**

- 109

- 117

- 121

**   **

- 82

- 109

- 125

**Nature Run in H*Wind**

**Simulated without HIRAD**

**Simulated with HIRAD at 350 km**

## Preliminary Mission Study

**Performance Characteristics for HIRAD**

**Example of sensor swath coverage of an Atlantic hurricane (yellow symbol) over a typical 24-hour period. XOVWM swath is red and HIRAD swath is blue.  **

##  HIRAD Technology Investment Roadmap

**Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Demonstration (optional)**

**Technology Brassboard Demonstration  in Laboratory**

**Satellite Demonstration of Improved Hurricane Ocean  Surface Vector Winds and Rain Rate**

** ****HIRAD Technology Investment Roadmap**

**Aircraft Demonstration**